Fast Forwarding

41 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists—James Harden delivered an elite performance, slapping the Thunder hard across the face.

The so-called League First? That's it?

Harden now was far from the Sixth Man of the Year he'd been with the Thunder. He was a top contender for the league's best shooting guard since Kobe retired, even in the MVP conversation. Clearly, the Rockets had bet right.

Any slack in defense, and he'd tear through it effortlessly, devouring them whole.

The Thunder had made a mistake they shouldn't have.

Over the whole game, Harden single-handedly blew up the Thunder's guard line.

In contrast, Westbrook had a poor showing, shooting just 6-for-18 for 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. Chen Xi managed only 4-for-11 for 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. D'Antoni had Ariza guard him—long-armed, fast, and tall, Ariza easily locked down Chen Xi, whose Breakthrough Attribute wasn't high yet.

The game entered garbage time midway through the fourth quarter. Zhou Qi, on the bench, got his chance, playing 5 minutes for 2 points and 4 rebounds, satisfying some domestic fans' hopes. The Great Demon King had a bright future! He had the bearing of an Emperor!

Soon, other teams around the league followed suit, trying to cover Chen Xi with bigger forwards. Not all of them worked, though—size alone wasn't enough; they needed quick feet too. With his sharp Off-Ball Pest movement and accurate Three-point shot, Chen Xi could still keep delivering steady firepower in most situations.

What really hurt the Thunder was the five-out lineup failing. It was already a double-edged sword, and with Oladipo and Grant's shooting declining, relying on Chen Xi alone for spacing wasn't enough. Opponents started leaving one man open to double-team and cut off Chen Xi's movement, tanking the team's Offensive Efficiency.

At the same time, the three-guard lineup's size disadvantage put pressure on defense. If the offense stalled, the defense dragged down too.

With the five-out not working, Donovan couldn't come up with a good fix. The Thunder's roster just didn't have much room to maneuver.

Over the next half-month, despite Westbrook and Chen Xi maintaining solid efficiency, the team's record took a nosedive. Eight games, four wins and four losses, dropping them to fourth in the West.

The media, unsurprisingly, pivoted their pens and started tearing into the team and coach again.

"False prosperity. The Thunder's real strength is nothing special."

"The mask fell off eventually. Turns out this is still the same Thunder that even KD couldn't carry."

"Russell Westbrook is the empty-stat king again. Besides Chris, no one on the Thunder hit a Three-point shot. A team like this still exists in today's league? The Thunder management deserves all the credit."

The negative voices were especially harsh during the team's three-game losing streak on the road. Just four losses had the media, quick to grasp at shadows, in a frenzy. If the team went on a bigger losing streak, he couldn't imagine how ugly the online noise would get.

The good news came on November 30, when Westbrook's 35+11+15 triple-double beat the Wizards, giving the team three days off.

A follow-up announcement lifted the team's spirits again.

Russell Westbrook, averaging 31.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 12.1 assists—a near triple-double—was named Western Conference Player of the Month for November.

At the same time, Chen Xi, averaging 16.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, beat out a crop of promising rookies to win Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November.

That meant before tomorrow's home game against the Pelicans, the team would hand out two awards to two players, a big morale boost before tip-off.

When Chen Xi got the news, a system notification popped up.

[Congratulations to the host for winning Rookie of the Month for the first time. Reward: 10 Free Attribute Points, 1 Random Bronze Badge]

"Nice, nice. Draw the badge."

Searching the book title didn't work? Try searching the author—maybe it just got renamed!

Rubbing hands like a fly.jpg

[Random badge being drawn]

[Congratulations, host, you've obtained the badge: Giant Killer (Bronze)]

"Not bad. A Layup badge, still useful at this stage."

Chen Xi looked at the new badge and started thinking ahead.

"Looks like I need to step up my Breakthrough training. System, put all 10 Free Attribute Points into Breakthrough."

[Points allocated. Host's current Breakthrough Attribute increased to 65] (5 points from training)

"A drop in the bucket~"

Chen Xi sighed at the pitiful stat. At least with Silver First Step and two Layup badges, it was barely usable. With Dodge Finisher and Giant Killer, he probably wouldn't turn into a block magnet.

"Whatever, back to training, back to training!! No work on the court now, no fun at the club later. Master the handles now, live it up at the hotel later~~skr~~ Go home and line up at Sister Zhou's (crossed out)."

That evening, after training, Chen Xi got home and took a call from Moon.

"Chris, there's an endorsement deal here I think is worth considering. Want to take a look?"

"What kind of endorsement?"

"A Chinese sportswear brand. Anta."

"Holy shit?"

"They're offering two years, five million. Comparatively, Li Ning, Nike, Adidas, and others don't want a short-term contract, and the price is way lower. I think Anta's the most sincere option."

"Alright, Anta it is. Supporting domestic goods starts with me."

"Good. I'll bring the contract details tomorrow for you to look over. Then you can confirm if there's anything to change, and I'll take it back to negotiate with them."

"Okay. There's a game tomorrow—come to the arena."

The Thunder won back-to-back games against the New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks, then got another four-day break.

During that time, Chen Xi officially signed the shoe endorsement with Anta, shot a few posters, and finished the initial promotional work, finally getting some off-court income.

With the chores done, Chen Xi treated himself to a rare day off and went to a party Westbrook was throwing at a mansion.

Americans seemed to love these gatherings—crowds of familiar and unfamiliar faces, drinking, chatting, dancing, swimming, and some even letting loose with like-minded partners.

"I'm not going! Don't stop me!!! A righteous man like me can't be part of this awful in-pa!"

Running into Roberson and the others at the entrance, Chen Xi put on a show of yelling, but his feet were already striding into the villa.