NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 142 New Team Training Camp

Jia Fei accepted all 12 tasks in total. Including the tasks he hadn't completed yet, he now has a total of 24 tasks in progress.

There are a lot of them, but sometimes several can be completed in one game, so there aren't actually that many.

"Jia Fei, your media photos are so handsome!" Jia Fei received a message from Sharapova. He was surprised to find that the photos he had just taken today were already available online.

That's incredibly efficient!

Jia Fei reviewed the Hawks' current roster. The team had excellent depth, with good players in every position. If there was any weakness, it was the lack of a superstar.

Inside players: Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Elton Brand, Gustavo Ayon, Pero Antić, Art Mayork

Forwards: Jia Fei, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Mike Scott

Defenders: Jeff Teague, Dennis Schroder, John Jenkins, Shelvin Mark, Jared Cunningham

If there are no superstars, then let me be the superstar!

— Jia Fei chuckled to himself in bed!

The Hawks' team training camp began the following day!

Jia Fei and Art Mayor arrived at the training hall early to prepare for training. The early bird catches the worm. Worms are not tasty, but rabbits are good, and abalone is also good!

Coach Buden arrived at the training hall early to prepare. Next to him, Jia Fei saw a familiar face, as if he had wandered onto the wrong movie set.

"Are you Cephalosporin? No, no, no, Coach Ham?" Jia Fei asked, looking at the strong man in front of him who had no hair but had bumps on his head.

"Hello, I'm Darwin, the team's assistant coach!" Cephalosporin smiled. He didn't look very smart, but his smile showed that he was quite innocent.

"Darwin wrote 'The Theory of Evolution,' so how come humans have developed a bump on their head by the time they evolved to this point?" Jia Fei chuckled to himself.

"Hello Coach Ham, I'm Jia Fei!" Jia Fei shook hands with Cephalosporin, both of them with smiles on their faces, creating a harmonious scene.

Jia Fei remembered that in his previous life, Ham became a coach for the Lakers and was heavily criticized by Lakers fans. It turned out that this guy had been an assistant coach for the Hawks, something he hadn't known before. But as an assistant coach under Buden, a coach from the Spurs system, he really didn't learn any tactics or techniques. It seemed that all he could do was make motivational speeches.

It seems that sometimes it's not true that "a great teacher produces a great student." No matter how amazing the teacher is, there's nothing that can be done if you have a problem.

After shaking hands with Cephalosporin, Jia Fei turned around to warm up. Just as he was about to pick up a basketball from the ground, a dark hand grabbed the ball before he could.

Upon closer inspection, Jia Fei recognized the owner of the black hand holding the ball, and the person, upon seeing Jia Fei, flashed a set of white teeth.

"Sorry, you can have the ball!" Jia Fei recognized this person. This person was Schroder, the German Rondo who was known as "Yellow Hair" in his previous life!

At this time, Xiao Hei was still a rookie. He had just been selected 17th overall in the first round of the draft by the Hawks in this summer's draft. He had not yet dyed his hair yellow and looked like a malnourished African lad.

Suddenly, a thought popped into Jia Fei's mind: in his previous life, Lakers head coach Tissot was always criticized by fans for his tendency to use Xiao Hei, who was his "son." It turned out that the two had worked together during their time with the Hawks. No wonder.

It's said that wherever there are people, there's a power struggle, and the NBA is no exception. It makes sense that cephalosporins like to use their old teammates.

"Here you go!" Jia Fei smiled slightly. Of course, he couldn't bully this new kid. Compared to Xiao Hei, he was already in his third NBA season!

Among the assistant coaching staff, besides Cephalosporin, Jia Fei also saw Tyler Jenkins, the former head coach of the Grizzlies. The NBA circle is only so big; these coaches work here for a few years, then move to other teams, and eventually everyone becomes acquainted.

Among the Hawks' players, neither Horford nor Teague possesses the super-extroverted personality of Westbrook, who was with the Thunder before Jia Fei. These players all seem rather introverted. The veterans, like Brand and Korver, aren't particularly adept at creating excitement or generating buzz. The veterans don't talk much, and the rookies are hesitant to speak up, making practice rather quiet.

Coach Buden didn't offer any motivational speeches; he was very serious and polite to the players, and the training proceeded peacefully.

The first day of training didn't involve much. Because many new players were added in the summer, the players weren't familiar with each other, and the coach was also new. Everyone needed to get to know each other and work together.

On the third day of this training, Coach Buden arranged an intra-squad scrimmage. Horford, Millsap, Jafi, Korver, and Teague wore red training vests, while Pero Antić, Elton Brand, Mike Scott, John Jenkins, and Shelvin Mark wore black training vests.

Clearly, Jia Fei and his team will most likely be the Hawks' starting lineup for the new season, while the other team will be the team's main rotation players.

Horford and Antić jumped for the ball in center court, with Horford winning. Teague then dribbled the ball over.

Jia Fei plays the small forward position, positioned in the corner, with Teague and Horford setting a pick-and-roll at the top of the key, while Korver moves off the ball to draw the defense.

Teague, as a point guard, has excellent penetration ability. His weakness is that his shooting is slightly poor, so many teams will find their defense against his pick-and-roll to be subpar.

As an inside player, Horford possesses a very well-rounded offensive skill set. He can shoot three-pointers, facilitate, cut to the basket, create his own shot, and set screens off the ball. Defensively, he can switch on smaller players, help protect the rim, and has excellent one-on-one defense, making him a versatile player on both ends of the court. If there's a weakness, it's that he lacks a killer offensive weapon and can't handle the ball excessively. Defensively, as a center, his height is somewhat lacking; while his rim protection is excellent, it's not elite.

The nickname "basketball illiterate verifier" isn't without reason. Horford's value far exceeds his fame. He plays diligently, contributing to the team on both offense and defense. No one dislikes a teammate like that. While he might not reach his full potential as the team's leader, he's perfectly capable of being a second or third option, providing a very solid floor for the team.

Teague made a mistake when he passed the ball to Jia Fei in the corner. He gestured to Jia Fei, who nodded to indicate that it was okay.

This is the first time we've all been teammates, and we still have a long way to go to get to know each other.