novelODS Chapter 47 Presti: Young man, you have a bright future!
Chapter 47 Presti: Young man, you have a bright future!
The team's sincerity was palpable from the moment Zeng Zhen stepped off the plane.
Seattle Airport!
As Zeng Zhen and Schwartz walked out of the exit, they unexpectedly saw two people.
Sam Presti, dressed in a suit, and Scott Brooks, the Thunder's future coach, dressed in sportswear!
SuperSonics' current head coach, PJ Carlesimo, did not come.
"Hey, Zeng, Jeff, you've finally arrived. Welcome to Seattle. This is assistant coach Scott Brooks next to me." Sam Presti warmly shook hands with Zeng Zhen and Schwartz one after the other.
"Hello, Mr. Sam, Coach Scott." Zeng Zhen nodded and shook hands with Presti and Brooks.
"Haha, Sam, I heard the league approved your relocation. I thought we were going to change our tickets and go to Ohio," Schwartz laughed after shaking hands.
"We'll start going there to work gradually after June," Presti explained.
On April 18, the league officially approved the SuperSonics' relocation from Seattle to Oklahoma City. The SuperSonics will also adopt a new team name at that time. However, they will still conduct their pre-draft workouts in Seattle.
Sam Presti and Scott Brooks were both very approachable, and neither of them put on airs when they were being polite to Zeng Zhen and Schwartz.
"Thank you for picking us up for the tryouts. It wasn't really necessary; we had already arranged a car." Schwartz was a little surprised to see Presti and Brooks come to pick them up.
Zeng Zhen is just an ordinary rookie, not an All-Star player yet. Even though the SuperSonics have high hopes for him, it's still quite extravagant for the general manager to pick him up at the airport.
"No rush for the tryouts. Scott and I found a Chinese restaurant for us to eat first. Then Scott will show you around Seattle today, and you can go back to the hotel to rest tonight. We'll come back for the tryouts tomorrow. By the way, we'll reimburse you for your airfare, food, accommodation, and sightseeing expenses here," Presti said with a smile as he led the two out of the airport.
Although the airfare, food, and accommodation costs were not high, it must be said that Presti's actions earned the favor of Schwartz and Zeng Zhen.
After all, they had been to so many places for trials, and this was the first time they had received such treatment.
Zeng Zhen realized from Presti's behavior why Presti's drafting ability was so amazing in his previous life.
Presti is a general manager who pays great attention to detail, has a keen eye, and respects his players.
Of the four, only Zeng Zhen truly understood how amazing Presti's abilities were.
In his previous life, Presti used his draft picks from 2007, 2008, and 2009 to select three MVPs, and later he also had talented players like Ibaka and Adams.
Even after Durant defected and the Big Three of Westbrook, Paul George, and Anthony disbanded, he still acquired a large number of draft picks through the George trade and continued his phenomenal run.
First, in the trade for George, they strongly demanded the acquisition of Alexander, the cornerstone of their team. Then, between 2021 and 2023, they successively drafted Josh Gidi, Jaylen Williams, and Chet Holmgren...
They finally won the championship!!
Despite being located in a small city, the Thunder have long been among the league's top teams thanks to Presti's incredible turnaround.
This general manager seems to have made a mistake only when renewing Harden's contract; otherwise, even fans think he's on a winning streak.
After the four finished their meal, Presti went off to attend to other matters, leaving Brooks to arrange the rest of the itinerary.
Zeng Zhen never imagined that he could slack off during such a busy and stressful time.
"Zeng, actually, the atmosphere in our team isn't that serious. Most of the time, the players eat, train, and play together. We all consider each other family," Brooks told Zeng Zhen at a tourist attraction.
"Yes, this atmosphere is great." Zeng Zhen nodded.
Brooks has created a good atmosphere in the Thunder's locker room since taking over as head coach.
After a day of sightseeing and another night of rest, Zeng Zhen arrived at the SuperSonics' training stadium the next day.
"Hey Zeng, I watched your NCAA game, you were really amazing. My name is Nick." As Zeng Zhen entered the locker room to change, a tall white man greeted him warmly, and the two bumped shoulders.
Nick Collison, 28 years old, 2.08 meters tall, is a former member of the Dream Team and one of the few Dream Team players to have made it to the All-Star team. Now he is the locker room leader of the SuperSonics and a blue-collar player in the paint.
In response to Nick Collison's enthusiasm, Zeng Zhen was very polite: "Nick, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Are you here for a trial?
"Yes."
"Well, welcome to Seattle. Maybe when you actually join the team, we should welcome you in Oklahoma."
"Haha, I hope I'll have that opportunity."
"I remember you're really good at one-on-one games, KD would love to play against you."
"There is a chance."
Zeng Zhen chatted with Collison for a while while getting dressed, and then an assistant coach led Zeng Zhen to take physical tests.
The Thunder's workout program differed from other teams'; they conducted a more comprehensive evaluation.
The Thunder broke down the test into more than 300 indicators. Weight and wingspan are just the basics. They pay great attention to dynamic and functional data.
In addition to the individual tests, they also arranged a three-on-three assessment. Zeng Zhen knew that these were to test his competitive spirit, energy management, communication skills, and ability to handle adversity.
They also deliberately created physical confrontations to test Zeng Zhen's technical stability and emotional control under high intensity.
Even Presti and Brooks personally came up to defend Zeng Zhen...
Finally, Presti and PJ Carlesimo also conducted a psychological test on Zeng Zhen.
The psychological tests consist of very simple questions, such as those related to values and intelligence.
For example:
What was the most difficult period in your basketball career? How did you get through it?
When you get dominated by your opponent in a game, such as being repeatedly one-on-one attacked or having your shots blocked, what is your first reaction? How do you adjust?
If you joined the Thunder, but had a conflict with KD on your first day, how would you handle it?
Please calculate 28 multiplied by 88 in the fastest way possible.
What are your short-term and long-term plans for your NBA career?
...
Although these questions are quite common, they pose no difficulty for Zeng Zhen, who received a traditional Chinese education.
But Zeng Zhen, who had spent a long time in the United States, knew very well that these issues would eliminate many players, as they would expose flaws in their values or personality.
The "happy education" here is no joke; it genuinely brings you joy.
After a series of tests.
Presti made no attempt to hide his affection for Zeng Zhen.
"Jeff, Zeng is really amazing, I love him!" Presti said directly to Jeff Schwartz.
"Sam, I know you're very sincere, and it would be great to grow up with the young SuperSonics players, but as far as I know, you only have the 4th and 24th picks in the first round, and you're planning to use the 4th pick to get Russell Westbrook. Don't doubt the accuracy of my information; Zeng and Russell lived in the same dorm in college. But getting Zeng with the 24th pick is obviously impossible." The SuperSonics have been paying attention to Westbrook for much longer than they have been paying attention to Zeng Zhen. They may have already made a draft commitment, which is the main reason why Schwartz placed the SuperSonics in the last stop.
Presti said firmly, "That's a problem, and we'll have to see how things go next. Everything is still uncertain, so I can't make any promises right now. I just want you to believe that we hope to get Zeng."
Schwartz nodded and glanced at Zeng Zhen, who was not far away.
Despite the trial, he still can't be sure which team will get Zeng Zhen.
It's likely that many trades will occur around Zeng Zhen on draft night!