It took a day, but he finally found a place.
Chen Xi found an apartment near the arena, so he could easily get to practice.
Rent in Oklahoma City was relatively cheap: $700 a month for a one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and bathroom. It was affordable enough, considering he was on his own and didn't need much space.
Once I made a name for myself this year, the team should offer me an early extension. Then I could sign a big contract and think about buying a nice place.
Chen Xi was full of hope for the future. He'd been eyeing Westbrook's mansion for ages. Sooner or later, he'd get one of his own!
He took another look at the physical stats listed by the system and sighed.
"Once I'm done moving, I still have to train. I can't let up. I've got a long way to go."
The last day of October arrived. The Thunder were back at home, hosting the visiting Los Angeles Lakers.
With Kobe having just retired, Lakers fans were undoubtedly at a loss. The team hadn't found a suitable successor to help the Purple and Gold Dynasty reclaim its former glory.
At the same time, the Buss family's internal power struggle had taken a toll. That summer, Jim Buss had signed Mozgov to a four-year, $64 million deal and Luol Deng to a four-year, $72 million deal, locking up the team's cap space—just to spite Jeanie Buss!
And the Leak Gate incident not long before had isolated D'Angelo Russell, the promising young player the team had once heavily promoted. Nick Young, the victim of the incident, even said outright that he would never forgive him.
The atmosphere in the locker room had become miserable, and the Lakers' rebuilding effort seemed nowhere near completion.
The Lakers arrived at Chesapeake Energy Arena, rushed through warm-ups, then headed back to the locker room to wait for the game to begin.
Lakers starters:
D'Angelo Russell
Julius Randle
Nick Young
Timofey Mozgov
Luol Deng
With the benefit of hindsight, the Lakers' roster still looked full of potential.
Randle, Russell, Ingram, Clarkson, Zubac, and even Lou Williams would all go on to make something of themselves.
But at the time, the team was a complete mess.
Luke Walton, who had gone from Warriors assistant to head coach that April, hadn't yet shown much coaching ability. Maybe he was simply trying to make do without the right players. At least that was a reasonable excuse; coaching the Lakers came with pressure that ranked among the highest in the entire League.
The Lakers' troubles off the court followed them onto it. Their spirits were low, and the game was lopsided from the opening tip.
With Chen Xi on the roster, the Thunder's offense during the transition periods had received a major boost. Add a decent offensive big man off the bench (some damn idiot—I'll find a chance to write him off), and the whole team's Offensive Efficiency had soared.
In the end, the Thunder cruised to a 116–90 win over the Lakers, making it three straight to start the season.
Westbrook once again put up a triple-double: 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists. He was writing a new legend.
Chen Xi shot 9-for-14, including 6-for-10 from three, and made both of his free throws. He scored 26 points, his second career game with 20 or more and a new career high.
After their third straight win, the Thunder had two days off.
Then they'd fly to Los Angeles to take on... the Los Angeles Clippers!
Of course, while everyone else rested, Chen couldn't afford to. Even after two strong games, he was still a marginal player in the League, with plenty of room to improve.
For two days straight, he spent long hours at the arena, arriving early and staying late.
His only company was a basketball—and Oladipo, practicing on the other half of the court.
"Chris, want to play a few rounds of one-on-one?"
Oladipo walked over after finishing a round of shooting drills.
"Maybe next time, Victor. I'm a little tired right now. After I rest, I still have to hit the weight room and do a few sets."
After seeing that his Driving rating had improved but was still only 48, while his Layup rating was still just 50, Chen Xi flatly turned down the offer. He knew he'd get crushed in a one-on-one, even with a Bronze Badge.
If you couldn't win a one-on-one, what was the point of playing?
Oladipo gave Chen Xi a puzzled look. Chris Chen was usually so sociable, but when it came to training, he was this withdrawn? Still, he didn't say anything and went back to his workout.
On November 2, the Thunder announced that they'd reached a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Oklahoma City sent out Ilyasova and a first-round pick in exchange for the 76ers' Jerami Grant.
Ilyasova clearly wasn't part of the Thunder's plans. He'd played just three games for the team after arriving in Oklahoma City before being traded again. It was hard not to feel that business was just business.
"Let's give a warm welcome to our new, high-quality wing!"
Grant had arrived in Oklahoma City before the news even appeared on the team's official website. Clearly, he'd known about the trade in advance.
After a brief welcome from the team, everyone went straight into joint practice. During the regular season, there was no time to dwell on things. They'd soon be flying out for their next road game.
The Clippers were a strong team.
Or rather, it was hard for a team with Chris Paul not to be strong. With White Mamba Griffin, Little Jordan, and Crawford as well, Lob City had drawn a huge following.
But there was one fascinating figure on the team:
Doc Rivers.
The Championship coach who led the Celtics to a title in 2008 (with that Celtics roster, they could've won with a dog tied to the bench) had made some truly baffling moves with the Clippers lately.
Doc Rivers was both the Clippers' head coach and their Team Operations President.
In the 2014–15 season, Little Rivers had just joined the Clippers and averaged 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Since he was a newcomer, Doc Rivers gave his son only a two-year, $6.4 million "one-plus-one" contract. The following year, in the 2015–16 season, Little Rivers played 67 games and improved ever so slightly, averaging 8.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.
Then Little Rivers opted out of his contract. On July 2, the very first day of free agency, Doc Rivers handed his son a three-year, $35 million deal—an enormous overpay.
The funny thing was, in an interview before that, Little Rivers had told reporters that he only wanted something close to a mid-level contract, around $8 million. But his loving father, Doc Rivers, gave him a deal worth nearly $12 million a year.
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