novelODS Chapter 4: A one-on-one duel with Westbrook draws the head coach's attention!
Chapter 4: A one-on-one duel with Westbrook draws the head coach's attention!
Soon, the rest of the UCLA Bruins players arrived one after another.
Everyone was engaged in their own training program.
Zeng Zhen is still practicing shooting.
Zeng Zhen is well aware that the Bruins are unlikely to let him control the ball now. If he needs to find opportunities to stay, he needs to start by improving his defense and catch-and-shoot skills.
If he wants to get a chance in March Madness, he needs to continue to earn the coach's trust that he can do the groundwork.
These opportunities must be seized from the very beginning of training.
Now, they're showing a completely new look right from the start of training.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
...
Zeng Zhen has an extremely strong touch and consistency; his 88-point fixed-point shooting is top-tier for a shooter in the NCAA.
Jamie Dixon, the assistant coach who was tracking Zeng Zhen's shooting percentage, was somewhat surprised to see this.
According to Jamie Dixon, Zeng Zhen used to be an average player with average shooting, average physicality, average ball handling, and average court vision. But in today's training, Zeng Zhen looked no different from those shooters.
He corrected his posture and how he exerted force, and made great progress!
Zeng Zhen's three-point shooting ability comes from Curry; his shooting form is similar to a push shot, and his consistency is very strong.
Through extensive three-point shooting practice, Zeng Zhen's shooting percentage approached 90%, which is almost perfect.
......
It happened right after training, when everyone was resting.
Zeng Zhen saw Ben Holland chatting with a group of assistant coaches on the sidelines.
Zeng Zhen quickly went over to Westbrook and said, "Hey Russell, let's have a one-on-one game and work up a sweat."
Westbrook raised an eyebrow, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at Zeng Zhen seriously, saying, "Zeng, are you sure? You're going to get crushed by me."
The two had tried one-on-one, but Zeng Zhen hadn't won a single match.
Previously, Zeng Zhen's physical talent was far inferior to Westbrook's, and he was often beaten by Zeng Zhen's one-step defense. So even though Westbrook was not a player who was good at one-on-one, he could still bully him.
But that was before.
"Everything is different now," Zeng Zhen said with a smile. "Then let's give it a try. I want to see if I've made any progress during this time."
With so many people around, Zeng Zhenke had no intention of keeping anything to himself.
If he doesn't showcase his talent and abilities soon, he'll probably spend the rest of the March Madness season on the bench.
"Alright, come on, what are the rules?"
"Continuous scoring, no dribbling restrictions, 21-point system!"
"Whatever, don't cry when we beat you 21-0 later." Westbrook said confidently.
At that moment, assistant coach Jamie Dixon had just finished reporting Zeng Zhen's three-point shooting statistics from training that day to UCLA head coach Ben Holland.
The assistant coaches were somewhat surprised, but Ben Holland didn't say anything. He believed that his occasional good three-point shooting during practice wouldn't easily shatter his perception.
Ben Holland is a 51-year-old head coach known for his high-intensity defense, low-post offense, and team discipline.
他在执教UCLA的10个赛季中拿到了233胜107负，2006-2007年连续两年进 NCAA最终四强，是约翰・伍登之后首位达成此成就的教练。
UCLA won the Pac-10 regular season championship for three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008, and his contribution was indispensable to their 2008 championship.
Ben Holland wields the most power in the Bruins, a power far exceeding that of an NBA head coach over an NBA team.
At this moment, an assistant coach pointed to Westbrook and Zeng Zhen and said, "Hey, Russell and Zeng are playing one-on-one, this is going to be interesting."
Ben Holland's gaze swept over and saw Zeng Zhen and Westbrook getting into a one-on-one stance, with the surrounding players cheering.
"Hey Zeng, you're going to get crushed by Russell."
"Russell, kick Zeng's ass hard."
"Zeng, keep it up, give Russell a piece of his mind."
"Russell, Nina's here, you better not get blown up."
...
Ben Holland's impression of Zeng Zhen is that he is a hard-working big guard with decent static talent, but poor dynamics and weak fundamentals. If he is properly trained for a few years, he may have a chance to play in the team's rotation in his senior year and can be used as a 3-and-D player. However, Ben Holland has no intention of giving Zeng Zhen a chance to play in the upcoming "March Madness" this year.
