Benita didn't go to Los Angeles with Sun Hao in the end.

According to Lasso, Benita didn't like the climate very much.

After staying in New York for two days, Sun Hao put his parents on the plane back to China.

Yi Jianlian went to Spain with Lasso.

"You're going to love it there."

Before parting, Sun Hao jumped up and patted Yi Jianlian on the shoulder.

He really hopes that Yi Jianlian can play in Europe as soon as possible.

After sending everyone away, Sun Hao got on the plane to Los Angeles.

Although he hasn't reported to the Mavericks yet, he is already playing as a Mavericks player.

Summer League.

Sun Hao's mind unconsciously reappeared the scene when he watched the summer league in Las Vegas in his previous life.

It was 2009, and a "kid who looked like he was only 12 years old" (as the American "Sports News" commented) was born.

Stephen Babyface Curry.

He still remembers that game, Curry scored six three-pointers in one game, and he was proficient in chasing, catching, and drying.

I don't know how I'm going to do in Summer League.

After arriving in Los Angeles, Sun Hao transferred to Long Beach again, and then went to the hotel first.

Unlike where he lived at his own expense before, the hotel where the team lived was a room for two people, and the environment was terrible.

Most of the players who play in summer league are rookies and fringe players, and many of them can't play in the NBA, which makes sense.

Harvey and Alexander were in the same room, and his roommate hadn't arrived when Sun Hao arrived.

There was not even a TV in the room, and he was bored and took out his mobile phone to play with Snake.

After a while, the door was pushed open, and a slender, green face appeared in the doorway.

Sun Hao was stunned for a moment when he saw him.

Because of this person, he actually knew!

In the NBA, there have been many Kobe finishers, but Battier who rarely can really defend Kobe Bryant with his face, and Tony Allen, who is called the strongest defender by Kobe......

There is another one, which is Raga Bell, who is "famous in one lock" in front of him.

Sun Hao didn't expect Bell to be a member of the Mavericks Summer League!

However, at this time, Bell is not the Bell who was selected for the defensive team in the future, he is just a simple undrafted pick.

Bale went unnoticed in the 1999 draft and has been playing in the Development League ever since.

Then, like most undrafted picks, he played in Summer League year after year, seeking a chance to get a non-guaranteed contract.

Bell was stunned for a moment when he came in, said sorry, and then withdrew.

But he walked in after he confirmed the room number.

"You're from the Mavericks?"

Obviously, he didn't expect the Mavericks to have yellow players around.

It was his second year playing in the Summer League, but it was the first time he had encountered it.

Sun Hao nodded.

Confirming that he had made a mistake, Bell didn't say anything more and began to put his things away.

After the release, he went straight out in his jersey.

Sun Hao put the phone down, and Bell looked a little withdrawn.

But he didn't think much of it, and then he went into the system and started training.

Before training began, he glanced at the location of the system shop again.

Whether it's a drink area or an equipment area, you need something called honor points when you buy it.

This honor point, similar to the currency in the system, can be obtained in only one way, the match.

As for how much to get, the system has a very rigorous set of mathematical formulas, and after Sun Hao read it, he felt that the mathematical level of the point body teaching could not be understood.

However, it can be roughly concluded that the higher the level of competition, the better the performance, and the more honor points will be obtained.

Summer League isn't playing at a high level, so he'll have to play hard enough in Summer League to earn honor points.

He does have that opportunity.

Summer League teams are generally divided into sophomores, rookies, undrafted players, or free agents.

Among them, second-year players and players with guaranteed contracts will be the focus of the coaching staff's scouting.

After all, these players and teams are under contract and their performance is what the home team is most concerned about.

Sun Hao's opportunity is a second-year player.

Most sophomore teams, after playing in the NBA for a year, are much better than rookies in terms of physical confrontation, technical tactics, and even mental quality.

So what often happens in summer league is that sophomores are on the thighs and crazy about slashing points.

However, the Mavericks ...... There are no sophomores.

Last year, the team drafted two rookies, one is Wang Zhizhi and the other is Gordon Girisek.

Both are overseas players, Wang Zhizhi can't come out of China, and Girisek has been staying in Europe.

So this Mavericks team is their rookie triumvirate, plus some free agents and undrafted teams.

That's the best chance.

Sun Hao has been training within the system for a long time.

The increased time ratio has really greatly improved his training time.

I practiced in the system for more than two hours, and only about forty minutes had passed when I came out.

