Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

However… that teammate didn’t seize the opportunity. Xiang Yang was even confident that if any one of the five members of Haichang’s starting lineup were in that position, they wouldn’t have just watched the opportunity slip away.

Is it really because I lack experience?

Xiang Yang shook his head inwardly, temporarily putting his teammate's mistake aside.

Actually, it wasn't just that the teammate reacted a beat too slowly; the national team also hadn't expected Zhou Yi's sudden switch on defense. Clearly, this was a sudden idea from Zhou Yi himself.

However, their

Their overall defensive awareness was excellent. When a teammate left an opening, several teammates immediately stepped in to cover and fill the gap.

"They've got some skills..."

Xiang Yang muttered something to himself, while glancing at Coach Sun, who was watching the game from the sidelines, and gaining a general understanding of the latter's coaching ability.

At this moment, Zhou Yi, who was still standing in front of Xiang Yang, realized that he seemed to be ignored. He looked at Xiang Yang's eyes, which were wandering around but never looking at him, and a hint of anger appeared on his face.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, can't you see me?"

Xiang Yang came to his senses and looked at Zhou Yi in front of him, as if he understood something.

[Does this mean... they think I'm an easy target?]

Xiang Yang narrowed his eyes and decisively gestured for his teammates to spread out; he wanted to go one-on-one!

"Oh, interesting, you want to challenge me to a one-on-one match?"

Zhou Yi stretched his neck, waved to Xiang Yang in a pretentious manner, and said, "Don't blame me for not warning you. I don't care how outstanding or famous you are in Japan. Maybe you're a genius, but years of playing experience are a fixed number!"

"Judging from your appearance, you must be under twenty years old, right? How many years have you been playing? Five years or ten? Do you know how long I've been playing?"

Zhou Yi extended his right thumb, pointed to his chest, and revealed a profound and inscrutable expression.

"Let me tell you! I started playing ball when I was four years old, and I'm 25 this year, so I've been playing for 21 years!"

"For the past 21 years, I have worked hard every day to hone my skills. Perhaps I am not as talented as those geniuses, but I also have my own unique weapons!"

"I, Zhou Yi, am a genius who works hard!"

Xiang Yang frowned slightly, looking at Zhou Yi who was giving a passionate speech, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Is it because I haven't fully grasped the language of flowers? Why is it that I can't understand some of what this guy is saying?

Seeing Zhou Yi take a breath, as if he was about to write another long essay, Xiang Yang didn't wait any longer and immediately launched an attack with the ball in his right hand.

After a few crossover dribbles to adjust his rhythm, Xiang Yang immediately widened the gap with Zhou Yi with a crossover. He looked around, looking for an opportunity to pass the ball and assist, but at that moment, a figure darted out from behind Xiang Yang's left side.

"You bastard, don't you know that attacking someone when they've only said half of what they're saying is called a sneak attack?!"

It's Zhou Yi!

He reacted immediately after Xiang Yang passed him by half a body length, and quickly caught up with Xiang Yang thanks to his excellent lateral movement speed!

Sensing Zhou Yi's defensive position on the side, Xiang Yang's expression remained unchanged. He executed a reverse crossover dribble and pulled back, regaining offensive space.

However, this time, Zhou Yi still managed to catch up!

"You think this kind of simple, rhythmic attack will work on me? I can see right through players like you!"

Zhou Yi's confident tone rang in Xiang Yang's ears once again, but this time Xiang Yang was genuinely startled. In his mind, Zhou Yi should have been thrown into the air by now.

That wasn't all! While catching up with Xiang Yang, Zhou Yi didn't just sit and wait to die; instead, he proactively reached out his right hand to grab Xiang Yang.

The basketball in my hand.

It has to be said that this player, who is somewhat arrogant and conceited, does have some real talent.

At least his steal successfully triggered a dangerous warning for Xiangyang!

Talent: Danger warning activated.

Feeling the hairs on his forearm stand up slightly, Xiang Yang calmly turned around to protect the ball and avoid a steal, his eyes filled with approval.

At the same time, this was also the first time he had responded to Zhou Yi.

"The timing of the steal was good."

Before Zhou Yi could react, Xiang Yang crouched slightly and suddenly exerted force backward.

In that instant, Zhou Yi felt as if he had been hit head-on by a train.

His body fell backward uncontrollably, and Zhou Yi completely lost his balance. His hands waved in the air unconsciously, but it was all in vain.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the arena, Zhou Yi sat down on the floor with a blank expression, watching as Xiang Yang slowly adjusted his shooting posture, faced an empty defense, and shot with an elbow, which then swished through the net.

"Good shot, Xiangyang!"

"You're really something! You managed to knock Brother Zhou to the ground!"

Xiangyang's teammates were the first to react and rushed forward to give him a high-five in celebration. However, Xiangyang's attention was on Zhou Yi at that moment.

Xiang Yang remained calm as he slowly walked up to Zhou Yi, and seeing the still somewhat bewildered expression on his face, extended his right hand to him.

"Good defense, your steal was very threatening."

Xiang Yang spoke concisely and his expression was very sincere.

But to Zhou Yi, his words sounded no different from mockery.

"...This was just a mistake, you wait! I'll break you until you question your very existence!"

Zhou Yi's face turned red, but he still grabbed Xiang Yang's outstretched hand and used it to get up.

Realizing that Zhou Yi seemed to have misunderstood him, Xiang Yang hesitated for two seconds before explaining, "I really am praising you. Although your physical strength is as weak as paper, your two defensive plays and the final steal were both very good!"

Keep up the good work!

After saying that, Xiang Yang patted Zhou Yi on the shoulder as an encouraging gesture. Then, ignoring the latter's increasingly dark expression, Xiang Yang put his hands behind his head and slowly walked back to his own half of the field.

