Kyle. Kuzma, date of birth is 4 July 1995. At first glance, there is no problem, he is a young man.

However, Antetokounmpo, who has been playing in the NBA for several years and has won championships, FMVP and 100 million yuan contracts, was born in December 1994, only eight months older than Kuzma......

Kuzma played at the University of Utah for three full years and is a veritable older rookie. And the draft prospects of older rookies are generally not very optimistic. Moreover, Kuzma's University of Utah is not a sports school. In addition, as a senior player, Kuzma's average of 16.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game is too ordinary.

Moreover, Kuzma's height of 2.06 meters and his arm span of 2.13 meters, his non-trivial positioning and very ordinary athleticism make him nothing at all among the rookies who are known as the big year of the draft.

For a player who doesn't know whether he can play power forward or small forward, and can't play at a dominant level in the NCAA, naturally not many people are optimistic. And ESPN gives Kyle. Kuzma's predicted pick is also very much in line with his better-than-nothing reputation of being the fifth pick in the second round.

In most people's eyes, Kyle. If Kuzma can reach the first round, it will be a victory.

Kuzma also knows his own situation, so he has gone on a trial like crazy and will hardly turn down an offer from any team.

Normally, high-pick rookies are reluctant to participate in more tryouts. First, it is to show the determination to join a certain team.

For example, this year's top three favorites Lonzo. Ball, just tried out for the Lakers, and both sides made their positions clear.

Second, the managers of high-ranking rookies are also afraid that too many player trials will lead to "revealing stuffing". After all, the more you try, the more people will get to know you. While knowing your strengths, also your weaknesses. When the shortcomings are magnified, it may affect the draft pick.

As a result, high-pick rookies don't usually try out too often.

But players like Kuzma are different, and they have to take every opportunity to try out with an NBA team and be remembered by others in order to be drafted in the first round and get a guaranteed contract.

As a result, Kuzma tried out a number of teams. Among them, there are Lakers, Magic, Suns and Spurs.

After more than a month of busy work, Kuzma will finally wait for the "verdict" of fate tomorrow.

Although there was still a full day to go before the start of the draft, Kuzma was already nervous and restless. In his opinion, the Spurs and Lakers are likely to be his next home. And both teams are undoubtedly the best options for Kuzma.

The Spurs have Popovich who is good at tweaking rookies, while the Lakers have high exposure and a lot of playing time.

"Damn, calm down, Kyle!" Kuzma held his hand to calm himself.

To reassure himself, Kuzma took a DVD box from his bookcase, then took out the disc and put it in a computer drive.

The box of this Blu-ray DVD disc is very old, and it is not difficult to see the traces left by time on it. And Kuzma has watched the content of this disc no less than ten times.

But every time he gets nervous or discouraged by basketball, he takes out the disc and looks at it. Every time he watched it, Kuzma would forget all the unhappiness and immediately go to the court to practice with the basketball in his arms.

As soon as the computer screen goes black, Kuzma smiles, and the movie begins!

Before the screen appeared, a small line of words appeared on the black screen. Kuzma can recite this passage with his eyes closed.

"This season, no one can influence us. Our goal is to win three championships in a row, to be a dynasty, to tie this whole league! —Henson. Joe.

Kuzma is looking at the famous black director Spike. Lee's classic documentary "The Back of the Legend". The content of the film shows the 13-14 season of Henson. The story of how Coach Joe miraculously led the Pacers to 73 wins and a championship despite a heart attack.

And this story, Kuzma loved immensely.

※※※

At the same time, the then chairman of the Lakers' basketball operations, "Magic" Ervin . Johnson is gearing up for tomorrow's draft.

The new "Magic" has taken office, and he has set himself the goal of making the Lakers reach the Western Conference Finals within four years. The first step to achieve this goal is to get rid of the remnants of his "predecessor".

Therefore, "Magic" is actively discussing a trade with the Nets at this time. He is willing to send Lakers hopefuls D'Angelo. Russell, as long as the Nets are willing to swallow Russian center Mozgov's rotten contract.

After settling the bad contract and selecting Ball to replace Russell, "The Magic" thought he could start his team-building career.

But "The Magician" never expected that he would receive a call before the draft. Moreover, the caller also made him very uneasy.

"Congratulations, Coach Henson. I watched this year's finals, and you and your lads played really well. ”

"Magic" and Henson are not direct competitors, so "Magician" is actually not very hostile to this "public enemy". So after answering the phone, Erwin. Johnson was very polite.

"Thank you for the compliment, Erwin. You know the purpose of my call, I feel like we all have what we need for each other, so why not talk about it? Henson didn't say much to the "magician", but got straight to the point.

"Everybody knows Henson. Joe never loses, so if I make a deal with you, I'll be the one who suffers. "Johnson is not stupid, unless it is profitable, Henson is not likely to call.

After all, before this, there have been many teams that have suffered Henson's loss. If it's a trade from another team, "The Magic" also believes that there is a possibility of a win-win situation. But and Henson. Joe traded, "The Magician" is not very reassured.

"That's a slander, dear Mr. Johnson. I'll just be more straightforward, I don't know if you recognize Josh. Hart, a 3-and-D defender from Villanova University. I admire him, but I'm worried that he's being cut off before the 30th pick. So, I wanted to use Josh. Richardson is trading your 27th pick. ”

The "magician" smiled and did not immediately agree. What is Henson's level of draft? The whole world is clear.

Leonard, Jimmy. Butler, Holiday and Paul. George, Antetokounmpo...... Even Brogdon, who was nominated for Rookie of the Year this year, is a success story that shows Henson's draft level.

Even if Henson wants a rookie at the end of the first round, that rookie has a good chance of becoming a talent. Such a person is extremely useful for the Lakers, who are in dire need of high-potential young people.

"The Magician" has a crooked brain, and Henson's optimistic person will definitely not be wrong! If he chooses it and uses it for himself, it will definitely benefit from it!

Think about it, even if Josh. Hart is just the next Wesley. Matthews, it's a huge help for the Lakers!

Take 10,000 steps back, and when the time comes, he will choose Josh. Hart, even if he doesn't want to, can take the opportunity to blackmail Henson. So, the "magician" made up his mind. People say Henson won't lose, and this time he's going to break that law!

"I'm afraid I'll have to reject you, Henson. You know, my team is in dire need of stockpiling potential rookies right now. So, we're not going to give away draft picks, sorry. ”

"Really?" Henson's tone sounded a little regretful, "It seems that I can only try my luck with someone else." Of course, I have to thank you, Erwin. Mr. Johnson, good luck with tomorrow's draft. ”

Henson hung up, but instead of frustration, he was very happy.

"What did Johnson say?" Inside the room, Silas asked curiously.

He refused, he definitely wanted to take Josh. Hart took it for himself. I think that's going to disrupt their draft plans. ”

"You're so sure that the Lakers will definitely pick Josh in advance because of a phone call from you. Hart? You're no different from gambling, Henson. Silas was still a little worried, and he felt that Henson's plan was a little too complicated. Wouldn't it be good to wait for the Lakers to select Kuzma before asking for a price?

But Henson knows that the Lakers have watched Kuzma for so long, and they can't let him go easily. The only thing Henson can do is to draft Kuzma himself, not wait for him to fall into the hands of the Lakers!

So, he replied with a relaxed face to his good friend and good partner.

"The NBA draft itself is a gamble, Stephen. And most importantly, I never lost this gamble. ”

Off the pitch, Henson is also very confident.