One Year Left to Play

A modest gentleman, gentle as jade.

Chatting casually with Grant Hill, Zhang Hao felt that in the world of basketball players, no one embodies the term "gentle as jade" more than the man in front of him.

Having played in the NBA for a long time, Zhang Hao got to know more about Grant Hill, one of the three hottest young players of today.

Grant Hill’s father, Calvin Hill, was a famous football player, awarded NFL Rookie of the Year in 1969.

His mother was the college roommate of the current First Lady of the United States, Hillary Clinton, and runs a charity foundation in New York. She was one of the major sponsors when the current president was running for election.

When he was selected 3rd overall by the Pistons, the President of the United States gifted him a cellphone, and it was the President who called to inform him of his Rookie of the Year award, even before his agent.

The key is that he’s really good at basketball. This season, which is just the start of Grant Hill’s third year, he has matched Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird, becoming one of only three players in NBA history to achieve 3000 points + 1000 rebounds + 1000 assists in 200 games, something even Jordan and the Magician couldn’t accomplish.

"Grant Hill, 24 years old, 203 cm, 102 kg, ability rating 94, offense 91, defense 90, rebounding 89, passing 90, speed 91, strength 88, jumping 92, stamina 96...

Season average so far: 22 points, 9.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, shooting percentage 50.3%..."

It’s really overwhelming!

Before the game, Zhang Hao had a casual chat with Grant Hill and the opposing twin coaching staff.

It was enjoyable to chat with his mentor and this gentle veteran, Grant Hill.

But seeing Grant Hill’s ability rating and then looking at how Hill, even after losing Alan Houston, can still lead the Pistons to such a strong start, basically ensuring at least 50 wins, was truly overwhelming!

It shouldn’t have been this way; they have Barkley and O’Neal!

But they initially had to accept Barkley taking it easy, and now, they’ve even allowed O’Neal to slack off, and O’Neal agreed to it. In the last two games against the 76ers and the Celtics, O’Neal was lazier each time.

It’s really not just against weaker teams; today is the same, he was an entire hour late for the warm-up!

Barkley diligently warms up to reduce injury risks!

It feels hopeless to think about, but it was Mr. Zhang who advised O’Neal to take it easy, which is truly dispiriting.

Such is life; what you expect and reality often differ greatly.

What else can you do? Just play!

Facing off against Grant Hill, Zhang Hao was quite motivated.

Apart from Grant Hill, the Pistons players Zhang Hao was wary of included the only good guy from the Bad Boys, Joe Dumars, and his fellow rookie, Theo Ratliff.

Despite Joe Dumars aging another year, his performance has notably revived. So far this season, he averages 15.2 points and 4.4 assists per game, a dramatic improvement over last season when he played point guard, averaging 10.8 points and 4 assists. His ability rating of 83, offense rating of 80, and defense rating of 87 are all much better than last season.

When Zhang Hao saw the difference in Joe Dumars’ performance between ages 32 last season and 33 this season, he understood why Pistons fans despise Alan Houston so much. The reason is surprisingly simple—Joe Dumars returned to the shooting guard position and was not disadvantaged in offense or defense.

Before that, in the 94-95 season, Joe Dumars averaged 18.1 points and 5.5 assists. Last season, to make room for Alan Houston in the starting lineup, Joe Dumars moved to point guard. Although he has comprehensive skills to play point guard, he was just a decent starter. Returning to the shooting guard position, he became a star player again.

However, regarding Alan Houston’s team change, Zhang Hao supports it. There’s a salary difference of 4.6 million per year; the Pistons ultimately offered a 5-year, 27 million US Dollar contract, while the Knicks offered 5 years, 50 million.

To ensure player loyalty, at least offer a comparable payoff. Even if you can’t match the Knicks’ financial power, at least offer the initial 6 to 8 million contract instead of only throwing a contract after Henry Thomas says no renewal, and it ends at merely 5.4 million US Dollars a year.

In terms of the shooting guard position, their Lakers don’t have much of an advantage, as is the case with the center spot.

Ratliff has shown significant defensive improvement in his second year!

"Theo Ratliff, 23 years old, 208 cm, 110 kg, ability rating 72, offense 61, defense 86... stamina 79..."

Although his playing time is still limited, it’s purely because his stamina rating of 79 is really too poor!

He has quite decent athletic ability, height, and wingspan, but in terms of stamina, it’s as bad as it can get, allowing him only about 20 minutes of playtime per game.

But when Ratliff is on the court, along with Joe Dumars back in the shooting guard position, Grant Hill, Edith Soper, and Lynch Hunt, Zhang Hao discovered from the scouting report that this lineup, when on the court together, ranks 5th in defense efficiency among all five-player combinations in the league!

Closing the system, Zhang Hao warmed up, and while waiting for the match to begin, the subtitles appeared by themselves!

"The specially contracted player Zhang Hao’s nickname is Gentleman, and the opponent he will face is Grant Hill, acknowledged by NBA fans, media, and players as a Gentleman. Both stand as the most promising of the new generation, and the battle between Gentlemen is about to unfold. Series mission: Star of the Age triggered."

"Star of the Age:

Phase One Mission: Gentlemen’s Trend."

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