Chapter 386 385. Top picks: Thanks bad boy!
Mayo heard Zhang Yang’s surprised voice and felt that he was underestimated. He said, “Yes, it’s you!”

Zhang Yang glanced at Jordan who was also surprised, then turned back to Mayo and asked uncertainly: “Are we playing basketball or fighting? Fighting is not an option. I love peace.”

Mayo’s face darkened: “Of course, playing basketball!”

Zhang Yang said tactfully: “I am a very good basketball player, much better than I was four years ago.”

Mayo said angrily: “Are you looking down on me?”

As the saying goes, once or twice is better than three times. Zhang Yang nodded and said, “You guessed right.”

The onlookers couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Mayo turned around and glared at Harden fiercely, then turned back and raised his chin to Zhang Yang and said, “If you dare to underestimate me, I will make you regret it. I ask you again, do you dare to challenge me in a one-on-one duel?”

Zhang Yang didn’t say anything. He took off his training suit, revealing his Bobcats No. 3 jersey, and started exercising.

The trial players who were watching cheered when they saw this scene.

The strongest high school student in history, the youngest scoring champion in history, the youngest FMVP in history, the youngest first team in history… Zhang Yang is very popular among students. Almost every campus basketball player has fantasized that they can make a name for themselves in the NBA as quickly as Zhang Yang.

Rose and Love huddled up next to Harden and DeRozan.

Love and Compton were also old acquaintances who met at Coach Lue’s training camp. He asked, “Do you think Mayo has a chance to beat Jack?”

DeRozan looked at Love as if he was a fool and said, “There is no possibility, and it will be terrible.”

Love: “Very miserable?”

Ross also spoke up: “Mayo is definitely not as strong as Jack, but he is also very good, isn’t that right?”

Except for Beasley and Westbrook, all the top picks this year participated in the Jordan training camp.

Various basic tests began yesterday, which are similar to joint tryouts, with the same environment, the same group of trainers and the same standards, for the management of each team to see.

After the test, Mayo challenged all the outside opponents who were at the top of the draft prediction list and won all of them.

Several players, including Rose, Harden, Eric Gordon and DeRozan, all lost to Mayo in one-on-one matches.

In another six months, after the summer league and more targeted individual training, it will be hard to say who is stronger among them, but for now, Mayo, who is still in his student days, is the best guard in college basketball.

It can even be said that apart from Beasley, no one in the current college basketball world can compete with Mayo. The nickname “Super Jordan” was earned through hard work on the court.

In the eyes of Rose and Love, Mayo is a super genius who can immediately become a star even if he goes to the NBA.

DeRozan didn’t want to talk to these two ignorant people, and Harden said, “You don’t know Jack.”

Ross: “What do you mean?”

Harden: “Jack is a very generous person most of the time, but sometimes he is very serious. From what I know about him, he probably saw so many NBA executives here today and the draft is two weeks away. He and Mayo met four years ago. Although they were not familiar with each other, they knew each other. Jack didn’t want to affect Mayo’s draft stock. He has given Mayo two ways out, but Mayo didn’t appreciate it… On the court, Jack is a completely different person.”

Rose and Love were very curious. Just when they were about to ask what the other person was, a very arrogant voice came…

“Rookie, since you want to die, I will grant your wish!”

The two turned their heads to look, and saw that Zhang Yang had lost his kind look just now, and was now extremely arrogant and domineering!
Mayo was not afraid and retorted: “Have you finished warming up? Don’t use not warming up enough as an excuse when you lose later!”

Zhang Yang sneered and said, “I don’t need to prepare for a duel with you. I want you to know that you, a so-called genius, are as ridiculous as a frog in a well.”

Mayo walked directly to the nearest half court and asked, “Who’s going to kick off the Boston game?”

He stopped talking. He had originally intended to irritate Zhang Yang, but ended up being pissed off. He couldn’t argue! He didn’t know how to respond except to curse.

