Chapter 8 is weak

  Head coach Phil Jackson also said a few words of general mobilization, and then the assistant coaches began to warm up with the players. Jackson sat on the sidelines with his eyes closed, earning him the nickname "Zen Master" because he often looked like an old monk in meditation.

  After the warm-up, the players were divided into two teams, yellow and white, to start a 5V5 group match. The main players and main substitutes wore yellow vests, while the white team was made up of marginal players and newcomers, and Ye Feng naturally put on a white vest.

  The person in charge of arranging the tactics for the white team is assistant coach Vlad Divac, who wore a neat suit and a pair of brown glasses, with a small flat head, looking like killer Leon. The starting lineup he arranged was Baynam, Cook, Worton, Evans, Famar. Ye Feng was placed on the substitute bench.

  The starting lineup for the yellow team was the main starter at the beginning of last season: Kwame Brown, Devean George, Vladimir Radmanovic, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher.

  Kobe walked onto the court, adjusted his elbow sleeve, a tiny movement that sent fans into waves of screams. They came to watch practice, they came to see Kobe.

  Baynam stood beside Ye Feng, somewhat depressed, and said softly: "Alas, they actually put me on the white team. It seems that the coach is still preparing to let Brown start."

  Ye Feng patted Baynam's back and smiled: "You're too lacking in confidence, right? I think the coach is intentionally arranging it this way. If White Team was too weak, there would be no way to play the game. By putting you on this side, he can arrange tactics around you. He wants you to lead these role players and confront the main force."

  Baynam immediately laughed. "Haha, you're right, how come I didn't think of that? I'm on."

  Ye Feng returned to his seat, and Divats beckoned him over, saying: "Ye, come sit down."

  Ye Feng sat down, Diwacz smiled and said: "You used to play American football, just because you were a summer training partner for Bayern, your physical fitness was good and you got the opportunity to try out. Wanting to play basketball well isn't just about having talent. The coaching staff has me take good care of you, whether or not you can stay on, what kind of contract you can sign, it all depends on how much progress you make during this period."

  It's much easier with someone guiding you. Ye Feng said respectfully: "Then please give me more guidance."

  "Let's watch the game for a while, and then I'll substitute you to play in the 4th position." Divac wanted to see Yefeng's level of play first, and then point out his mistakes.

  The game has started. "Master" Jackson didn't arrange any tactics for the yellow team, they were the main force of the Lakers last season, after a season of grinding, they knew what to do in their hearts, and they wouldn't mess up even without a coach.

  Dywane arranged a three-pointer attack, but after the start, there was no shadow of the three-pointer attack. Famar's passing is a weakness, he always can't get the ball to Bynum in time, Bynum beckoned with his hand for half a day, and when Famar got excited and brought the ball forward, Bynum was very depressed. On the defensive end, the white team didn't mess around, they used man-to-man defense. The characteristic of the three-pointer attack is to create single-player opportunities for the ball star, and then use the ball star's offense to attract double teams, break 2-3, 1-3-1 etc. joint defense tactics. The best way to solve this problem is to directly use man-to-man defense.

  The man-to-man tactic is to find a person, wherever he goes, defend him there, stick close to him, and make it difficult for the opponent to receive the ball. If there is no off-ball defense, it's still relatively easy to receive the ball. As long as Kobe gets the ball, one-on-one offense can maintain a very high success rate, and Odom can easily deal with Cook.

  After six minutes, the score was pulled open to 16-4. The only four points were scored by Baynam's strong shot, and the white team's offense was too bad.

  Divac called a timeout. He told Yifeng, "Yi, you replace Cook on the court as the power forward, defending against Odom. When attacking, go to the high post to cover for the defender, and have the defender try to pass the ball to Bynum, running towards the low post, creating a one-on-one opportunity for him, got it?"

  Tactics are always simple to say, but it's not that easy to execute, which tests the players' basketball IQ. Some players are good at one-on-one singles, but they get confused in the system. Famar is not like a point guard at all, his shooting and breakthrough ability are okay, but his passing is too poor, making it difficult for the ball to move smoothly.

  Ye Feng has taken to the field. When he first arrived at the stadium, he still looked relaxed, but that's no longer the case. The moment he stepped onto the court, everything changed, and he felt his vision narrowing, involuntarily thinking, "How can I show myself?" Odom's offense is technical, can I defend against him?

  The white team began their attack, and Falmal shouted: "Yue, get ready to cover."

  Block? Screen? Ye Feng had never set a screen before, fortunately he knew how to do it from watching TV. Hadn't seen a pig run and hadn't eaten pork either? He was beyond the three-point line, using all his strength, charging towards Fischer. Just as they were about to collide, he clenched his fists, tensed his muscles, stood still on the spot, and struck a bodybuilding pose. This should definitely block him... Ye Feng thought.

  The two of them collided with a loud crash.

  Fischer is one of the stronger defenders, but how can he compare to Ye Feng? He used his hands to prop himself up and avoid falling flat on his face, prompting assistant coach Brian Shaw to blow his whistle.

  "White team 74, defensive foul."

  What the heck? A black whistle! Ye Feng helplessly raised his hand, and together with his teammates, retreated to defend, completely wasting an attacking opportunity.