"Pfft!"

Li Wenyu, who had been secretly watching the two, burst out laughing when he saw this scene. He looked at Zhou Yi, who was standing there dumbfounded with anger, and then at Xiang Yang, who was moving leisurely as if nothing had happened, and a gloating expression appeared on his face.

[Serves you right for always bullying newbies... Now you'll experience the pain I felt yesterday!]

Li Wenyu whistled a few times, received the serve and immediately passed it to Zhou Yi without hesitation. Then he crossed his arms and stood on the wing watching the game, as if it were none of his business.

Normally, Zhou Yi, who knows his captain very well, would definitely have noticed something was wrong! But now, he had just been humiliated by Xiang Yang and was eager to get revenge, so he naturally couldn't notice so many details.

At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: to teach this brat who had gotten a little advantage a lesson and then became arrogant and ignorant!

Trash talk is something he's always been good at.

Wing's specialty! How could he accept being knocked to the ground by a newcomer and then being hurled at with trash talk? He couldn't stand it at all!

However, this time, Zhou Yi really misunderstood.

It's important to know that with Xiang Yang's solid foundation, not just anyone can trigger his "danger warning."

Xiangyang's passive talent will only be triggered when he is truly threatened with being cut off!

Looking at all the talented players of the same age in Japan, even including the freak Akashi, the number of people who have successfully triggered Hikaru's move can be counted on one hand.

So from Xiangyang's perspective, Zhou Yi already deserved praise for doing this much, but unfortunately, the latter didn't feel that way at all; he was the one being praised!

"Pass me the ball!"

This time, Zhou Yi took the initiative to find Xiang Yang. While his anger had not subsided, he did not forget to ask his teammates for the ball. Then he decisively made a pulling move.

He's going to fight back one-on-one!

His teammates were very understanding and gave him space, allowing him a chance to get back at them.

Xiang Yang looked around to make sure the national team players had really created space, then gave his teammates a reassuring look before focusing his attention on Zhou Yi.

The two stood facing each other at the top of the arc, one with an angry expression and the other with a calm demeanor.

Soon, Zhou Yi moved, starting with a push shot followed by a crossover dribble. This left-right rhythm misdirection was Zhou Yi's most proficient offensive technique!

Xiang Yang seemed to have been tricked by this move as well. He turned around and retreated in time, and Zhou Yi passed him by half a body length.

Looking at the wide-open view in front of him, Zhou Yi's face lit up with joy. However, just when he thought he had gotten past Xiang Yang and could break through the basket with impunity, he felt his dribbling hand suddenly loosen. Looking down, he realized that the basketball had left his control at some point.

"Run!!"

A roar suddenly came from behind him. Zhou Yi turned around sharply and saw that Xiang Yang had already made a steal and immediately organized his teammates to launch a fast break.

In the national youth team, Wang and Lin, who are known for their speed, reacted quickly. The moment they saw Xiang Yang give the signal for a fast break, they rushed towards the opposite half of the court.

Because Zhou Yi had previously signaled his teammates to spread out, the national team players were all spread out. Faced with this sudden counter-attack, they could only make a token effort to retreat and pressure the defense. In the end, they could only watch helplessly as Xiang Yang passed the ball to Xiao Wang, who scored the goal.

"nice shot!"

Coach Sun, who had been watching from the sidelines for a long time, couldn't help but let out a low shout. He looked at Xiang Yang on the field, who was high-fiving and celebrating with his teammates, and his eyes revealed amazement.

If Xiang Yang's successful one-on-one match against Zhou Yi in the previous round only proved his one-on-one ability, it can still be effective even in the relatively confined space of a full-court match.

In this round, facing Zhou Yi's attack, Xiang Yang not only made a steal but also immediately launched a counterattack to organize his teammates. This precisely demonstrates that Xiang Yang has a very good understanding of his responsibilities as a point guard.

"In that counter-attack just now, he could have easily gone up on his own, but he chose to pass to Xiao Wang, who was in a better position. This player... tsk!"

Coach Sun shook his head, then picked up his pen to tick Xiang Yang's name. In just two rounds, he saw all the qualities a point guard should have in Xiang Yang.

Exceptional one-on-one and defensive skills, excellent court vision, and a strong desire to share possession of the ball.

Xiangyang is now fully capable of serving as the starting point guard for the Chinese national team, and he is still a cornerstone of the team that deserves to be entrusted with the ball!

Hai Lao watched with a wry smile as Coach Sun ticked Xiang Yang's name without saying a word. He quickly patted him on the shoulder and reminded him, "Don't just focus on Xiang Yang. Isn't that kid's advancement a sure thing? Can't you pay more attention to the others?"

As he spoke, Hai Lao gestured towards the young players on the field, indicating to Coach Sun to observe their performance closely.

"Yes, Master, I will."

Coach Sun nodded obediently, but while he agreed verbally, his eyes remained fixed on Xiang Yang, as if the latter had already captivated him.

Ebi:…

Of course, Hai Lao knew what Coach Sun was thinking about this disciple who looked exactly like him when he was young.

Even if Hai Lao, as his mentor, has high hopes for a player, if that player cannot demonstrate his value to Coach Sun, then no matter how much Hai Lao pleads for them, Coach Sun will still not budge.

[You guys need to step up your game... Don't just pass the ball to Xiangyang all the time, take some more shots yourself!]

Old Hai's face remained expressionless, but he was inwardly anxious.

With Xiang Yang's eye-catching attack and defense at the start, the overall rhythm of the game for the national youth team also changed.

That's how basketball is. Every basketball player or enthusiast has a tendency to admire the strong to some extent. When one of the teammates performs exceptionally well or has a great shooting touch, the other players on the team will gradually develop a sense of dependence on them.