But Westbrook is different; he's his favorite player, and he's 100% a lottery pick this year.
Ben Holland believes this bullfight will be a foregone conclusion, with Westbrook winning easily.
Westbrook bounced the ball down and passed it to Zeng Zhen at the top of the key!
Zeng Zhen opened his palms wide and gripped the basketball firmly; he now had complete control over the ball!
Zeng Zhen adopted a triple threat stance, bending over to hold the ball!
Although Westbrook has a good relationship with Zeng Zhen, he will give it his all on the court. Westbrook's defense is very close!
Zeng Zhen switched the ball from the left to the right, and then burst down the ball with his super-fast first step.
"Whoosh!!"
"So fast!"
Westbrook was caught completely off guard and Zeng Zhen was easily beaten in one step.
Zeng Zhen rushed in, grabbed the basketball with one hand, took a step into the air, and performed a one-handed gliding dunk!
"box!!"
2:0.
"Russell, guarding too closely isn't a good choice," Zeng Zhen said, turning around and smiling at Westbrook.
In this round, Zeng Zhen felt the domineering power of Rose's explosiveness.
Westbrook's defense is not bad. Zeng Zhen would never have been able to get past him in one step before, but this time he got past him cleanly in one step.
Jamie Dixon said, "Wow, Zeng's explosiveness has improved."
Ben Howard didn't speak, but quietly continued watching the bullfight, which piqued his interest slightly.
Westbrook sensed the speed of Zeng Zheng's first step and said seriously, "You're improving faster than I expected. Let's do it again!"
As he spoke, Westbrook passed the ball back to Zeng Zhen!
"Bang!"
Zeng Zhen received the ball, and Westbrook chose to keep a little distance to defend him this time. He felt that as long as he didn't get too close, he could keep up with the explosive play from just now.
Zeng Zhen was naturally keeping a close eye on the surrounding situation; he knew the coaching staff was watching!
Next, he'll show off his other offensive skills.
Zeng Zhen got the ball and still used a triple threat stance, watching Westbrook prepare to defend against a drive.
Zeng Zhen didn't hesitate. He took the ball a step outside the three-point line and shot a three-pointer without adjusting his position!
The ball was released extremely quickly, and by the time Westbrook rushed over, it was already gliding through the air.
Zeng Zhen had a great feel for the ball.
"Whoa whoa!!"
"They've already voted?"
Zeng Zhen's teammates on the sidelines never expected him to be so determined in his attack.
The basketball in flight looked as if it were equipped with a scope.
"Whoosh!!"
Piercing through the heart and into the net!!
5:0.
Fast and accurate!
"Russell, you need to defend against both drives and shots as well," Zeng Zhen said confidently.
"Again!" Westbrook's eyes were sharp as he passed the ball to Zeng Zhen.
Westbrook could sense it.
Zeng Zhenzhen has really become stronger!
That speed, accuracy, and confidence were things I'd never seen before.
Of course, he wasn't the only one who noticed it; other players and coaching staff at UCLA also sensed these details.
On the court, Westbrook positioned himself in a position where he could quickly close in to contest shots and also keep up with drives to the basket.
Zeng Zhen dribbled the ball.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Zeng Zhen faced Westbrook's continuous low-hand crossovers.
While dribbling, Zeng Zhen could feel that the basketball was like a part of his own body, and it wouldn't fall off even as he swayed with his movements.
Is this Kyrie Irving's dribbling ability?
That's so cool!!
Zeng Zhen dribbled the ball so low it almost touched the ground, making it impossible for Westbrook to intercept.
The moment Zeng Zhen lifted the ball, he violently tilted his body to one side, lowered his shoulders, and coordinated his eyes and footwork to create the illusion of a strong breakthrough to the left!
Westbrook fell for the trick and lunged to his left. Zeng Zhen used his wrist to generate explosive power and quickly crossed the ball from his left side to his right side.
He completely broke free, accelerated to the basket, and glided in for a reverse layup!
7 is better than 0
A classic crossover!
If the first two plays were due to Westbrook leaving some gaps in his defense, then on this play, Westbrook gave him absolutely no chance.
But Zeng Zhen still managed to break in!
The other ULCA players around him were stunned; this was not the Zeng Zhen they knew.
How come this guy is so strong?