The anxiety was gone, replaced by excitement, but Chen Xi still tossed and turned in bed for a long time before finally falling asleep.
With dark circles under his eyes, Chen Xi arrived at the gym early.
He started practicing on his own, ball in hand. He needed to adapt to his newly acquired ability as quickly as possible and prepare for what was coming.
If he could catch the coaching staff's eye and, at the very least, earn a guaranteed contract, he'd have a foothold.
After Chen Xi had trained for about an hour, the rest of the team gradually arrived at the gym and began another day's work.
"Everyone, gather up!"
A middle-aged white man with an "M-shaped hairline" called out to the players on the court.
"The new season is about to begin. I hope everyone can refocus on their work. I'll go over today's practice schedule now." Billy Donovan wasn't in the mood to chat with the players.
This summer, Kevin Durant had signed a two-year, $54.3 million contract with the Warriors, joining the team that had gone 73–9 last season and beaten him in the Western Conference Finals. The news had shaken the whole world. The Thunder Team had become the biggest losers. Furious fans had burned Durant's jersey and posted the footage online, unleashing a torrent of abuse. But, of course, what was done was done, and there was no changing it.
Donovan felt immense pressure. Losing the Star Player without receiving any trade assets had dealt the team a massive blow. They'd gone from championship contenders to a team that might struggle even to make the playoffs. As Head Coach, he was sweating bullets.
"Chris, you're up."
When an assistant coach called Chen Xi by his English name, he jogged onto the court, replacing Cameron Payne, who was heading off. The day's scrimmage began.
"An Asian guy?" Coach Donovan noticed the newcomer for the first time from the sidelines.
"He's this year's 56th Pick. Sam bought the pick from the Nuggets. Here's his report." The assistant coach beside him promptly handed over Chen Xi's stats. After all, the Head Coach didn't have time to keep track of every minor detail.
"Decent Physical Talent... He can only shoot? His Physical Confrontation is that bad? What was Sam thinking?" Donovan studied the report in surprise, questioning Presti's judgment for the first time.
"As the team's general manager, was he thinking about the Asian market?"
"Let's see how he does first. If it doesn't work out, send him down to the G League. It's only a Two-way contract, anyway." Donovan didn't want to spend too much time worrying about small stuff.
Chen Xi was too busy to think about what the coaching staff thought.
With a sharp Off-Ball Pest, he found an opening. Victor Oladipo, who had the ball, immediately passed it to him.
Chen Xi followed with a clean three-pointer.
"Nice shot!"
On the way back down the court, Oladipo reached out and gave him a high five.
"I'm a great shooter, Victor. Don't hesitate to pass it to me. I'll get you an assist."
Chen Xi knew this wasn't the time to be modest, so he bragged without hesitation.
"Sure, as long as you're open."
Oladipo shrugged. He'd only joined the Thunder that summer, but he didn't mind this friendly, yellow-skinned newcomer.
As practice went on, Chen Xi ran around the court and played defense with plenty of energy.
With his Off-Ball Pest and Catch and Shoot badges, along with his Three-point attribute already boosted to 100, he sank five three-pointers in a row and finally caught the Head Coach's attention.
"Steve, Chris is a better three-point shooter than we expected." Donovan smiled at his assistant.
"Everyone gets hot sometimes. Maybe he just has the touch today. He didn't play like this in the Summer League."
"Maybe. But his Off-Ball Pest is good. He really loses his defender." Donovan watched with approval. He liked smart players.
During the timeout,
"Hey, Anthony! What are you doing? That defense is atrocious! I can't even watch. Do you not see Chris out there? How many open looks has he had already?!" Donovan was pleased with Chen Xi's movement, but he was also unhappy with his defender, Anthony Morrow. He walked over to the rest area on that side and laid into Morrow.
"Pick up your defensive intensity and get physical with Chris! Are you a rookie? Do I have to teach you this?"
"Got it, Coach."
Donovan had chewed Morrow out in front of everyone, leaving him embarrassed. He answered in a low voice, planning to rough up the yellow-skinned rookie when they got back on the court.
When the scrimmage resumed, Chen Xi could clearly feel Morrow turning up the pressure. He played more physically off the ball, using little nudges and body contact to make Chen Xi's routes harder to run.
"Hey, what the hell!"
Chen wasn't one to take it lying down. The next time they collided, he tangled with Morrow without hesitation, then went down with the contact.
The referee blew the whistle for an off-ball foul.
"Smart. This kid's got something."
Donovan smiled from the sidelines.
"He knows how to turn a weakness into an advantage. The refs already expect him to be weak in contact, so they misjudged how much force Anthony used."
The assistant coach looked surprised, too.
"Maybe this kid isn't as bad as the Scout Report makes him look. Let's watch him a little longer. Hopefully, he'll surprise us. Maybe Sam picked the right guy again."
After practice ended, Chen Xi returned to his rented apartment.
He lay on the bed, sorting through his thoughts.
"Man, I'm exhausted. One day of practice and I'm wiped out. They do this all season long—how does anyone handle it? No wonder AI refused to practice. I get it now!"
He sat up and rubbed his slightly sore muscles.
"System."
[Here.]
"You said before, how do I get rewards again?"
[Whenever the host completes a system-designated achievement or sets a record in the NBA, the host will receive the corresponding reward.]
[Listing the basic objectives now.]
[Score 10 points in an NBA Pre-season game for the first time, reward: 1 random Bronze Badge]
[Play in an NBA Regular season game for the first time, reward: 1 Free Attribute Point]
[Score 5 points in an NBA Regular season game for the first time, reward: 3 Free Attribute Points]
[Record a double in any statistical category in the NBA for the first time, reward: 1 random Silver Badge]
[Play more than 20 minutes in an NBA game and win for the first time, reward: 2 random Bronze Badges, 3 Free Attribute Points]
"Wait, just three points?! Are you trying to fob me off with pocket change? If the guy next door saw this, he'd think I couldn't afford to play. Give me a hundred points!"
[Host, please stop talking nonsense.]
"Fuck me."
"Forget it, forget it. This is a long road. I'd better focus on practice and get that Pre-season badge first!"
Chen Xi clenched his fist, then picked up his phone.
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