Then just get started and let your strength speak for itself!
Zhang Yang waved at the trainer, caught the ball, walked to the top arc, and said, “No need to fight for the first attack, you go first, otherwise you will say that I bully you.”

As he said this, he threw the ball to Mayo.

Mayo caught the ball and shut up completely.

He did not refuse the first attack. In a one-on-one duel, whoever attacks first has a huge advantage.

Facing Zhang Yang who was already one step inside the three-point line and taking a defensive stance, Mayo leaned over to control the ball, suddenly grabbed the ball, and jumped…

A sneak attack! Yes, Mayo is doing a sneak attack!
It’s a one-on-one duel, so who cares? As long as he scores, it’s a good shot, and others will praise him. The person defending him will be regarded as a careless clown.

He just had the feeling when he controlled the ball, and the process of grabbing the ball, jumping and raising his hands felt very good.

Just as he excitedly pushed the ball out, the ball just left his hand and was slapped back, brushing past his ear and hitting the floor with a bang!

The trial players who were watching cheered and screamed!
Mayo looked in astonishment at Zhang Yang who was standing in front of him after blocking the shot. Wasn’t his reaction so quick?

Zhang Yang glanced at Mayo, then turned and stood next to him.

He was highly focused, and when Mayo made a move to receive the ball, he judged that the opponent was going to launch a sneak attack. He immediately jumped up and slapped Mayo’s sudden three-pointer away.

Apparently, the talented draft candidate known as ‘Super Jordan’ just now did not pay any attention to the defender’s movements and was just shooting on his own.

Campus basketball does not necessarily develop good habits. Mayo never had an opponent in one-on-one matches when he was a student. Even when he met Beasley, they fought back and were extremely arrogant.

Mayo came back to his senses with a red face. He took the ball that Harden had retrieved and passed it to Zhang Yang inside the three-point line.

Zhang Yang received the ball, subconsciously moved sideways to protect it, and said, “Are you ready? I’m going to break through.”

Mayo, who had just taken a defensive stance, had not yet reacted when he heard this, and saw Zhang Yang controlling the ball and pressing directly towards him.

He rushed forward…but found nothing!
Zhang Yang played with a poor rhythm, and when they were about to confront each other, he suddenly turned around and bypassed Mayo. Mayo pushed forward from behind, but his inertia was completely out of control. Zhang Yang easily broke into the inside, jumped, switched the ball to his left hand in the air, and slammed the ball into the frame with one hand!

Mayo was very upset. If he had known earlier, he should have retreated and blocked Zhang Yang from attacking the basket. He guessed in hindsight that Zhang Yang had not warmed up sufficiently and had not even tried to shoot, so he would definitely choose to attack the basket to end the attack.

Zhang Yang picked up the ball, ran to the top arc, and waved to Mayo.

Mayo was not hit, but just regretted that he made wrong choices in both offense and defense in the first round. He came to the top arc, received the serve from Zhang Yang, faked a shot, broke through to the left, was blocked, changed direction, and advanced to the right!
Mayo was not blocked this time, and he broke through to close range. However, when he grabbed the ball and aimed to the left, he saw Zhang Yang following closely behind him, but the ball had already been caught. His body reacted faster than his brain, and he had already made a flying layup… Under the dual influence of the unaccustomed direction and Zhang Yang’s interference, the shot missed!
Mayo was frustrated again: I should have stopped and shot!
He picked up the ball and slapped it hard, then ran to the top arc to serve and got into a defensive stance. He firmly believed that he would make the next shot. As long as he could defend Zhang Yang once, he would make every shot thereafter and he would win!

Zhang Yang took the ball and started to perform a butterfly step, which caused screams. He said, “Let me help you defend me. How do you want me to play this round? Break through or shoot directly?”

Mayo: I don’t want to listen, you bastard, you can shake as much as you want, no matter what fake moves you make or what trash talk you say, I will step back.

