NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44: Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Double-teaming is the Treatment of a Superstar
"System, if I override Rainman's jumping talent, how many levels can I reach?" Zhao Dong asked suddenly.
"Level 99," the system replied.
"Is that all?" Zhao Dong was surprised. Rainman's incredible vertical leap only reaches level 99?
"Level 100 is the maximum level, but that's beyond the limits of human capability. Talents at this level vary significantly; it could be just 99 cm more than level 1 or even 50 cm more," the system explained.
"Wow, what a huge difference!" Zhao Dong exclaimed, realizing that today's lottery wasn't such a big loss after all. It was like losing only two quality points. To reach a level 99 jump, he would need twelve quality points. Now, he had to decide which skill to designate as a gold medal skill.
He wanted to develop his outside game, but his current perimeter skills were only third-rate, and his outside defense still lagged behind. He couldn't rush the process. After much thought, he decided to focus on strengthening his interior game first, solidifying his foundation. The most important aspect of his interior offensive skills was low-post play, which was currently his strongest point. He decided to turn this skill into a gold medal skill.
However, with ten skill points remaining, should he prioritize elevating his low-post skills to first-class level, or should he improve an outside offensive technique, such as the emergency stop jump shot or the turnaround fall-back jumper?
Suddenly, he remembered something Mr. Ren had once said: "I have too many weaknesses, too many to fix, so I decided to focus on my strengths, making them so powerful that I am the best in the world." This resonated with Zhao Dong. Of all his perimeter offensive skills, only his spot-up jump shot had reached level 75. The others were all around level 70, and improving them by 10 levels would only bring them to level 80, which was still second-rate and far from being a reliable weapon.
With this in mind, Zhao Dong decided it was better to invest in his low-post game, making it his signature skill, and then improving his perimeter game as a secondary focus.
He opened his profile and reviewed his stats:
Host: Zhao Dong
Physical Fitness:
Endurance: 86
Coordination: 70
Balance: 72
Flexibility: 75
Injury Resistance: 86
Strength: 82
Speed: 86
Jumping: 95
Technical Grade: 85
Basic Skills:
Passing and Receiving: 85
Ball Handling: 90
Shooting: 84
Offense:
Low-Post Singles: 70
Ball Breakthrough: 75
Spot Jumper: 70
Emergency Stop Jumper: 75
Small Hook: 75
Small Throw: 70
Straight Arm Jumper: 60
Board Jumper: 60
Turn Jumper: 50
Turn-Back Jumper: 65
Step-Back Jumper: 55
Turn-Back Step-Back Jumper: 83
Air Cuts: 75
Running Positions: 70
Defense:
Outside Defense: 71
Inside Defense: 84
Rebounds: 86
Blocks: 86
Steals: 70
Organization: 70
Gold Medal Skill: Low-Post Singles
Quality Points: 0
Skill Points: 10
System Items: A blank gold medal skill template
After reviewing all his stats, Zhao Dong realized there was still much to improve. From physical fitness to technical skills, offense to defense, the road ahead was long.
"Hey, my physical fitness has improved by one level?" Zhao Dong suddenly noticed an anomaly. His training had naturally contributed to the improvement, but seeing the change in the system's data made him feel both surprised and pleased. He continued to look over his stats and saw that strength had increased by two levels, and speed had gone up by one level.
"Not bad at all," Zhao Dong thought to himself, feeling quite pleased. Upon further inspection, he also realized that his low-post singles had upgraded by one level, and his inside defense, rebounding, and blocking shots had also improved by one level.
"I didn't even pay attention to these things lately, and yet I've made progress." He felt content, thinking that if he continued to monitor his progress over time, he might stumble upon more surprises.
Next, Zhao Dong decided to take action. He spent 6 skill points to raise his low-post singles from level 84 to level 90. He then said to the system, "System, I designate low-post singles as a gold medal skill."
The system immediately confirmed, "Host, the designation has been completed."
Zhao Dong opened his profile and saw that the term "Low-Post Singles" had turned a striking gold, while the other skills remained blue. The system then prompted:
Special Effects of Level 90 Gold Medal Skill:
Weakens the defensive effect of the defender by 10%-30%.
Increases the success rate of low-post singles by 5%-15%.
"Cool!" Zhao Dong exclaimed. The effect was simple yet powerful, and he was very satisfied. However, he knew that although his low-post singles had improved, they would still need supporting offensive skills, such as close-to-basket jumpers, small throws, small hooks, and straight-arm jumpers, to strengthen his finishing ability. Without these skills, no matter how good his low-post moves were, the last shot might still fall short. He needed to focus on improving his finishing skills in the low post.
Much like Duncan, who would enter the league next year, Zhao Dong realized that with solid low-post skills and unpretentious moves, he could dominate the league.
With just 4 skill points left, Zhao Dong decided not to further improve his low-post singles. He remembered that blocking and stealing were frequently mentioned in system missions, so he chose to focus on strengthening these two skills.
"With block at level 86 and steals at 70, it's time to raise the block to first-class level." Zhao Dong spent his remaining skill points to raise his block to level 90, marking it as his third skill to reach level 90 and the first defensive skill to do so. With 90-level shot-blocking skills, combined with his jumping ability, wingspan, and large hands, Zhao Dong's shot-blocking ability was now approaching a super-class level.
After completing the system tasks, Zhao Dong relaxed. He listened to music while reflecting on his next steps. The Knicks had no games for several days, with their next game being a home match against the Kings on the 30th. After that, they would face the Heat on the 3rd of the following month. The coach of the Heat, Pat Riley, had been the Knicks' coach from the 91-92 to the 94-95 season. Riley had helped shape the Knicks' iron-blooded, tough style of play, and had coached players like Ewing and Oakley.
But Zhao Dong wasn't concerned about the upcoming game against the Heat. His mind was focused on this month's rookie rankings. According to official statistics, his average playing time was 28 minutes per game, averaging 19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.9 blocks, 2.1 turnovers, and 3.2 fouls. This data placed him second or third among all rookies in 1996. The top spot was held by the No. 1 pick, Allen Iverson, who averaged 40 minutes per game, 23.5 points, 4 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2 steals, 0.3 blocks, 4.4 turnovers, and 3.3 fouls. Zhao Dong's stats were more comparable to the third overall pick, Abdul-Rahim, who averaged 35 minutes per game, 18.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2.8 turnovers, and 3.5 fouls. While he was closer to Raheem's numbers, he still trailed behind Iverson.
At the end of the month, a new ranking would be announced, and Zhao Dong was confident he could at least secure the No. 3 spot, which would help his strength gain more recognition. His current statistics were solid, but he knew his true potential. As of now, no team had double-teamed him in the low post, indicating that his threat there wasn't enough yet to warrant that type of defense. However, with his low-post singles now a gold medal skill and upgraded to level 90, his low-post game had improved significantly. This would undoubtedly make him a bigger threat, and he knew that the day he faced constant double-teams was approaching.
Double-teaming—the treatment of superstars. Zhao Dong eagerly anticipated that day. Only when he could still put up impressive numbers despite constant double-teams and tough matchups would he truly prove his strength. Otherwise, he knew his performance would suffer once the playoffs began.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you want to read Advanced Chapters?
Read 40 Chapters Ahead
påtreon.com/Fanficlord03