  "Skyhook" Jabbar, also an assistant coach for the team, sat next to Divac and chuckled: "So that's the Chinese guy they've been having you tutor? I thought he was going to knock Fischer over a minute ago."

  Divac chuckled and said: "Probably a professional disease, he doesn't seem too familiar with basketball yet."

  The Red Team turned defense into offense. Odom set a high screen for Kobe, blocking Evans, and Kobe received the ball smoothly.

  "Change guard!" Evans shouted, his voice muffled by the leaves.

  As a seasoned fan, Ye Feng also understood the logic of switching defenses when encountering shielding in man-to-man defense, but everything happened too quickly. Understanding is one thing, and being able to do it well is another matter.

  Ye Feng heard the shouting and went to chase Kobe again, half a beat slower, fortunately his explosive power made up for the disadvantage of starting late. He turned around, lowered his center of gravity and rushed into the basket, the whole movement was smooth and natural, with his hands on the ground, like a wolf preying. He wore Kobe's new sneakers, which he had just bought, very light, like running shoes. Wearing these shoes, he believed that his body could be even better. Now he wanted to wear Kobe's shoes to cover Kobe.

  Kwame Brown drove to the left side of the three-second zone, Bynum followed him out, and the basket was empty. Kobe watched Bynum's position with his peripheral vision, thinking that this kid still owes him an apology, what did he practice during the summer vacation? Such a ball actually didn't get blocked? He took two steps forward, jumped up, and prepared to dunk the ball into the hoop with one hand.

  He clearly heard the audience's exclamation. The reason for the exclamation was not the dunk, but Ye Feng also jumped up from behind Kobe, taking a step forward from the free throw line, with an astonishing speed, instantly surpassing Kobe's height, his left hand slapping down on the basketball, while his right hand pressed against the backboard, if he hadn't supported himself like that, he might have become the first person in basketball history to shatter the backboard with his head.

  Kobe felt a gust of wind behind him, lost his balance after the dunk was destroyed, flew out of bounds and heavily crashed onto the padding under the basketball hoop. Bryan's whistle sounded again, foul!

  "Wow, what a great ball! Ye Feng swore he didn't foul, but as a rookie, he almost murdered the old man on his first try. How could it not be a foul? The players all gathered under the basket to check on Kobe's situation, fortunately, he wasn't hurt. Kobe was pulled up by Odom, and Ye Feng's eyes turned somewhat angry, although he knew it was a good ball without physical contact, he wouldn't admit it, too embarrassing."

  The game restarted, and Kobe targeted Ye Feng.

  If the inside line is hard to resist, Ye Feng's defense can have a good effect, but Odom continuously sets screens for Kobe, and after screening, it becomes Ye Feng defending against Kobe. A rookie with no experience defending against Kobe, the outcome is predictable.

  Kobe used his comprehensive attacking skills to explain what a superstar is. Yefeng's movements were faster than Kobe, able to keep up with the speed, but Kobe had too many fake moves, always shaking off Yefeng and easily getting shooting opportunities.

  Kobe Bryant made consecutive shots, layups and free throws, leaving Ye Feng helpless. The only way to stop Kobe seemed to be by committing fouls. He played for just over four minutes before being substituted out with five fouls, with an astonishing foul efficiency rate but zero in all other stats, a terrible performance!

  Damn it, am I just a waste of space? Joining the Lakers is just a pipe dream? Don't even mention offense, I'm not even good at defense? Ye Feng felt somewhat disheartened and didn't say a word after coming off the court. Divac also ignored him, arranging tactics instead.

  Bayern looked at Ye Feng's ugly face and didn't know how to comfort him. The treatment Ye Feng received seemed too cruel. In the first training session, he was continuously beaten by Kobe in singles, and after blocking the attack, he couldn't even get a chance to try a shot on the high post.

  As the players took to the field, Divac asked lightly: "Ye, have you played games before? Have you had systematic training?"

  Ye Feng took a sip of water and decided to speak directly. "I haven't played an official match, I only started training two and a half months ago, with Bayern."

  You practiced for two and a half months during the summer break and now you want to try out for the NBA? This isn't a rookie, it's an egg! Jabbar burst out laughing: "Haha, more than two months, no wonder your playing style is known as the international foul master."

  Divac also laughed: "Your movements are too stiff, the offense seems to not know where to stand. If you haven't played a game before, it's understandable. You don't have to always stand in a high position, after blocking and running, find opportunities, you can also squeeze under the basket to fight for rebounds, but don't always stand in the three-second zone, that will be blown as a foul."

  Ye Feng nodded and thought of his matchup with Kobe, he said gloomily: "Coach, how can I guard against Kobe and judge his fake moves?"

  "Ha! There's no shortcut to this, it's all about accumulating experience. You have great conditions, so when you're free, find a defender and practice one-on-one, get familiar with the outside attack play, it'll help your defense. Your speed is fast, reaction is quick, I think that's why you're often deceived, as soon as someone makes a fake move, you immediately shift your center of gravity, and your movements are big, this way you can be broken through, and easily fouled. Now there isn't much time for you to grow, you must seize the time!"

  If you don't seize the time to make progress, you can't stay, that's what he means, right? Originally still somewhat optimistic Ye Feng, now feels like being pressed under Mount Wutai...