Zhang Yang smacked his lips, suddenly increased the speed of bouncing the ball, and broke through!
Mayo retreated continuously, and as he expected, Zhang Yang did not stop and shoot from mid-range or long-range, but went straight to the basket.

But…it’s so fast!

He tried his best to retreat, and retreated directly without moving sideways, just enough to keep up with Zhang Yang’s speed of changing direction and rushing forward.

Seeing Zhang Yang grab the ball at the elbow, Mayo immediately pressed forward. He concluded that Zhang Yang started the shot with three steps.

However, after Zhang Yang grabbed the ball, he held it with both hands and stretched it to the right, but his foot stepped to the left… European step!

Mayo missed again, and when he stopped, the person disappeared from his sight!

He turned his head and saw Zhang Yang jumping on one foot and slamming the ball into the frame with both hands!
Mayo suddenly realized that his physical fitness seemed not as good as Zhang Yang’s?

Mayo is the oldest among this year’s talented outside players. He turned 11 in November last year, and is even more than half a year older than Zhang Yang.

Of course, this age is not considered old among college athletes. His physical talent is also top-notch, and at the age of 20 he has enough physical fitness to adapt to NBA games.

In terms of physical talent ceiling, Rose, Westbrook and others are definitely at least half a level stronger than Mayo.

But since Mayo is a whole year older than Rose and Westbrook and is more mature, he is not at a disadvantage physically when facing them. In addition, he is far better than them in terms of skills and has the upper hand whenever they play against each other. His college record was not as good as theirs, but he was unlucky to go to USC, where he encountered changes in the coaching staff and the escape of geniuses… The fact that he was able to lead the team into the Big Three was already a remarkable performance and he received a lot of praise, otherwise he would not have become a favorite for the No. 1 pick.

The advantage against Harden is even greater as he is nearly two years older.

But he himself did not realize that this was an advantage brought by his age being one or two years older. He had always been the one with the best physical fitness since he was a child. He thought that he was more talented than everyone else, just like Jordan…

Mayo couldn’t believe his judgment. He thought that if he jumped out to challenge Zhang Yang, he might lose, but he expected to lose in technology. After all, Zhang Yang entered the NBA early and had played in the NBA for 3 years.

He believed that if he could make good use of his advantages in speed and jumping ability, he would have a good chance of defeating Zhang Yang in a one-on-one match.

He didn’t expect that his physical fitness was not as good as Zhang Yang’s… 4 years ago, his physical fitness had the upper hand!
Moreover, Zhang Yang is not famous for his physical fitness in the NBA. He has always been praised for his scoring skills that seem to be constantly improving and becoming more and more comprehensive!
Just when Mayo was confused, an impatient voice reached his ears.

“It seems that I overestimated you when I said you were a frog in a well. Let me give you a new evaluation. You are as small as a bug under the blue sky. You are too weak. Hurry up and end this boring game.”

Mayo, whose heart was already frustrated, looked at Zhang Yang angrily after hearing this… and then he was a little confused. Zhang Yang’s face lost its playfulness and contempt, and became serious and focused.

Considering the current situation and the results of the last two rounds of duels, Mayo felt a sense of fear from the bottom of his heart…

Mayo: Shit! I should have gone for a one-on-one duel with Jordan, just like the original plan!

…

A few minutes later, Mayo couldn’t stand the cheers, ridicules and various looks from other tryout players. When the score reached 0-7 and he hit his eighth iron, he pushed away Zhang Yang who was defending him and ran towards the player tunnel.

Hearing the cheers from other tryout players, Mayo ran faster.

Jordan, who had watched the show for a while, walked into the court with a grin on his face, punched Zhang Yang in the chest, and said, “You can just play casually, but you’re taking it so seriously. If you beat the talented rookie so hard that he loses confidence, the team that selected him will definitely hate you.”

