24. The beginning of the edge
In the second half of the game, Lin Feng will spend most of the time on the bench.
The Lakers have an equally good playmaker in Josh Hart on their roster.
Because he frequently turns on three-second predictions, Lin Feng's physical strength is exhausted very quickly and he is more likely to be tired than playing normally.
Accurate prediction results in a large consumption of physical strength. Lin Feng is very clear about what he wants to do, which is to exercise his physical strength and develop his shooting range.
After making up for these two shortcomings, he will become the best player in the entire league.
Lin Feng has no doubt about this. His performance in the second quarter made him confident about the height he can reach.
Averaging a quadruple-double per game? God can’t even imagine it.
Sitting on the sidelines, he looked much more tired than the others. Big Mouth Wagner handed him a dry towel, and the two of them sat next to each other.
"Thank you." Lin Feng hung the towel around his neck, enjoying the sweaty feeling.
The air-conditioning temperature in the arena is a bit high today, and it takes time for the sweat on your body to evaporate.
The two sides on the court are back and forth, attacking and defending each other. Without Lin Feng's bug, the Heat's offense is much faster, and the pressure on the defensive end is also much less.
Hart plays more without the ball, and his three-pointers are not very stable, but he was particularly accurate today, and he made three three-pointers in the third quarter.
Caruso has good organizational skills. If Lin Feng hadn't emerged suddenly, he would have gotten more playing time.
Luke Walton in the audience looked serious, and he was thinking about a happy trouble. In fact, Walton has now learned that the team will sign Rajon Rondo, a master of free space.
As a result, the team faces happy troubles. Ball, Rondo, Caruso and rookie Gary Smith.
The Lakers have four point guards on their fifteen-man roster, and all of them lack outside shooting. The inability to open up space means that the opponent can tighten their defense around the basket.
Add in James and Josh Hart, and almost half of the lineup can handle the ball.
Walton's headache is the lack of shooters on the team, which is a serious problem in the small ball era.
A healthy Ball has determined a starting point guard position, and he is the future cornerstone of the team. Rondo is only a firefighter who signed a one-year contract, so Caruso and Gary Smith will have much less playing time.
The biggest headache is that Gary Smith actually performed at a star level today!
Especially his talent in stealing, he seems to be better defensively than Ball.
Wharton rubbed his temples and thought to himself, okay, let's see what Gary Smith is capable of first. I hope it's not a flash in the pan.
Magic Johnson, who was far away in Los Angeles, booked two flights to Las Vegas, one of which belonged to Jeanie Buss. They made the impromptu decision to go to Nevada to watch the summer league. The reason is self-evident.
Throughout the third quarter, the two sides kept going back and forth, and the score did not open up.
Jones Jr. is indeed very good, and this Heat team is full of energy. Players like Robinson and Adebayo are very talented.
With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, Lin Feng came on the court again. At this time, the score on the field was 83. Due to physical reasons, the shooting percentages of the players on both sides were not high in the second half.
Lin Feng replaced Caruso and played at the same time as Mykhailiuk. This was almost the final lineup.
"Win the game." Lin Feng high-fived Hart and said calmly.
It felt great to be back on the court, and he was going to take over the game again, even against Jones Jr., who had already scored over 20 points.
The commentator and on-site DJ loudly announced Gary Smith's name. He was the absolute superstar tonight. Although he only scored ten points, he led the Lakers to a go-ahead attack in the second quarter. Every ball was exciting.
Derrick Jones Jr. was very disdainful. He is now an official NBA rotation player. How could he lose to a late-round pick?
Jones Jr. moved the ball to the weak side, facing Lin Feng's defense, and Wagner inside was ready to help defend at any time.
It has to be said that the height difference of 10 centimeters is still very big, and Jones Jr. leaned in from behind, which made Lin Feng, who suffered from both height and weight, very passive.
But he has nothing to worry about. All Jones' actions are under Lin Feng's control. If this guy chooses to break through, he will steal even if he pays a foul.
It would be easier to turn over and shoot a jump shot, just take off and block the shot. He has confidence in his body, and his bounce can make up for the 10 centimeter height difference.
"Come on, let me give you a big kick."
Lin Feng pressed against Jones Jr.'s waist, making him unable to exert his strength, and kept provoking him. This was Lin Feng's tactic.
Jones's waist sank, and his whole body pressed against Lin Feng. He wanted to hit the inside, and Wagner inside, who was always ready to help defend, was not a vegetarian.
Adebayor failed to reach the three-point line. It seems that this guy is determined to misplace the ball.
Wait, what is he going to do?
A picture appeared in Lin Feng's mind, feinting and then jumping to shoot.
The first time is a fake move! Don't be fooled.
Lin Feng calmed down and took a small step forward. Sure enough, Jones Jr. feinted to the left and quickly pulled the ball back in front of him, then jumped to the right to shoot.
Lin Feng jumped out like an arrow. Unfortunately, this guy's jump shot was very far back. Lin Feng only touched the basketball with his fingertips.
In an instant, Jones Jr.'s expression changed drastically. He didn't expect that his signature leap backward would be touched by him.
Bang!
There was a crisp sound of the iron hitting, and Wagner jumped high to collect the rebound.
Fast break opportunity.
Lin Feng caught the ball and advanced quickly. Caruso had already crossed the half court. This guy's energy was amazing.
The players on the Lakers bench stood up, and Hart covered his head waiting for the result of this offense.
Of the two options, it seems that Caruso, who is walking the baseline, is in a better position, but the Heat's inside beast Adebayor is already waiting for his pass.
Caruso will get a big shot.
Jones Jr. was chasing after him, and with almost an instant choice, Lin Feng, who rushed to the inside at high speed, passed the ball to Mykhailiuk on the three-point line before losing his balance.
Three points scored! The bench was extremely jubilant.
Jones Jr. shook his head helplessly. Logically speaking, he should have defended Mykhailiuk just now, but Jones Jr. wanted to chase Lin Feng. Unexpectedly, this guy actually chose to score the ball.
The Heat head coach is even more helpless. Could it be that with the appearance of this late-round pick, the game will lose suspense again?
His idea was soon confirmed. Lin Feng made it difficult for Heat core Jones Jr. on the defensive end, and his shooting percentage dropped sharply from 56 to 23.
Lin Feng can predict the direction of each of his shots. Whether it can cause interference requires some luck.
Although Adebayor is tall and has long arms, his skills are rough. Once a double-team is formed, Lin Feng can easily cut the ball to form a counterattack.
With Caruso's buzzer-beating shot, the Lakers beat the Heat 122-97.
This is Lin Feng's victory. He contributed 15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals and 7 assists in his debut for the Lakers.
"The all-powerful Gary Smith from his freshman year is back. God, the Lakers found a treasure!"
"I'm sure Cuban will burst into tears after watching this game, letting go of a potential rookie for $800,000."
The commentators were fascinated by Lin Feng's performance and began to praise it, which was one of their duties.
"Great performance Gary, you're even better than I expected." Buechler hugged him and it was a pleasant night.
Kuzma came over with ball brother Ingram, and he directly hooked Lin Feng's neck, "Show off, you completely outclassed that kid Hart, he is going to be benched, hahaha.
"
Compared to the enthusiasm of Pants Ma, Ball and Ingram seemed much calmer. They congratulated Lin Feng and hugged him.
Ingram has dreadlocks and his unique expression. Walking on the street, people might think he is a gangster.
Two days later, the opponent is the Golden State Warriors. Although it is only a summer league team, I believe this game will attract a lot of people's attention.
Chapter completed!