At Staples Arena, Zhang Zhiyuan saw Kupchak and Phil Jackson.
After some nonsense, they began to conduct a physical examination on Zhang Zhiyuan.
Although these data are included in the draft report, the managers of each team do not completely believe in those boring numbers. They believe in their own eyes.
Standing touch, running touch, back and forth running, bench press...
After Kupchak was slightly disappointed, he looked as if he should take it for granted.
He had previously imagined that the person who defeated Garnett was a super strong man, a potential superstar, who could jump ten feet high and leap three thousand meters. But he also knew that this idea was outrageous and the possibility was zero.
Zhang Zhiyuan's current physical fitness can only be said to be qualified, but it is not a role that can turn the tide.
"It's okay to do a few temporary firefighting operations."
Phil Jackson said and Kupchak nodded.
Subsequently, the test continued and Zhang Zhiyuan started shooting.
Some Lakers players who came to train saw the new faces and came over to watch the fun. Only Kobe was still doing shooting training at the other end and didn't care at all.
"Wharton, come and fight him."
Zhang Zhiyuan's shooting test was also quite satisfactory, with 72 out of 100 mid-range shots, 66 out of 100 long two-pointers, and 29 out of 50 three-pointers.
There is no test under the basket, so it is meaningless. Without confrontation, junior high school students can easily score points under the basket.
Therefore, Kupchak chose to let Luke Walton and Zhang Zhiyuan compete in actual combat.
As long as Zhang Zhiyuan doesn't pull any strings in actual combat, he can basically be sure to be given a short contract, and he won't lose anything anyway.
"Hey rookie, if you want to enter the NBA, you have to pass me first."
Wharton laughed.
"If you want to save face in front of your teammates, you'd better start praying now."
Zhang Zhiyuan responded.
As soon as these words came out, other players started to boo.
Phil Jackson smiled. He felt that Zhang Zhiyuan at least had good mental attributes and was very energetic.
[The current hatred value is 10, absorbing 5% of attributes.]
At the beginning of the duel, Zhang Zhiyuan threw the chain to Walton. He wanted to connect to Kobe. With Kobe's attribute bonus, he could definitely beat Walton.
However, this fetter chain can only be released to players on the court.
Zhang Zhiyuan attacked first. He faked a shot and retreated to a position close to the three-point line and shot a long two-pointer.
This position is relatively inefficient, but Zhang Zhiyuan knows in his heart that the Lakers' penalty area offense belongs to Kobe, and there is no point in showing his ability in low singles.
The ball didn't go in, but it's not a big problem.
In the transition between offense and defense, Zhang Zhiyuan also defended Walton's shot.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Zhiyuan continued his old trick and made a long two-pointer.
After a few rounds, the two were evenly matched.
Phil Jackson nodded secretly.
Luke Walton is the team's starting small forward and third-leading scorer. Zhang Zhiyuan can play back and forth with him, and that's enough.
To put it bluntly, they are looking for firefighters, not the cornerstones of reconstruction. The requirements are very low.
"Be careful where you start."
After another hit, Zhang Zhiyuan mocked.
Walton's heart suddenly thumped. Although he felt that Zhang Zhiyuan was talking nonsense, he had to worry. If he was defeated by an undrafted draft pick, he might really lose his starting position.
"Shut up, rookie."
Luke Walton was more focused. Zhang Zhiyuan pretended to try to shoot, which deceived Walton into making defensive adjustments and then started a breakthrough.
However, his breakthrough technology is really eye-catching.
Luke Walton adjusted in time and stood in front of Zhang Zhiyuan to create another interference.
Unable to break through and unable to jump again, Zhang Zhiyuan could only throw a hook.
The ball failed to score, and Zhang Zhiyuan was a little depressed. He was not satisfied with his performance.
What he didn't know was that Kupchak and Phil Jackson were becoming more and more satisfied as they watched.
This is mainly because Zhang Zhiyuan has a huge heart and wants to defeat his opponents. But Kupchak just wants a player who can play a role.
Seeing Zhang Zhiyuan's outstanding performance, Kupchak excitedly went to Kobe and said: "Kobe, I have found a good helper for you."
"An undrafted guy? You call that a helper?"
Kobe asked coldly.
What he wants is a championship, and he wants stars like Marion, Billups, and Gasol. If not, then Prince is fine. What the hell is undrafted?
"Kobe, no team will trade stars at this time. I will work well in the off-season. But now we need a small forward to strengthen us, and we need to enter the playoffs."
Kupchak said helplessly.
"I can make the playoffs."
Kobe snorted coldly.
