"Do the Phoenix Suns need a player like this?" The Lakers scout noticed the Suns scout seemed interested in Zeng Xingyang.
"The Suns want a cornerstone guard, like a young Kobe, and this guy's not suitable," the Thunder scout replied with a laugh.
The Suns scout ignored the two and kept thinking.
Last season, the Phoenix Suns shocked the league with a starting lineup averaging just 24 years old.
They were not only the youngest team in the NBA at that time but also the youngest starting five in the regular season since the 1985-86 season.
Despite their youth, they created a wave of youthful energy, bringing down quite a few strong teams.
Unfortunately, despite a 48-34 record in the regular season, they narrowly missed the playoffs due to the intense competition in the West.
The management's goal for him was to find a suitable shooting guard from college to pair with point guard Dragic in the new season.
Preferably someone with enough potential, as the Suns have time to wait for him to grow.
"Hey, man, no one's competing with you for him. He's not our type," the Lakers scout assumed the Suns scout was concerned and said.
"Don't be so quick to conclude. This guy hasn't played in an official NCAA game yet, and more observation is needed. Maybe you'll both end up wanting him," the Thunder scout said cautiously.
Unlike big cities that can attract many superstars, if a small city team like the Thunder wants to rise, they rely on the draft.
The Thunder's draft picks have always been extraordinary. Whether it's Durant, Westbrook, or Harden, who is now thriving with the Rockets, they're all their work.
They don't easily judge a player's future.
"Right, let's observe for a while. This guy is different from a seasoned player like Devin Booker. We don't know enough about him yet," the Suns scout spoke up.
"Devin Booker feels average too. He hasn't met our requirements yet. If we wanted a guard, we wouldn't choose him either," the Lakers scout said arrogantly.
The Lakers' performance next season is destined to be poor, and their draft spot will be high, so they have plenty of choices.
Though Devin Booker is excellent, he's not the best guard in the NCAA yet.
For instance, there's D'Angelo Russell playing at Ohio State University, and Emmanuel Mudiay, who's preparing to play in the CBA, both are great.
In the eyes of the Lakers scout, these two guards are better than Devin Booker and Zeng Xingyang.
If the Lakers' draft spot is to select a guard, it's mostly between these two.
After the conversation among the scouts, Zeng Xingyang's first scouting report was soon posted on the relevant draft website.
This report didn't attract much attention, as there are too many players like Zeng Xingyang in the NCAA.
The NBA is a haven for talents; entering there is not that easy!
......
After the warm-up game, Zeng Xingyang continued to train extra in the gym.
At 10 PM, when he finished his extra training, Booker and Towns came out of Coach Calipari's office.
The head coach had a chat with the two of them; as supernovas, they always received some extra attention.
Towns saw Zeng Xingyang's extra practice until now and admired, "Zeng, you're really tough on yourself. No one matches your training intensity."
In 2012, Towns led his basketball team to a state championship and entered ESPN's top 25 high school players ranking.
In 2013, Towns was selected for the Nike Basketball Summit held in the United States.
During his senior year, Towns averaged 20.9 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 6.2 blocks, winning the 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year and was considered the third seed for the 2015 draft by ESPN experts.
In his senior year, Towns had twice recorded the super stat of a quadruple-double, including one game with 16 points, 17 rebounds, 11 blocks, and 11 assists, and another with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 12 blocks, and 10 assists. He's a favorite for next year's top draft pick.
"My status is different from yours. I have to fight to stay. Without your talent, I need to put in more effort," Zeng Xingyang said with a smile.
Towns had a great personality; despite his talent and status, he never looked down on marginal players and occasionally chatted with Zeng Xingyang.
Towns shrugged, not saying more.
"Zeng, you don't need to worry anymore. You secured a spot on the team. I heard the coach say it, congratulations," Booker extended his hand for a high-five with Zeng Xingyang.
Towns also smiled, "Aim to perform well and join us in next year's draft."
Geniuses indeed get favored. These inside information always reaches them quicker than Zeng Xingyang himself.
High-fiving Booker, Zeng Xingyang said, "Devin, thank you for passing those great balls to me on the court."
Booker replied, "You got there, and it would be the same pass even if it was someone else. Plus, making the shot is your own effort."
