From the Kings' perspective:
Given Danny Russell's overall talent, they couldn't expect him to become a star—or even a starter. His height was his biggest weakness.
But with his speed, he had a very good chance of becoming a capable rotation player.
Rose was old, and he often got injured.
That meant the team would effectively have only Mane at point guard for much of next season.
If this kid developed quickly, he could become Mane's backup.
With Rose as well, the team wouldn't be short on point guards.
They also admired Wang Yi's eye for talent.
"I really wonder where Wang Yi found this guy."
"If he can put on a little more weight, polish the finer points of his ball handling and passing, and get some systematic training, he could very well surprise people."
Next, Wang Yi had Keke put together a complete training program for the kid.
The team's trainers had little to do during the offseason, so the Kings assigned two of them to oversee his training.
Clearly, the team thought highly of him.
Some of that regard came from his talent, but even more came from the fact that Wang Yi had personally recommended him.
Naturally, the team wanted to show Wang Yi they valued the people he recommended.
Little Danny understood that, too.
So he trained extremely hard, often doing extra work beyond what his training program required.
He couldn't let Rose down. He couldn't let Wang Yi down.
And he certainly couldn't let the Kings become a laughingstock.
In fact, over the past few days, the Kings had already become the laughingstock of the Entire League.
From other teams' general managers to their players, then the reporters, and finally the fans of every team, everyone was making fun of the Kings' draft