My days of working at the NBA

Chapter 69 A Two-Pronged Approach

This is a very practical question.

This year's draft class was very clearly stratified; from the 13th pick onwards, the overall quality of the draft dropped precipitously.

The tipping point is with Hansbrough, the nation's top center, who represents the ceiling of immediate impact.

Based on this position, the rookies ahead of them have both potential and fighting power. Whether it is maturity, completion, on-court performance or physical talent, they are not on the same level as the rookies behind them.

The later ones are more like lottery tickets, which either have a lot of uncertainty, obvious weaknesses or shortcomings, or are purely for immediate use.

New York's draft pick this year was the 8th overall pick in the first round, and that's where the famous story of being snatched away by Golden State happened...

Toronto has the 9th pick, and their main need is to draft a guard, since their core player is one of the league's top All-Star power forwards, Boeinger.

Uh... it's still Chris Bosh.

These two picks are already very high up the list, and there are many targets to choose from. They can get both certainty and the chance to snag a talented rookie who has proven himself.

Therefore, even if Du Ze has exceptional talent, the likelihood of them choosing him is not very high, or even nonexistent.

Because it's just too risky.

Du Ze, a raw talent, hasn't fully proven himself and has only played six good games, or more accurately, only five. Why would he rashly use his precious 8th and 9th picks to select players?

Are you crazy...?

Who wouldn't want this?

It's fair to say that Flynn is the only prospect who can threaten a top-five pick.

Then there's Curry. In his three years in the NCAA, he averaged 21.5 points in his freshman year, 25.9 points in his sophomore year, and 28.6 points in his junior year. His 2635 points over three years made him the school's all-time leading scorer. His 414 three-pointers broke the Southern Conference three-point record, and his 162 three-pointers in a single season broke the NCAA three-point record, showcasing his potential as a top three-point shooter.

He has scored 30+ and 40+ points in countless games, and even scored 50 points in a game against Bryant University. Scoring points is as easy for him as eating and drinking.

Especially in last year's championship, he proved himself by fighting tough battles and leading his team to the quarterfinals, scoring 40, 30, 33 and 25 points in the four matches.

You could say they went on a killing spree.

Players who demonstrate top-tier scoring ability in the NCAA, even if they lack physical talent, are the first choice for many teams, given their high degree of certainty and extremely high floor.

To put it bluntly, even if he falters, he can still become a shooter like Redick.

Then there's DeRozan, with his top-notch jumping ability, excellent physicality, and elite mid-range shooting. This retro-style guard is the foundation for building a team.

Moreover, their maturity is at its peak, and their performance on the field is outstanding.

If it weren't for his slightly worse stats, DeRozan could have even made it into the top five.

Such players combine talent with immediate impact, making them one of the safest options for a team.

There's also the well-established Brandon Jennings.

Don't let his thin and weak appearance fool you; he was once the number one high school student in the entire United States.

In his final year of high school, he averaged 33 points and 8 assists per game, making a huge impact and being touted by many draft websites as a top-three pick in 09. He was a cornerstone of the team, a ball-handling powerhouse.

This shows how crazy Jennings' performance was back then.

If his academic performance hadn't been subpar, leading to his departure for European leagues and lowering his expectations, his draft position might have been higher.

But Du Ze, how can he compare to these formidable figures?

How do we compare them?

In this situation, even a complete idiot in the team's management would know what to choose, right?

If we were to take such a huge risk and force a draft of a promising but undeveloped talent, we would be gambling with our own career prospects, the data analysis of the scouting team, and the future development of the team...

The probability is really not very high...

Xu Chunjiao knew that the two teams were unlikely to select Du Ze, so why did she still rush over there?

That's what's puzzling.

Du Ze quickly figured it out, but he just joked, "Maybe I'll go to New York to date some handsome guys."

Lawrence: "Stop joking around, be serious."

Du Ze tilted his head and chuckled softly, "Maybe it's to give me a chance for a solo trial?"

If he's not mistaken, Xu Chunjiao's trips to New York and Toronto were in the hope of persuading one of the teams to offer her a private tryout.

of course.

It would be even better if both teams made the offer together.

Why?

To raise his market value.

The teams ranked 8th and 9th have both expressed interest in him. In this situation, how are the teams that are interested in him now?

Even if they feel that selecting him in the middle of the first round is an overestimation of his abilities, after tryouts in New York and Toronto, they will convince themselves that it is a safe choice.

After all, the potential of the rookies in the future is not high, and the certainty is not good.

In that case, why not gamble on the one with the best talent?

So ultimately, running between New York and Toronto is a psychological game, a psychological battle, with the aim of raising his draft expectations.

Although Lawrence was ugly, he wasn't stupid. Upon hearing this, he immediately understood: "This Miss Xu is quite something."

Du Ze remained silent, but what he really wanted to know was how this country bumpkin had managed to drag Sports Illustrated into this mess.

With the support of such a sports media giant, plus the added boost from some influential local media outlets, this marketing effort is by no means small.

By simultaneously promoting his team and bombarding the media with attention, it's easy to create the impression that he's incredibly popular.

I wonder which sucker will fall for it?

Cough... no, it should be that the lucky person peed on their hand and chose him.

After a moment of silence, Lawrence suddenly sighed: "Naomi is heartbroken, and I can't be there to comfort her. Tonight is destined to be a painful night."

Du Ze raised an eyebrow: "You can also fly there, it's fine. Tomorrow is the last day of the joint training anyway. I'll let you know in advance when I leave for the next stop after the training."

Lawrence shook his head repeatedly: "I am a very professional person and would never leave my post without permission."

Du Ze: "Then go ahead and suffer."

Lawrence leaned closer and said in a cheeky tone, "Um, Naomi just texted me saying she wants to come see me. What do you think?"

Du Ze sneered repeatedly, "I knew you weren't up to anything."

He blurted out, "It's not appropriate."

After all that buildup, he naturally guessed the ugly guy's little scheme, but that didn't stop him from spitting the crap out of him.

Lawrence: "Ashimery came along too."

Du Ze's expression immediately changed: "That's perfect."

Lawrence smiled broadly: "Alright, I'll have them book the tickets right away."

Finally, he stretched, feeling refreshed: "Alright, that's enough. I need to get some rest; I have a shooting practice tomorrow."

However, halfway there, he turned back: "Oh, right, before Ms. Xu left, she said that you should ask her before making a decision... Well, since you went for the interview, she couldn't just call you directly to tell you."

Du Ze didn't even turn his head: "I understand."