In the early morning of November 14, 2017, U.S. time, on a red-eye flight from Indianapolis to Houston.

It was a nearly three-hour flight, and most of the Rockets players who finished back-to-back games were already asleep, and the snoring was still faintly audible under the roaring engine of the plane. 118-95, the Rockets easily defeated the Pacers on the road, won a wave of six straight games, and climbed to first place in the West. At this time, most people's sleep is sweet. Only Yang Yiming, who had just played 33 minutes and scored 18 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists efficiently, was still excited, pulling Yu Xiaochun next to him to chat.

"Koharu, what do you think of my performance today?"

1/

To put it simply, Yang Yiming's performance today is really good.

33 minutes played, the highest statistic for him to join the Rockets. The Rockets have three games in four days, and after the game against the Indiana Pacers, they have to rush back to Houston to face the Toronto Raptors after a full day's rest. With such a high-intensity campaign, head coach Mike D'Antoni also made adjustments accordingly, and the veteran Nene with an ankle injury did not travel with the team: "He needs more rest and recuperation, and flying is useless for him to recover. ”

Nene stayed in Houston and promised to compete for the rookie of the year, and Yang Yiming did get more time, and 33 minutes were the same as the statistics of team boss James Harden, who helped the Rockets build an early lead, clocking in the third quarter and scoring a luxurious double-double of 26 points, five rebounds and 15 assists. After Harden went off the court, Yang Yiming continued to stay on the court in the fourth quarter, helping the team even further widen the point difference.

18 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, plus 2 blocks and 1 steal, such a single-game statistic is not incomplete.

But for a player who is aiming to compete for Rookie of the Year, this statistic seems to be lacking.

2/

"You're doing well..."

"But?" Yang Yiming has long been accustomed to the routine of first raising and then suppressing when friends chat.

"But!" Yu Xiaochun took out his laptop from his backpack, connected to the wireless network provided by the airline, put the computer on the folded folding dining table, and the screen could be seen by two people at the same time, and began to say, "I have been thinking about this question for a long time since the Catholic trainer talked to us. It's a bit complicated. Free traffic on the plane is limited, so I'll cut it short. ”

"Okay." Hearing Yu Xiaochun's serious tone, Yang Yiming's spirit became more sufficient, "Say it quickly, what's the problem?" ”

"The problem with the data."

"Data?"

"That's right. Have you been concerned about the NBA's rookie rankings lately? ”

"After a rough look, Ben Simmons is undoubtedly the first, the second seems to be the Celtics' Tatum, and the Lakers' Kuzma and Ball or something. I'm not in the top five anyway. Yang Yiming tried to recall.

"Well, almost. If you count today's game..."Yu Xiaochun tapped on his laptop for a while and said, "The Rockets have played a total of 14 games so far this season, and you haven't registered for the first game against the Warriors, and there are two games in between that due to injury, so the remaining 11 games are your appearances." ”

Yang Yiming nodded silently.

"In 11 games, you've averaged 19.3 minutes and 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists. If we compare the people you just mentioned, Ben Simmons of the 76ers, Jason Tatum of the Celtics, and Lonzo Ball of the Lakers-Kuzma, I think we can rule it out first, and I am still more optimistic about 'Brother Ball' in the Lakers..."

Yu Xiaochun called up the data of the three people on the computer, pushed the glasses that were about to slip off the tip of his nose, and then said:

Ben Simmons is undoubtedly leading the way in all numbers, starting with the 76ers and playing 34.3 minutes per game, with 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists. This data, not to mention rookies, even if it is put in the NBA, is very scary. ”

"That's right, LeBron James's record for the fastest score, rebound, and assist in a game seems to have been broken by him two days ago." Yang Yiming added.

"yes, so if you're going to compete for Rookie of the Year, Ben Simmons is going to be our biggest competitor." This can probably be seen by anyone with a discerning eye!

"Then let's move on to Tatum and Ball — let's talk about Ball first. In fact, Brother Qiu's data, if you look closely, is not outstanding. Played 33.1 minutes, scored 9.5 points and rebounded 6.7 shots. 7.2 assists, second to the rookie behind Simmons. ”

"Well, but he has a star aura."

"You're right! Lonzo Ball, if I'm not mistaken, actually didn't appear in the top five of the latest rookie power rankings, but his advantage wasn't entirely on the court. Yu Xiaochun said, "First of all, Brother Qiu has been talking about it since before the draft starts, and his father's words, whether it is bragging, or killing, in short, it has created enough attention, and there is a natural public opinion advantage in the best rookie award voted by reporters." Secondly, Brother Ball in a metropolitan club, talented passers, the Lakers' tradition of 'show time', the mantle of magic, these topics are exciting to think about, right? In the end, the Los Angeles Lakers are developing Ball as a future leader, and he has plenty of time to make mistakes and improve in a way that no other rookie has. ”

"Hmm... It would be terrible if Ball developed another shot. Yang Yiming muttered thoughtfully after hearing this. The Rockets are playing the Lakers in early December, and he can't help but look forward to that game.

"Correct. So compared to Kuzma as a teammate, I think in the end of the competition for the best rookie, Ball will come from behind and create a threat to you. ”

Yang Yiming nodded meaningfully.

"What about Jayson Tatum? You just talked about him, what about his stats? ”

"The Celtics are now on a 12-game winning streak, and Tatum can start every game, averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game in 30 minutes of play, which is not outstanding in terms of statistics alone."

"But?" Yang Yiming had already sensed the change in Yu Xiaochun's tone in advance. The latter suddenly turned around at this time, his face shiny and his glasses refracting the white light of his laptop.

"Do you know Yao Ming and Stoudemire?"

3/

Enemy for life.

Arel Stoudemire and little giant Yao Ming entered the NBA in the same year and won the best rookie award in their rookie season as the first high school player in history, and was hailed by many Chinese fans as Yao Ming's "lifelong enemy".

"I think Tatum is going to be your enemy for life." Yu Xiaochun commented.

"Jayson Tatum? Why? Yang Yiming realized that before Yu Xiaochun mentioned the other party, he had not paid close attention to his situation.

"Yao Ming and Stoudemire are called lifelong enemies, why do you think that?" At this time, Yu Xiaochun sold Guan Zi instead.

"Because they are rookies in the same year, playing the same position, and having the same strength?"

"Hmm." Yu Xiaochun nodded, and then changed the conversation, "But you and Tatum, there are actually more points that you can call 'lifelong enemies'. ”

"How?"

Yu Xiaochun knocked on the computer again, called up the data comparison chart of Tatum and Yang Yiming, and started a tirade while showing it to the latter:

"It's not just your height, your weight, your position is very similar — you're 208 centimeters and 95 kilograms, and Jayson Tatum is 203 centimeters and 93kilograms, and they're both small forwards. Your stats are also very close, your 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists are almost inseparable from his 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. You're both playing on a mature and competitive team, the Celtics and Rockets are now in the first place in the East and West, and you're surrounded by experienced superstar teammates who teach you and help you grow — you have Harden, Paul, Roundface, Irving, Horford, and the injured Haywood. You don't have to worry about your team messing up or teetering on the edge of the playoffs, but you also have to play basketball with content and compete for the job. These people are all running for the championship. ”

Yang Yiming glanced at his snoring teammates and nodded vigorously.

'So if you stay in the team, you're going to have a lot of success in the future. But..."

But?!

"That's not the point I'm going to talk about."

So what's the point? …

"The point is, with your lifelong enemies as a yardstick, you have the potential to become stronger!"

Xiao Si won against rookie Yao Ming back then, and this time, we want to win it back!