As a super scorer, Booker hoped for teammates who could catch his passes and score threes, which would greatly reduce his burden.
Towns said, "Hey, man, let's not talk about the game. It's already in the past. Zeng, how about partying together tonight?"
Zeng Xingyang replied, "You guys can go. I have practice tomorrow."
Booker laughed, "Man, training can wait. I heard a bunch of tall girls are attending tonight; let's go meet them. Don't worry about money, it's on me tonight."
Compared to Towns and Zeng Xingyang, Booker's family background was affluent, and he generously offered to cover the expenses.
Towns laughed, "Haha, let's just relax for a night."
Listening to Booker and Towns, Zeng Xingyang nodded.
Faced with such an enthusiastic invitation, refusing would be inappropriate.
Occasionally building good relationships with teammates off the court can provide more support on it, making it valuable social interaction.
It's definitely not because of the group of tall girls.
The three of them chatted and laughed as they left the training hall together.
Zeng Xingyang got to know more about Booker and Towns' personalities privately.
Towns was famous and tall but had a good personality and loved to laugh.
Booker had high emotional intelligence and wasn't just a straightforward athlete.
The party Booker and Towns attended was at a large swimming pool at the school, with quite a crowd of guys and girls.
After all, they were still students, and the madness level of the party was controlled.
The three of them played until late and then returned to their dorms to rest. Whether there was a second round with the girls they met depended on their personal interest.
As basketball players for the Kentucky Wildcats, tall and strong, once they enter the NBA, they'd be millionaires, and the girls would flock to them.
Zeng Xingyang exchanged contact information with quite a few girls, some Asian, some White Girls, and a few Black Girls.
After returning to the dorm, Zeng Xingyang didn't think about the women but started contemplating his future.
Based on the information from Booker and Towns, his staying on the team was almost certain now; he just didn't know if Coach Calipari would give him more time.
The Kentucky Wildcats are full of talent, and at the shooting guard position, besides Booker, another player, Aaron Harrison, also has NBA prospects and ranks higher in the rotation than Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang's current standing isn't very high.
However, to have good stats, ample playing time is crucial, which could increase his chances of being drafted by the NBA next year.
However, Zeng Xingyang isn't afraid of competition. As long as his ability continuously improves, he believes his playing time will increase.
Otherwise, even if he has playing time, without enough ability, he couldn't seize the moment, which would be a negative effect.
"Joining the team means gaining more training resources."
"The next phase is quickly becoming a player within the rotation and securing stable playing time in official games."
Staying on the team boosted Zeng Xingyang's confidence and gave him some security, as he no longer needed to worry about being cut by the Wildcats.
"What should be the next steps for improvement?"
Practicing shooting and positioning is a must to continuously enhance, but if aiming to play in the rotation, just these two aren't enough.
Today's game against the Florida Gators also highlighted Zeng Xingyang's weaknesses.
Even as a 3D player, he still wasn't qualified, as his defense was below the team's average.
Confronting players with fast speed and changes in direction often left him easily past them with a single step.
Besides defense, he also needed to catch up on power to compete against others quickly.
Otherwise, losing balance due to physical contact would render even great shooting abilities useless.
Of course, there are many other attributes to improve too.
To break into the NBA, besides one or two standout features, other abilities shouldn't be too poor. At least maintain the basic level, right?
For example, dribbling. Now, Zeng Xingyang dribbled well in street basketball, but facing strong press defense in the NCAA, it was doubtful if he could dribble past half-court.
Then what about the higher intensity in the NBA?
Even if you say you're just a 3D player and don't need to dribble, in the NBA, even most centers have excellent dribbling skills.
As a guard, sometimes it's normal to help dribble across the half-court.
If the basic dribbling skill isn't sufficient, the coach wouldn't dare to let such a player on the court.
Regarding activating those attribute panels, Zeng Xingyang already had some experience; strengthening specific training causes those attributes to surface.
"First, improve the attributes related to stamina, power confrontation, dribbling, and defense. Aim to elevate them all to LV2, so by the official NCAA games, I can firmly establish my position."
After figuring out the future direction, Zeng Xingyang fell into a deep sleep.