Zhang Yang spread his hands and said, “I didn’t want to. I heard that his nickname is Super Jordan, so I wanted to avoid him. But he insisted on fighting me, so I had to give it my all. I didn’t expect him to collapse so quickly. He even lost control of his moves during the fight… Your expression doesn’t seem like you’re sympathizing with him.”

Jordan smiled so much that the roots of his back teeth could be seen. “Is it that obvious? No, I really sympathize with him and blame you! Look at what you have done. I will send someone to chase Mayo back and calm him down. If he withdraws from the training camp, our training camp will lose a top pick!”

Zhang Yang: “Is that important?”

Jordan: “It’s not that important, but we have to do a good job of looking good.”

Zhang Yang: “…”

Zhang Yang is not surprised that Jordan doesn’t like Mayo. If a young man who just entered the NBA was called “Super Zhang Yang” or “Super Jack”, he would also be unhappy. But if he was called “God Jack”, he would be able to accept it.

However, the score was 7-0, and Mayo escaped before he finished shooting 10 balls. Zhang Yang was also surprised. He did want to end the game quickly after two rounds, but he thought it would be 10-5 or 10-4 at most. Without a center behind him, there are many ways to score one-on-one, and it is impossible to defend completely.

As a result, after two rounds, Mayo started to attack randomly and kept rushing forward. In the following 6 attacks, Mayo was blocked 3 times by Zhang San, and the other 3 times were also interfered by him.

On the defensive end, Mayo had some basic defensive awareness, and in the last few rounds he was just messing around with defense, just rushing and stealing…

Zhang Yang was very curious, how big was his trash talk? Or was Mayo afraid of bugs? It shouldn’t be like this!

On the other side, watching Mayo disappear at the entrance of the player tunnel, Harden wondered, “What is Mayo thinking? Why does he want to challenge Jack? I can’t figure it out!”

Ross agreed: “I can’t figure it out either.”

DeRozan: “The media hyped him up as the next Jordan, and he probably believed it, thinking he could average 28 points per game in the NBA like Jordan, and have the strength to go one-on-one with Jack.”

Ross was speechless.

Comparing rookies with a famous star or a veteran in the league is a basic operation of the media, and the rookies may become inflated with pride because of this.

However, because of the media’s hype, he really went to challenge a big player, especially a big player who won the scoring title, in a public place before the draft.

What kind of IQ is required to perform this operation?
Harden: “I think I’m stupid enough, but there are still people who are so stupid? How can you believe that?”

DeRozan turned his head away when he heard that, and Rose, who was already speechless, became even more speechless.

Changing the subject, Rose said, “James, I think I understand what you mean when you say Jack becomes a different person on the court.”

Harden: “It’s actually okay to play the game, but in a one-on-one match, he’s like a devil. He not only wants to beat you, but also to undermine your confidence and destroy your dreams.”

Ross asked curiously, “Is it the same when he duels with you privately?”

Harden: “Yeah, what’s wrong?”

Ross sighed, “No wonder I dribbled past you so many times in the finals, but you still stood firm in front of me the next time. It turns out that you were trained by Jack.”

Harden showed an expression of sudden enlightenment: “I see, my mom also said that my personality has become stronger after playing with Jack, thanks to Jack’s help!”

Rose, DeRozan, Love: “…”

Rose was tired and thought he should change the subject. He asked, “I heard that Jack started playing basketball very late. Is that true?”

Harden nodded: “Yes, he has been playing basketball for almost exactly 5 years.”

Ross: “Five years? No way? Shorter than the legendary time?”

Harden recalled: “When I first met Jack five years ago, he couldn’t even control the ball. Six months later, he was better than me. After another six months, he was better than DeMar. A year later, he became the king of the California high school world. It only took him two years from the time he started playing basketball to becoming California Basketball Player of the Year. He was just 5 years old when he was selected by the Bobcats in the lottery. At that time, he had already far surpassed me. Now, another three years have passed…”

Ross opened his mouth and held it in for a few seconds before the breath he used to speak came out of his throat: “Is it so exaggerated?”

