A Brand New Starting Lineup

Jimmy Butler

This player, nicknamed the illegitimate son of Jordan, had just been deemed mediocre by the Bulls, deemed incapable of being the core of the team's rebuilding, and was traded to the Thunder.

No one would have imagined that this guy would one day cause the then-dominant Bucks and Celtics to struggle year after year in the second round and Eastern Conference Finals, even leading a team to achieve the sixth-greatest upset in NBA history and reaching the Finals.

Of course, Butler's personality might not be as easy to get along with as Paul George's; he harbored a certain troublemaker attribute deep down.

According to the original timeline, after this season, he was traded to the Timberwolves and then caused chaos there. He couldn't stand Wiggins and Towns' indifference and perfunctory attitude towards training and games, which he saw as a waste of their talent.

He then uttered the classic line: "I'm not the most talented guy on the team. Who is? Towns. Who is blessed by God? Wiggins. But who is the hardest worker? Me!"

Afterward, in a team scrimmage, he led the bench unit to dominate the starters, completely burning bridges with the Timberwolves.

After bouncing around to the 76ers, he finally met a good coach like Spo in Miami and attained the leadership status he had always dreamed of. Even so, he once argued with Spo during a game.

While I don't know if it was because he got too arrogant later on, the current Butler shouldn't have that "I'm the boss" mentality yet.

At least in terms of his hardworking personality, he should get along well with Chen and Odie, who just left.

After a simple introduction and icebreaker, the two new additions to the Bulls immediately joined the team's joint practice.

Donovan was eager to get the team back on track as quickly as possible.

The recent record had been a bit ugly; if it weren't for Westbrook's consecutive explosive performances, they might have been on a long losing streak.

After the daily training tasks were completed, Chen Xi, as usual, stayed behind for extra practice.

Unexpectedly, yet predictably, Butler was also there.

"Chris, let's have a one-on-one!"

"Hold on, let me finish this set."

Chen Xi, who had made significant progress in his breakthroughs, was a bit overconfident.

After finishing his last set of three-pointers, Chen Xi moved to Butler's half of the court.

"Do you practice extra every day?" Butler wiped the sweat from his face and walked over.

"Of course. There are no shortcuts to success. If you want to go further in the league, you have to put in more effort."

"Makes sense." Butler nodded in agreement, then tossed the ball, signaling Chen Xi to attack first.

"Three steps?" "Okay."

A classic American one-on-one, finishing within three dribbles.

Chen Xi held the ball in a triple-threat stance, lowering his center of gravity and looking at the tall man in front of him.

Judging by Chen Xi's 77 on-ball defense, Butler, who started his career on defense, had to be at least 85+. Plus, his physique was a whole size bigger than Chen Xi's, making him difficult to deal with.

A simple fake didn't work, so Chen Xi immediately pulled up for a jump shot.

Swish~~

A clean make.

After receiving the ball again, JB clearly took a step forward.

Dribbling, an in-and-out dribble followed by a step-back, then another pull-up three-pointer.

Swish~~

"Good shot." JB passed the ball back again.

"Let's play to 21."

"OK."

Taking the ball again, Butler returned to his original position, but it was clear he was more serious now, with his arms extended forward, hovering near the line where physical contact would draw a foul.

Chen Xi faked a dribble to create space, then exploded towards the paint.

Butler kept pace, applying physical contact.

Chen Xi stopped, pulled the ball back between his legs, faked a shot, but couldn't get JB to bite. He reluctantly turned and shot a fadeaway, which missed.

It was Butler's turn to attack.

After receiving the pass, he immediately pulled up for a three-pointer.

Chen Xi picked up the ball and threw it back.

Another pull-up three-pointer, but this time Chen Xi anticipated it and jumped to contest.

Clang!

Change of possession.

Chen Xi held the ball, stepped back, dribbled, and then made a quick change of direction to the left.

Butler's footwork remained tight.

A sudden stop, a spin move, a jump, a euro-step in the air to dodge, and the ball gently dropped into the net.

"Good shot."

Even as a defender, one applauds a beautiful play; this is pure basketball. Butler smiled and patted Chen Xi's butt.

He was starting to gain some respect for this young man who was so much younger than him.

Diligent and persistent, with a solid foundation, it was hard to believe he was a rookie this year, and a second-round pick at that. Clearly, the scouts' eyes were clouded with prejudice.

The two of them trained until nightfall before hastily washing up and walking out of the stadium side-by-side.

"Jimmy, wanna grab a bite?"

"Sure, perfect timing. I need to get familiar with OKC's environment too." Butler, who had a very good impression of Chen Xi, didn't refuse the invitation.

"Let's go, I know a great barbecue place. High-quality protein!"

After a satisfying meal, Chen Xi drove Butler back to his newly rented apartment. Upon returning home, the first thing he did was turn on the air conditioning, then take a nice hot bath.

Soaking in the bathtub, he fiercely condemned capitalism.

He was paying so much rent, and the bathtub was this small!!!

When the contract expired, it would be about time to negotiate a renewal with the Thunder. Even with a new contract, the money wouldn't come in immediately, so large expenses would still rely on endorsement income.

Chen Xi pondered the income and expenses of his little nest egg.

"Should I dabble in some financial management? But now, buying Bitcoin or something, seems a bit late, doesn't it?"

He'd ask Moon to take a look later. Pinduoduo was apparently founded in '15, and its scale should be quite large by now. He wondered if it was too late to buy stocks now.

It didn't matter if it was too late, he was the chosen one! A celestial being with a System, after all. He might be able to earn as much as Old Zhang or Danzi in the future!

While contemplating his financial future and relieving his body's fatigue, he returned to bed and drifted off to dreamland.

Only a seasoned corporate slave would know how blissful it was to have a regular sleep schedule every day.

The next day, the Thunder's home game welcomed a challenge from the Nuggets.

This was the Thunder's first game after the trade, and people were eager to see what level of team the reinforced Thunder was.

Before the game, the Nuggets' official media announced that starting center Nikola Jokic would be out with "hip tightness," disappointing Chen Xi. He had wanted to see Teacher Jokic now, to bully him hard before he became so monstrous!!

The game began, and the Thunder fielded an entirely new starting lineup.

Westbrook

Butler

Sabonis

Adams

Donovan had put out a balanced lineup of one big man and four small players as the regular starters.

In comparison, the Nuggets' lineup was much weaker.

Will Barton

Gallinari

Nurkic

Darrell Arthur

Emmanuel Mudiay

Without Teacher Jokic, this lineup looked dim in terms of star power. Kobe Mamba, as this year's 7th pick, was still biding his time on the bench.

Tsk, no comparison, no harm.

The 7th pick is on the bench, while I, the 56th pick, am starting. Perfect!