Although he said this, he didn't say he didn't want Zhang Zhiyuan. He didn't care about this kind of small transaction at all. He didn't care if there was one more Zhang Zhiyuan or one less Zhiyuan.
If you can, you can win more games.
Kupchak cursed in his heart. Kobe just said yes, but the problem is that the team's record is now ranked eighth in the Western Conference and may fall out of the playoffs at any time.
This kind of achievement really couldn't reassure him.
On the other side, the duel between Zhang Zhiyuan and Wharton has ended.
11 to 9, Zhang Zhiyuan actually won.
Zhang Zhiyuan is still a little dissatisfied. He feels that he did not play well and won very hard. He may lose if he tries again.
Little did they know, the rest of the Lakers were so surprised that they were speechless.
You know, Luke Walton is the Lakers' starter and averages 11.4 points per game. With this kind of strength, he can already get a mid-level contract.
"Good job."
Phil Jackson said that compared to Zhang Zhiyuan's winning, he prefers Zhang Zhiyuan's technical characteristics. The long-range shot is compatible with Kobe Bryant, and the defense is also up to standard.
For a little substitute who puts out fires, I really can't ask for more.
"Notify your agent to sign the contract."
Kupchak said.
"I'll sign it myself, my agent has already fired me."
Zhang Zhiyuan's words made everyone laugh. Only players can fire their agents and be fired by their agents. It must be said that this is a joke.
"He will regret it."
Kupchak encouraged him, and then Zhang Zhiyuan joined the team for joint training.
The Lakers have a game the day after tomorrow, and Zhang Zhiyuan needs to be ready to play at any time.
Most of the Lakers players welcome Zhang Zhiyuan's joining.
Especially Cook, Odom, and Evans. They used to play small forwards as guest stars, and it was very difficult for them to play in positions they were not good at.
Kobe was still the same, not even looking at Zhang Zhiyuan.
The only person who is a little unhappy is probably Wharton.
You won't lose your starting spot if you lose once, but what about two, three, or multiple times?
In his eyes, Zhang Zhiyuan is already a threat.
When the joint training began, Wharton was gearing up, preparing to prove himself in the joint training and regain some face.
He thinks that his tacit understanding with his teammates is much better than that of Zhang Zhiyuan, not to mention that he is on the main team and has every advantage to defeat the substitute team.
Main team Smushparker, Kobe Bryant, Walton, Odom, Bynum.
The substitute team attacked first, and Farmar passed the ball to Kwame Brown under the basket.
There was no way, in his eyes, Butter Hand was the team's thigh at this time.
Subsequently, Kwame Brown lived up to expectations and was blocked by Bynum.
The main team attacked, and Kobe hit Evans in a single.
Does this exercise make sense?
Zhang Zhiyuan secretly complained that he felt that the Lakers' main team should practice tactics so that Kobe and Evans would be effective in isolation.
When it comes to official games, which player against Kobe is not better than Evans? He even has to face double-teams most of the time.
The substitute team attacks and Zhang Zhiyuan has already taken the initiative to ask for the ball.
He is a person with a strong desire to perform, not to mention that he has now thrown the fetter chain on Kobe, adding 5% of Kobe's attributes.
If you don’t show off at this time, how long will you wait?
Farmar was a little surprised by Zhang Zhiyuan's initiative, but it was just a casual training match, so he didn't worry about wasting offensive opportunities, so he did a favor and passed the ball.
Zhang Zhiyuan immediately broke through Walton and went to the basket.
Walton was shocked. The impression Zhang Zhiyuan gave him just now was that he had a good shooting ability and average ball control ability.
He never expected that Zhang Zhiyuan would actually hide something.
mean.
Wharton could only think so.
Zhang Zhiyuan, who reached the basket, took off and completed a dunk before Bynum could react.
"surprise."
Kupchak exclaimed.
"Did he still have reservations just now? Or is he a practical player?"
Phil Jackson is a little confused, but it doesn't matter, the stronger Zhang Zhiyuan is, the better.
During the transition between offense and defense, the assistant coach shouted to Zhang Zhiyuan, asking him to double-team Kobe.
They wanted to practice how Kobe would handle a double-team, and Zhang Zhiyuan did it.
Double-teaming is not difficult, but the difficult part is returning to defense after double-teaming.
Zhang Zhiyuan rushed forward, Kobe Bryant kicked the ball to Walton, and Walton took an open shot and scored.
Zhang Zhiyuan was a little surprised. Of course he had seen Kobe pass the ball to his teammates, but relatively speaking, the number of times he failed to pass the ball was more. Coupled with the media's publicity and Kobe's popular knowledge, Zhang Zhiyuan had the impression that Kobe did not trust his teammates.
alone.
