Chapter 20: Downward Order
In the next game, Lee completely became Jackson's bitter master, and his crazy energy regardless of it made every opponent shudder, and Jackson had an urge to retreat from him.
Of course, as the team's main point guard and scoring champion, he must continue to attack with the ball, but as long as he encounters Lee's close marking, the shooting percentage becomes quite ugly. At halftime, Jackson finished with eight points and two assists on just 3-of-11 shooting, while also committing a staggering five turnovers, which he probably hadn't had in a game before.
Lee's stats were similarly impressive, as he scored just four points, all of which came from a layup, two rebounds and two assists, plus one steal. But his role on the court is not reflected in the numbers, and just look at Jackson's performance and Lee was quite successful defensively in the first half, which was a key factor in Villanova's 42-30 lead.
It didn't matter if he behaved like this, and the scouts who came to watch the game were torn. Before the start of this game, the vast majority of scouts only cared about two and a half people, Thomas, Jackson, and Erwin were half men, and none of them set their eyes on Lee, who had been sitting at the end of the bench, but this guy played an extremely wonderful performance, and even restrained Jackson, which is not something that can be done by any random person.
Robinson, who had been paying attention to Jackson, was still as steady as Mount Tai, and Jack, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help it. He looked at the calm senior beside him and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Robinson, do you think we need to collect information on this Villanova University No. 25?" I think he has a lot of potential and deserves our attention. ”
Robinson didn't speak, he took out a box of cigarettes from his pocket, took out one and put it in his mouth, lit it with a lighter, swallowed the clouds for a while, and then said slowly: "We still have to continue to follow Jackson in this game, of course this Lee can be added to our watch list, but there is no need to spend too much energy on him." ”
Jack was stunned, and just as he was about to speak, Robinson intercepted him and asked, "Tell me, judging from the performance in the first half, what type of player is this Chris Lee?" ”
Jack didn't know what the question meant, and he said in a proper way: "From his position in the team's tactical system, you can tell that this is a pure outside defender, but the potential on the offensive end can continue to be explored." ”
Robinson nodded, he knew that this question bothered Jack, and he just wanted to use it as an introduction. He smiled and continued to ask: "Then think about it, are we lacking such players?" ”
At this moment, Jack suddenly realized that Robinson could be described as a wake-up dreamer, if it weren't for the basketball arena at Villanova University, Jack would have jumped up and cheered for himself to learn again.
These two questions from Robinson are just the key points, Lee has shown his potential and strength on the defensive end, and the offense will probably continue to improve, such a player will always have a place in the NBA. But the Vancouver Grizzlies, who they play for, don't need that kind of player, at least not worth the only high-pick they have next year.
Now the Vancouver Grizzlies have Greg Anthony, the 12th pick in the first round in 1990 who averaged 14 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game last season, and is a qualified outside defender. There is no doubt that Anthony's positioning is not much different from Lee's, and even if the Grizzlies need the latter to supplement the team's roster, it doesn't need to cost too much, and they can trade role players for a late draft pick and then recruit Lee.
Jackson's performance in the first half was a real disappointment, and even his draft pick could drop as a result, but it was still a lot of value for scouts. Take the Vancouver Grizzlies, for example, who are now in the bottom of the West, and can basically lock in a high-pick pick, and if they are bent on Jackson, they can take advantage of the other party's decline to trade the pick downward, so as to get more returns while acquiring Jackson.
But it doesn't have anything to do with the players, or nothing to do with it for the time being. They'll be invited to tryouts with multiple teams before the draft begins, and nine times out of ten the best boys will get the promise of the team, which is something like "we're going to pick you with the XX pick." Of course, it is not ruled out that some teams will set off smoke bombs, but most will still do what they promised, unless the player they fancy is cut off by another team before it is their turn, which is another matter.
I have to say that Jackson is very sad, the eyes of the media and scouts can be called vicious, and a small shortcoming can lead to a decline in the draft pick, not to mention being locked up by an unknown guy on the opposing team like this, this is simply his Waterloo. Originally, his prediction was still in the lottery, but after half the game, many reporters were wondering if he should put this guy's prediction at the end of the first round.
In the second half, Jackson still did not improve, although head coach Haskins modified the offensive tactics in time to arrange someone else to replace Jackson and Lee, but Lee always maintained a pressing defense against Jackson. Even if it was a pick-and-roll that daunted many defenders, he would try again and again to force his way past opposing players, and once again appeared in front of Jackson with full of enthusiasm and fighting spirit.
Rappers was clearly betting on the right treasure, and when Jackson was killed by Lee, the University of Minnesota was like a toothless tiger, without any threat at all. Selestende, who was sitting on the bench, was also convinced, but he played a good game, scoring 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the time he led the bench, which was higher than his previous average per game.
Moreover, Lappers does give him unlimited firing rights, and the team's substitutes also trust him as a "former starter", and always hand him the ball when he encounters a tight defense, which fully satisfies Selesstad's personal heroism. He had to admit that he might be better suited to play the sixth man, and an outside big man like Lee was the most needed piece of the puzzle in the starting lineup, and it really made sense for the head coach to let him play as a substitute.
With Lee's all-out defense, Jackson had just 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, but he took 18 shots and had nine turnovers. In this case, it is not surprising that Villanova University won 83-61.