Rose thinks he is better than Harden. The fact is, although the University of Memphis lost to North Carolina, his personal performance still surpassed Harden, but not to the point of being far superior. Harden is almost a year younger than him, and he thinks Harden’s talent is no worse than his.

He started training hard after the Crazy Three ended, fearing that Harden would surpass him in one or two years after entering the NBA.

As a result, Harden actually said that his talent is nothing compared to Zhang Yang…

At this moment, Rose was also a little shocked. After interacting with Harden in the past two days, he knew that this idiot would not lie or exaggerate about such things.

Harden noticed that Rose was in a bad mood, thought for a moment, and said, “Jack told me that physical fitness is innate and cannot be changed, while technology and shooting ability will improve more and more slowly after reaching a limit. I am not as good as him now, but the gap will get smaller and smaller. I am also working hard for this and strive to be stronger than him in the future!”

Rose knew that Harden was comforting him, and he wanted to complain, can this guy really comfort people? It seems that he didn’t mention him at all… Fortunately, he could understand the meaning.

After getting to know Harden, Rose always felt that this guy was heartless and indeed not very smart.

But at this moment, Rose actually envied Harden’s character. It was because of this character that this guy could keep moving forward regardless of the talent gap, strength gap, and difficulties ahead!
…

Mayo’s challenge to Zhang Yang did not take up too much time, only about 10 minutes in total.

This little episode not only did not affect the normal progress of the training camp, but also made the trial players more excited and more motivated to show themselves.

Some of them were simply excited about Zhang Yang’s brutal victory over Mayo, so they trained very hard.

Some think that their ranking may move up, such as Rose, Harden, and DeRozan, and they are more active in showing their talents in front of the media and team executives… Thanks bad boys!

Zhang Yang didn’t take Mayo’s incident to heart. He just did what he had to do and helped run the training camp.

While helping to guide the training, he got to know the rookies he was interested in and exchanged contact information, such as Rose, the Lopez brothers, etc., and of course Love, but he didn’t need to get to know this guy again, as he had met him four years ago.

He had this idea when he received Jordan’s call yesterday, and he guessed that Jordan had the same idea.

The Bobcats don’t have a first-round pick this year, let alone a high draft pick. They will most likely not have one in the next few years, just like the Spurs and Pistons in the past few years. So, they will have to take other routes to recruit players at some point in the future.

Private friendship is one of the ways.

He, Zhang San, is of similar age to these trial players and can easily chat with them.

As for why Jordan didn’t have this plan when he was planning the training camp, it was probably because he didn’t expect so many high-ranking talents to come for his sake.

After a day of fun and a nutritious meal in the evening, Zhang Yang said goodbye to DeRozan, Harden and others, made an appointment with his two friends to go to the draft on the day of the draft, and then went home.

When he was checking the news and browsing forums before going to bed, he was surprised to find that he was on the headlines!

The media and fans are hotly discussing Mayo’s challenge to him.

After playing for a whole day, he had forgotten about it.

Mayo never came back after he ran away, and he didn’t hear any follow-up from Jordan.

He browsed the news for a while and saw that the headlines of most media were normal, but there was one that was particularly sensational – “Bad Boy Jack Beats Super Jordan at Training Camp.”

But the contents are similar, describing in detail the process of Mayo challenging him to a duel and how he beat Mayo, with an accompanying video link.

There is no need for reporters to exaggerate to see how badly Mayo was abused this time.

The trash talk that he instinctively said after entering the court was also hyped by the media and hotly discussed by fans. People even started to give Mayo a nickname because of those trash talks. ESPN even held a vote to choose a nickname for Mayo.

“Frog, well man, bug…what the hell is a prince?”

After complaining about the nicknames given to Mayo by the media and fans, Zhang Yang felt sleepy and prepared to go to bed.

Mayo’s draft prospects will definitely be affected by this challenge. Zhang San feels sorry, but this guy has to do it…

(End of this chapter)