"After double-teaming, you must quickly return to defense."
The assistant teacher continued to shout at Zhang Zhiyuan. Most of the others knew what to practice, and it was Zhang Zhiyuan who needed to be reminded.
The defensive end was not good, but on the offensive end, Zhang Zhiyuan continued to perform brilliantly.
With Kobe's attribute bonus, Zhang Zhiyuan is far superior to Walton in terms of strength. He relies on his strength to easily squeeze out the opponent and grab a good offensive position, and then goes deep into the basket to catch the ball.
Although Kobe blocked the shot in the end, his intention came out.
Other teams may not have defenders like Kobe, so Zhang Zhiyuan's offense is still valuable.
The main team's offense was started by Kobe at this point. After attracting the substitute's defense, Odom was missed.
Parker passed the ball to Odom, and Odom shot to finish.
After more than ten rounds, Kobe only took 4 shots.
Hearing is better than seeing. Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly felt that Kobe was not alone.
However, he is a fan of the authorities.
He is now playing against Kobe and has a lot of shooting opportunities, so he feels that Kobe is not alone.
In fact, Walton, who is facing him, has only had one shot opportunity until now.
After a 12-minute quarter, training is paused.
Zhang Zhiyuan made a total of 3 of 5 shots and scored 6 points and 2 rebounds. His performance was unexpected.
However, then Phil Jackson arranged for him to team up with Kobe, and then he burst into tears.
After Kobe became a teammate, he couldn't absorb Kobe's attributes, he could only absorb Odom.
Odom's physical fitness and skills are not bad, but they are far inferior to Kobe, and Odom's skills are not suitable for Zhang Zhiyuan.
His performance on the offensive end declined rapidly, and he only got 2 shots, and none of them hit.
Fortunately, he still restrained Walton on the defensive end.
"Are he and Kobe incompatible?"
Phil Jackson muttered in his heart, and then tried two more times.
In the end, he was surprised to find that Zhang Zhiyuan and Kobe performed significantly better when they were opponents than when they were teammates.
Phil Jackson shook his head helplessly.
However, he was not disappointed with Zhang Zhiyuan, but with Kobe Bryant.
What kind of superstar is a superstar who can't make his teammates better?
The joint training is over and the contract has been signed.
16,000 US dollars for 10 days, before tax.
Zhang Zhiyuan is about to cry but has no tears. He has seen too many of those in later generations who have a maximum salary of 40 to 50 million a year. Now looking at his own 16,000, he has a very unreal feeling. Is he really not here to clean the dishes?
Although the money is small, it is enough to finally open the door to the NBA and have the opportunity to perform on the court.
Back at his temporary residence, Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't wait to share the good news with Swift.
"Cool, that means I can see you playing on the court the day after tomorrow?"
Swift is also happy for Zhang Zhiyuan.
"Probably, whether I can play or not depends on the coach's arrangements."
Having said that, Zhang Zhiyuan is still relatively confident. If it wasn't for him to play to put out the fire, the Lakers wouldn't have to sign him.
"I will go to the scene the day after tomorrow to cheer you on."
Swift said.
There wasn't much she could do to help Zhang Zhiyuan, so she could only encourage him in this way.
After the call ended, Zhang Zhiyuan began to look forward to the game the day after tomorrow.
It's exciting to think about something like a blockbuster.
At the same time, the Lakers’ official website also announced the team’s signing of Zhang Zhiyuan.
"Zhang, who is Zhang, what is Zhang?"
"Is the team giving up on this season? A short contract can be called reinforcement."
"An undrafted player, a Chinese, is simply unreasonable."
Comey was angry. They also expected the team to trade one or two stars to help the boss. As a result, after waiting for more than half a season, an undrafted player came.
This is a damn thing, it’s hard to get rid of it without cursing Kupchak.
Because they felt sorry for the boss, they were unhappy with Zhang Zhiyuan. A loser had no right to hold the boss back.
"Obviously, this is a hype, and the Lakers want to attract and please Chinese fans. This Zhang must be a mascot, and there is no way he will even get a chance to play."
A basketball show on a local Los Angeles station reported the news. The guest on the show, Victor, bluntly said that this was a commercial show and had nothing to do with competition.
"Maybe this Zhang really has some strength?"
The host sang a rival show.
"Please, it's just an undrafted player. Of course, I'm not saying that I look down on undrafted players, I just look down on Zhang from China. Yao is just an accident, and there won't be too many such accidents."
