In NCAA, Towns, Booker, and the rest of the Wildcats are considered top-tier, but even after many years in the NBA, Towns and Booker have yet to come close to winning a championship.
Booker’s best record was reaching the Finals with Paul, but unfortunately, in their quest for the Finals MVP, the team’s dynamics faltered and Alphabet came back strong to overturn them.
It shows just how brutal the competition in the NBA is.
Personal talent alone is not enough; to win a championship, you need a cohesive team.
Zeng Xingyang asks Schwartz about the draft progress every day, and Schwartz always calmly tells him, "You’ll be picked at a high spot, don’t worry."
Schwartz also doesn’t know which team will pick Zeng Xingyang.
Because draft promises aren’t always reliable, teams have changed their minds many times before.
And some teams with later picks will engage in a series of maneuvers to trade up for the picks they desire.
But many teams have promised to pick Zeng Xingyang, so it’s unlikely they’ll all back out, which is why Schwartz is calm.
From what Schwartz understands, the Thunder currently want Zeng Xingyang the most and are constantly trying to trade up in the draft.
The attitudes of the Nuggets and Magic are ambiguous; both teams have indicated a high chance of selecting Zeng Xingyang, but the final decision rests with the owner.
The Lakers’ attitude towards Zeng Xingyang is not very attentive; Schwartz thinks the Lakers might pass on Zeng Xingyang.
Kobe does have high hopes for Zeng Xingyang, but he doesn’t meddle in the management’s work. The Lakers management likes to make flashy moves and won’t follow conventional drafting methods.
Their draft vision is not commendable.
Time quickly moved to three days before the draft.
Zeng Xingyang went to the airport to pick up his parents and younger brother, Zeng Xingyu.
After chatting with his parents for a bit, Zeng Xingyang started talking to his brother.
Zeng Xingyu is 188 cm tall, a tall guy, but his height has essentially stabilized, and it’s unlikely he’ll grow as tall as Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyu was very happy to see his brother whom he hasn’t seen in a long time.
The two brothers shared a big hug.
"Have your college entrance exam results come out?" Zeng Xingyang asked.
Zeng Xingyu is similar to him in academics, also a top student type, otherwise, he wouldn’t be taking the college entrance exam early.
"Not yet, maybe by the end of the month." Zeng Xingyu said.
"Have you considered studying abroad? In a few days, your brother will be a millionaire, so don’t worry about money." Zeng Xingyang smiled.
The draft is very important for Zeng Xingyang’s family because it means that his family will completely escape their financial hardships.
"No, I want to study domestically, and after graduation, I’ll take the civil service exam." Zeng Xingyu said.
"Alright, I’ll Read the latest chapters on NovelHub - completely free!" Zeng Xingyang said.
Zeng Xingyu has a mature character, and his implicit intention was clear.
Zeng Xingyang has already gone abroad to fight far from his parents, so he won’t go abroad and will stay in the country to take care of the parents.
It’s not feasible for both brothers to go abroad, leaving the elderly parents alone at home.
Unlike Zeng Xingyang, who likes to go out, compete, and fight, Zeng Xingyu’s temperament leans towards being stable and a bit conservative.
If the family doesn’t lack money, Zeng Xingyu prefers to live a plain and ordinary life.
Two days before the draft, Zeng Xingyang temporarily halted his intense training and took his parents and brother around New York’s tourist spots.
it was packed with people.
The lights were dazzling.
The scene was extremely noisy.
Zeng Xingyang, donning a tailored suit and sunglasses, and his formally dressed family walked into Madison Square Garden amidst a crowd of flashing lights.
"Click click click!!!"
"Zeng Xingyang looks so handsome!"
"Woah, so full of confidence, what a commanding stride."
"I’m here tonight just to see which spot Zeng Xingyang gets picked."
In the CCTV broadcast studio.
Commentators Su Qun and Zhang Weiping were analyzing the draft prospects for the audience.
Chinese fans were largely unfamiliar with these rookies; they only knew that Zeng Xingyang was very likely to be picked tonight.
Watching TV, fans felt the bustling atmosphere from the draft event.
The NBA indeed creates a commercial atmosphere far stronger than any other basketball league in the world.
Su Qun said, "The Minnesota Timberwolves are most likely to choose Towns or Okafor; they need an interior player to be the cornerstone of the team."
At this time, the screen displayed a comparison of Okafor and Towns’ college careers.
In terms of stats, it’s clear that Okafor is the more impressive, but of course, stats don’t determine the final outcome.
When talking about Zeng Xingyang, Su Qun said, "According to peers, Zeng Xingyang is very likely to be selected within the lottery picks, but this is just speculation; the true result will only be revealed on stage."
The draft invited Zeng Xingyang into the green room.
The NBA officials arranged a table for Zeng Xingyang and his family.
Almost all familiar faces entered the green room along with Zeng Xingyang.
Russell, Towns, Okafor, Booker, Winslow, Lyles, Koulistan, Staley Johnson, and others...
Being able to enter the green room is an indication of being a popular prospect.
Kentucky had 5 people selected for the green room, a first-time occurrence, and Towns, Booker, and Zeng Xingyang formed a small group, occasionally chatting together.
"Click click click!!"
CCTV and domestic online streaming platforms had prepared in advance; they would broadcast the draft live.
The venue was packed; this day was bound to change the careers of many players.