The team had their first joint practice in the afternoon, so he went out to eat something, rested for a while, and then went to the training hall.

The head coach of the Mavericks in this summer league is Delmar Harris, also known to fans as "Silver Fox" Harris.

Harris is already over sixty years old.

Although now an assistant coach with the Mavericks, his coaching career is also legendary.

He coached the Houston team as soon as he debuted, and in 1981, his third year in charge, he led the team to the finals.

After that, he followed Nelson Sr. to the Bucks and became the team's head coach after Nelson Sr. left.

He then moved to Los Angeles and was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1995, helping to build the foundation of the OK dynasty for the Lakers.

Eventually, he returned to Nelson's coaching staff as the team's head assistant.

Sun Hao doesn't know all about these resumes, but his impression of Harris is more about the national team.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Harris became the head coach of the Chinese men's basketball team.

He led the Chinese men's basketball team to defeat the world's No. 1 Serbian and Montenegro team at the time and reached the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games.

With this history alone, he is enough to be remembered by the people.

Of course, his relationship with the Chinese men's basketball team is far more than that.

Because of the good relationship with Wang Zhizhi and the Basketball Association, when the "Wang Zhizhi does not return" incident appeared, it was he who came forward to mediate the contradictions between the two sides.

Even, the Bucks will choose Yi Jianlian in the future, and Harris has made a lot of efforts from it.

When you slowly dig deeper into the draft of this era, you will find that it is full of stories.

Harris was also the first head coach to question the selection system for the men's basketball team.

"The Chinese sports department has always focused on the development of tall players, so there are a lot of good players between 2.10m and 2.25m, but we are very lacking in defenders between 1.83m and 1.90m, and even the defenders of the national team now, the skills need to be improved."

This was what Harris said to the media at the time.

"The strengths of the guards of the Chinese team are shooting and passing, but there is no professional tuning for their breakthrough skills. How to find space on the dribble and make mid-range jumpers is something they need to learn, and Younas' first task in China is to improve their individual ability in the mid-range position. ”

Even before leaving office, he gave advice to Younas.

Looking back at these suggestions, it can be said that they are quite professional and to the point.

But until Sun Hao's time, this problem was not taken seriously and was not solved.

"I'm not going to ask you to run any complicated tactics, I just need you to do two points in the next week, defend well and take every opportunity."

Harris's voice pulled Sun Hao back from his thoughts.

Harris didn't say much about tactics, and what he taught and demanded was the most detailed thing in the game.

For example, defensive footwork, such as shooting hand, such as blocking and pick-and-roll, the focus is on demolition rather than blocking.

The silver-haired old man, Dun Dun taught.

Sun Hao's first feeling was like this.

If old Nelson is described as a fiery leader, Harris is a kind elder.

One is like fire, the other is like water.

It's no wonder that the two were able to partner again with the Mavericks after working together with the Bucks.

At the end of the first day of practice, Harris named the starting lineup for Summer League.

Sun Hao, Raga Bale, Contney Alexander, Donnell Xavi and big man Saunders.

Three rookies, one undrafted and one free agent.

It can be seen that Harris is more concerned about the people the team has to look at than the wins or losses of the game.

After announcing the starters, Harris suddenly called Sun Hao to his side.

"Have you ever wondered how you can get more room for your shots?"

Harris asked Sun Hao a slightly strange question.

Sun Hao didn't understand too much.

"Have you ever thought about taking a three-point step back after practice?"

Seeing Sun Hao's reaction, Harris said more bluntly.

"Three steps back?"

Hearing Harris say this, Sun Hao's first reaction was a certain James.

"Yes, I've seen the footage of your games in Europe, and with the same style of play, you're likely to have a problem in the NBA, not having enough room to shoot."

Harris's next words made Sun Hao understand at once.

It is absolute that the level of basketball in the NBA is higher than in Europe.

But the more obvious gap is physical fitness.

It's not an exaggeration to say that the NBA is a bunch of birds.

Recall the scene where Nate Robinson covered Yao Ming, although Yao Ming didn't jump the ball, how tall Robinson was.

Even what you thought was the floor flow Paul was a master of all kinds of violent buckles before he was injured.

That's not the case with the defenders, let alone the strikers who help the defense.

Sun Hao's blocking and dismantling in the NBA is an opportunity, but in the NBA, he may not have made a shot to cover it.

Even if it's not covered, it will be disturbed.

There are only two ways to solve this problem.

Increase your speed, or get more space.

The retreat step falls into the latter category.