Task Complete: Terrifying Sideways Movement Speed

In the stadium, only Wang Yi and James were present.

James was practicing free throws—a challenge that had plagued him throughout his entire career.

He hadn't solved it yet.

So, whenever he had free time, he would go practice free throws.

Wang Yi, meanwhile, continued to huff and puff while practicing his sideways movement.

Occasionally, when James noticed shortcomings in Wang Yi's sideways movement, he would point them out.

"Wang, spread your arms, look straight ahead!"

"Wang, lower your center of gravity a bit more when you slide, and spread your legs wider. This way, your defensive coverage will be greater."

Wang Yi accepted the guidance one by one.

At this moment, the team's general manager, Pelinka, had also arrived.

He didn't speak, merely crossed his arms and quietly watched Wang Yi's training.

His eyes were deep.

It was unclear what he was thinking.

Half an hour later, as Wang Yi once again completed his left and right slides.

A system prompt sounded in his mind:

[Task Completion: 1000/1000]
[Task Complete!]
[Task Reward: Sideways Movement Speed +20%]

Upon hearing this, the tension in Wang Yi's heart eased.

Instantly, he felt a wave of weakness wash over him, as if he were completely drained.

He collapsed directly onto the court.

"Huff—huff—huff—"

His chest heaved violently.

He was once again so exhausted that he didn't even want to move a finger.

He didn't even want to lift an eyelid.

James glanced at Wang Yi but didn't disturb his rest.

General Manager Pelinka, by the side of the court, also didn't disturb his rest.

Just like that, Wang Yi lay on the floor for more than ten minutes before finally sitting up.

As he shuffled towards the chairs by the side of the court, his legs felt as if they no longer belonged to him.

His gait was extremely peculiar.

Seeing this, James joked:

"Oh my god, Wang, have you ever seen Donald Duck? Was your walking posture the inspiration for him?"

Wang Yi gave a wry smile: "I reckon the original Donald Duck would feel ashamed if he saw me."

He shuffled over to the bench and rested for another half an hour.

Only then did General Manager Pelinka finally speak:

"Wang, I have something I want to discuss with you. Please come with me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yi had already guessed what it was about.

He immediately got up.

However, as he stood up, he realized his legs could barely move.

He held onto the chair and moved them for a while before he could manage to walk.

He followed Pelinka to the general manager's office.

Pelinka gestured to the sofa and said to Wang Yi, "Sit."

As he spoke, he poured Wang Yi a glass of water.

Then, he began to speak.

Generally speaking, general managers are very shrewd individuals.

They say what people want to hear, regardless of the situation.

But Pelinka was different.

He preferred to be direct.

After Wang Yi finished the water in his glass, Pelinka got straight to the point:

"Wang, I won't be giving you a guaranteed contract at this time."

Wang Yi was a little surprised.

He had performed like this, and Pelinka wasn't giving him a guaranteed contract?

Moreover, the 3D attributes he had shown in the last two games were exactly what the Lakers desperately needed.

Logically, Pelinka should have given him a guaranteed contract by now.

Wang Yi didn't say anything, waiting for Pelinka to explain.

Pelinka said, "Your performance has earned the team's recognition, enough for a guaranteed contract worth over two million dollars. However, I believe your performance is capable of more."

"That's why I won't give you the guaranteed contract worth over two million dollars for now."

"With the team's current salary cap space, we can offer over five million dollars. But for five million dollars, you'll need to perform accordingly. So, I want to see a few more games. If you can perform as we expect before this 10-day short contract ends, I will give you this guaranteed contract worth over five million dollars."

Wang Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

So that's what Pelinka meant.

The reason he hadn't immediately signed a guaranteed contract with him was just to see a few more games.

Through the upcoming games, he could see if he could get the higher salary of five million dollars.

Wang Yi nodded, "Okay, I understand."

Pelinka continued, "Of course, even if you don't end up getting the five-million-dollar guaranteed contract, I will still give you a guaranteed contract, just the two-million-dollar one. Your near game-winner last night alone is worth that two million."

Wang Yi smiled, "Thank you."

Honestly, Pelinka was quite a decent person.

At ten o'clock, the other players had already started arriving one after another.

In the morning, they had some simple tactical training.

This time, Wang Yi also participated in the training.

At twelve noon, Wang Yi went out to eat with the other players.

After they returned from lunch, the security guard came over with a Lakers jersey and a marker.

Wang Yi smiled and signed it for him.

The security guard seemed very happy, "Wang, you must work hard. When you become a superstar, I'll put this jersey up for sale online, and it will definitely sell for a good price."

Wang Yi was speechless for a moment.

The security guard laughed heartily, "Just kidding, how could I sell a Lakers jersey."

More than twenty minutes later, the other players also returned one after another.

They were just waiting for the coach to come back and arrange the afternoon training session.

However, after waiting for more than ten minutes, Coach Vogel still hadn't returned.

The players started to chat amongst themselves.

"Why hasn't the coach come back yet?"

"Did he eat something bad?"

"I just saw his wife, maybe he's currently..."

The players all chuckled mischievously.

However, Wang Yi felt a little uncomfortable at this moment.

He subconsciously turned his head and saw Little Black staring intently at him.

Little Black, Schroder.

The team's former starting point guard.

He had been injured recently and had just returned.

His gaze, without any pretense, was fixed on Wang Yi.

Wang Yi also frowned slightly.

With a little thought, he knew what the problem was.

The team had too many guards in the backcourt now.

If one person performed exceptionally well, it would inevitably compress the playing time of others.

Now that he was performing well, it might affect Little Black's playing time.

Given his arrogant personality, it was normal for him to dislike Wang Yi.

It was only because of a natural leader like James holding things down that he probably wouldn't have been targeting him everywhere already.

With that thought cleared up, Wang Yi simply smiled faintly.

He didn't bother with him anymore.

His goal was the championship.

To be a star, an All-Star, a superstar, an ultra-superstar, and even a legendary superstar.

He didn't even have a little black guy on his radar.

At this moment, head coach Vogel finally returned.

His expression wasn't very good.

He clapped his hands, signaling everyone to quiet down.

He began to speak:

"AD just had an MRI, and the results show it's a Grade 1 groin strain. He might be out for one to two weeks."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression grew serious.

As the team's leading scorer, AD's extended absence would be a huge blow to the team.

Moreover, the team was currently ranked seventh in the Western Conference, with the Grizzlies breathing down their necks.

They were still 3.5 games behind the sixth-place Trail Blazers.

If the Lakers' record declined during AD's absence.

They might end up in the play-in tournament.

This was definitely not a good thing for the Lakers.

Meanwhile, Wang Yi clenched his fists secretly.

No one wanted to see Thick Eyebrows get injured.

But objectively speaking, this was his opportunity!