"Wang, you're starting tomorrow night. Any problems with that?"
When head coach Vogel asked that question, every Lakers player present froze.
Among NBA players, aside from freakishly gifted talents like James and Antetokounmpo, most had to start out in the rotation.
Only gradually could they earn a starting spot.
But Wang Yi had gone from a short-term contract player to starter after just a few games.
That rate of progression was something else, wasn't it!?
Tucker and Caruso were especially taken aback.
They had worked diligently for the Lakers for years, always coming off the bench.
Now that James was taking a rest game, they had thought one of them would surely make the Starting Lineup. Yet the coach had actually chosen Wang Yi to start.
Seeing the confusion on everyone's faces, head coach Vogel explained:
"AD is out, and LeBron won't be playing either. So tomorrow night, we'll mainly be testing our lineups. Wang's three-point shooting is an enormous threat. Starting him can cause the opposition a lot of trouble."
After Vogel said that, the other players all nodded.
As for Tucker and Caruso, the small trace of dissatisfaction in their hearts vanished as well.
Defensively, the two of them seemed roughly on par with Wang Yi.
But when it came to three-point threat, they were far behind him.
Wang Yi casually knocked down five or six threes in a game. Who could handle that?
Seeing that no one had any objections, Vogel asked Wang Yi again:
"Wang, you're starting tomorrow night. Any problems with that?"
Wang Yi's heart had long since begun to burn.
Starting—this had always been one of his small goals.
Ever since entering the NBA two years ago, he had set himself a small goal: become a starter.
But in two years, he had not