The Nuggets are on the attack.
Nelson dribbles to the frontcourt.
Zeng Xingyang is positioning on the right side with Clarkson.
Jokic sets a screen for Zeng Xingyang first, Nelson passes the ball to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang and Jokic are the main points of attack for the Nuggets, and the two are very in sync on the court.
Zeng Xingyang makes a gesture, and Jokic comes up again.
Then Zeng Xingyang dribbles laterally, Jokic sprints down, taking Clarkson away, leaving Hibbert.
Hibbert is 2.18 meters tall and weighs 126 kilograms, also called Black Yao Ming. He has good skills under the basket, plays very hard, and has a certain ability to pass.
However, Hibbert’s weaknesses are obvious. He is very prone to getting into foul trouble on the court, and his mid-range shooting is unstable. His athletic ability is limited, lacking speed and explosiveness, facing tall, athletic centers, he will encounter problems.
Of course, the main issue is his ability to transition between offense and defense will affect the team’s speed. In today’s increasingly fast-paced NBA, his style is gradually being phased out.
Coming to the Lakers, Hibbert no longer has the aura of locking down Our Emperor under the rim as he did in the East.
He hopes to earn his next stable guaranteed contract.
Hibbert, switching onto Zeng Xingyang, doesn’t dare to be careless, even though he knows the guy in front of him is just a rookie, but this rookie has continued to shock the league recently.
Time and again refreshing the league’s understanding of rookies, this momentum is directly chasing the hype of James back in the day.
Before the game, Hibbert knew he would eventually be singled out, so he’s been studying Zeng Xingyang’s tapes, preparing extensively.
The more he studies, the more he realizes the fearsome nature of Zeng Xingyang. Often, Zeng Xingyang can score as soon as he takes a shot, rivaling some All-Star players.
If he isn’t taken seriously, he would become part of Zeng Xingyang’s highlights.
Hibbert spreads his arms, lowering his center of gravity.
Zeng Xingyang isn’t too concerned about Hibbert’s defense. He first dribbles on the left side and quickly explodes to the right.
Hibbert’s awareness follows, but his body can’t keep up, directly bypassed by Zeng Xingyang.
It’s not that Zeng Xingyang is super fast, but Hibbert is really too slow.
After passing Hibbert, Zeng Xingyang doesn’t rush to attack the basket but slows down at the free throw line, stops abruptly, and releases the ball.
His touch is extremely smooth.
Randall’s defense is lackluster; he doesn’t give Zeng Xingyang much pressure at all.
Effortlessly sinks it.
"Xingyang, you’re so handsome!!"
Female fans scream fanatically.
Song Xue and Xiaoqi are somewhat surprised to see these crazy female fans. Zeng Xingyang seems to have an unusually good rapport with women.
As Zeng Xingyang passes the front row, he enthusiastically high-fives one of the excited white girl fans.
The white girl fan looks at her hand that high-fived Zeng Xingyang, kisses it in disbelief, then quickly hides it in her chest, saying to another female friend beside her, "I won’t wash my hand all week; tonight I’m going to have a great time."
The neighboring white girl companion says, "Help me have a great time too?"
Though Staples is the Lakers’ home court, the fans here aren’t very loyal; they cheered continuously when Zeng Xingyang played well.
Loyalty often ties into the team’s performance.
Russell dribbles past half court, continuing to feed Kobe.
This time Kobe doesn’t go for it himself but passes to Clarkson.
Clarkson’s scoring ability is good, particularly skilled at shooting, especially threes, with strong adjustment capability during dribbling, allowing him to frequently score crucial points in key moments of games.
Zeng Xingyang remembers watching the national team games in his past life when Clarkson single-handedly demolished the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team.
Clarkson’s scoring ability is particularly useful against weak teams like the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team, easily triggering explosive scoring streaks.
For this future Filipino superstar, Zeng Xingyang is not relaxed at all.
Facing Zeng Xingyang, Clarkson shows his sharpness; he makes a move to burst right, attempting to bypass Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang reacts swiftly, quickly moving sideways to stop Clarkson.
Clarkson shifts again to the left; Zeng Xingyang’s second reaction still keeps up.
Even slightly covered, Clarkson doesn’t release the ball, choosing to explosively step back, forcefully creating a tiny space for a quick three-point shot.
Zeng Xingyang’s defensive range exceeds Clarkson’s estimation; his long arm causes interference.
Without waiting for the shot result, Zeng Xingyang directly assumes it won’t go in, decisively speeding forward.
The basketball clanks heavily off the rim.
Jokic positions himself well, and at the first opportunity, he fires a long pass to the frontcourt.
Zeng Xingyang prepared early, the pass from Jokic like a projectile reaches his hands.
Zeng Xingyang steps forward to adjust his pace.
The Lakers’ defense can’t match the speed of this counterattack.
Zeng Xingyang launches an uncontested transition three-pointer.
With precision, it’s a clean score from three.
Scott doesn’t intend to call a timeout but instead lets the game continue.
After scoring, Zeng Xingyang raises his hands in a three-point gesture, celebrating all the way back and high-fiving Jokic.
"You run very fast," Jokic says.
"Haha, I trust you’ll pass it over," Zeng Xingyang replies.
Jokic nods; Zeng Xingyang really understands him.
Their cooperation is becoming increasingly seamless.
The Lakers’ offense resumes.
Russell takes it to the frontcourt.
He feeds it out to Hibbert.
Hibbert passes it to Kobe.
Kobe returns the ball to Randall who has secured position inside.
Randall, at the low post, leans against Faried, preparing to go one-on-one.
The Lakers’ tactic is essentially non-existent; if Kobe isn’t opting to attack, whoever wants to can attack.
Faried faces a deficit against Randall in terms of size.
Randall turns sideways and posts up.
Zeng Xingyang doesn’t allow Randall to single out Faried, quickly doubling up on Randall.
Zeng Xingyang picks the perfect time to double up, rushing over just when Randall isn’t watching in his direction.
By the time Randall notices, Zeng Xingyang is already in front of him.
Randall tries to protect the ball, but Zeng Xingyang doesn’t budge after taking the hit.
Randall uses his left hand to ward Faried off, attempting to pivot for space, but still can’t shake off Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang grabs the basketball with both hands, using force to snatch it from Randall’s right arm.
Having completed the steal, Zeng Xingyang immediately passes the ball to Jokic.
Jokic dribbles up for a counterattack, even Hibbert is stunned, not expecting a center to play this way.
Zeng Xingyang and Jokic advance side by side.
Clarkson and Kobe quickly retreat on defense, but they have a huge physical gap compared to Zeng Xingyang and Jokic.
Once across half court, Jokic passes the ball to the other side to Zeng Xingyang; his speed is just a bit slower.
Zeng Xingyang decisively drives towards the basket.
Clarkson and Kobe immediately double-team Zeng Xingyang.
They intend to block Zeng Xingyang’s layup.
Upon reaching the three-second area, Zeng Xingyang sends a surprise no-look pass to the following Jokic.
Jokic easily lays it into the basket.
Scott finally calls a pause to the game, at which point some die-hard Lakers fans glare as if their looks could kill him.
Look at how the other team plays, and look at how we play!!