Pacers

The good news was that Westbrook's injury was not particularly serious, and he would not need much time off. The bad news was that their record over the next two weeks looked worrying, especially the two games against the Warriors on the 9th and 11th. Those were practically guaranteed losses.

And getting injured before the All-Star Game meant Westbrook might miss this year's All-Star Game, which was concerning.

The next day, the entire team flew to Indiana for an away game against the Pacers.

Westbrook stayed behind to recover and did not travel with the team, so Butler and Chen Xi took over the leadership duties.

It was worth mentioning that both teams rolled out somewhat bizarre lineups.

Thunder Team starters

Jimmy Butler

Andre Roberson

Domantas Sabonis

Steven Adams

Two centers and two forwards. The best playmakers in the lineup were probably Butler and Sabonis.

The Pacers' starters were

Jeff Teague

Paul George

CJ Miles

Lavoy Allen

Evan Turner

One center and three forwards, with size absolutely maxed out.

Nate McMillan and Donovan could be considered a Fledgling Phoenix facing another Fledgling Phoenix.

The game began. Adams won the tip, and Chen, forced into the point guard role, caught the ball, brought it slowly into the frontcourt, then handed it off to Little Sabonis before beginning his off-ball movement.

Butler came up to receive the ball, turned to face the Pacers' Star Player, Paul George, and after hesitating, still called for a Roberson screen. He got switched onto Miles, immediately accelerated past him, charged hard into the paint, and finished through contact.

If talent was not enough, muscles would make up for it. He had built all that lean muscle for situations just like this—because he was shorter and lighter!

On the other end, the Pacers attacked. Teague brought the ball into the frontcourt and swung it to Paul George.

As one of the top three active small forwards in the Eastern Conference, George lowered his center of gravity with the ball in hand and began rhythm dribbling against Roberson.

A series of Crossover Dribbles repeatedly probed Roberson's defensive balance. The instant Roberson let up even slightly, George exploded forward, but after taking one step, he immediately pulled back and sprinted the other way, easily creating a full step of separation before stopping sharply and knocking down the jumper.

As a lean small forward standing 2.06 meters tall with a 2.11-meter wingspan, George's greatest strength was his all-around game—his complete skill set.

George possessed excellent ball-handling skills, was outstanding both on and off the ball, and shot well. His percentage of Layups was slightly lower, but his efficiency there was still excellent. Combined with his high-quality frame, he could defend from the two through the four, and his defense was exceptional.

In summary, he was exceptionally good.

Presti had once badly wanted him, but the Pacers' asking price was too high for the Thunder to afford. They wanted Little Sabonis, Odie, and Chen Xi all at once. Their mouths were wider than a Jiangxi man's mother-in-law's.

The Pacers did not have much hope for that trade either. They were still hoping to make one last push for the second round or even the Eastern Conference Finals that year. Without enough assets, how could they possibly send away their Star Player?

Of course, if Presti was willing to be that sucker, the Pacers would gladly take the deal. Trading for three Rising Stars would be an absolute steal.

Unfortunately, GM Presti was not under much pressure at the time. With other options available, he was not in a rush to find Westbrook help. Chen Xi, Westbrook, and Odie were playing reasonably well together anyway, and he had plenty of time to slowly look for quality wings.

So in the end, the trade fell through.

Back to the game, the Thunder attacked again. Chen Xi held the ball up top against Teague, used a Shot Fake to sell the first move, then put the ball on the floor and drove. After absorbing contact twice on the move, he deliberately used the force to create space for a Step-back jumper, but it missed.

Chen's Mid-range game was still not good enough.

The Pacers attacked again. It was still Paul George, still an isolation against Roberson, and the same rhythm dribble. After a probing step forward successfully shook Roberson into taking a step back, George rose immediately and fired.

Swish~~

Three-pointer, 5-2.

Back in the frontcourt, Chen Xi had the ball again against Teague.

"Damn it! I can't handle a 191-centimeter little guard like you?"

Without any unnecessary moves, he used an enormous Crossover Dribble to shake free a full step of space. Chen Xi immediately drove hard left, then stopped in the Mid-range. After a Shot Fake got Turner into the air, he gently tossed the ball skyward.

Boom!!!!!

A thunderous alley-oop slam from Adams!!!!!

His passing was not outstanding, but his basketball IQ was there.

Donovan nodded lightly from the sideline. The more he watched Chen Xi, the more satisfied he became. Passing technique could be polished over time, but basketball IQ was something that could only be found by chance.

Isn't that right, Wiseman?

After Westbrook's injury, Donovan had deliberately deployed a four-wing lineup to try to develop Chen Xi's playmaking ability.

Now, it seemed that the decision had been correct. Chen Xi had proven that he had the potential to develop into a playmaker and facilitator. All he lacked was time.

And next year, Chen Xi's contract was a team option. In the third year of his career, without Bird rights, the team could fully sign him to another relatively modest contract and smooth out the team's salary cap situation.

That also meant that if Chen Xi continued improving at this rate, the Thunder would remain serious championship contenders for the next three or four years.

The Pacers attacked again. Since Butler had switched onto George, George did not force the issue and instead moved the ball to Miles. This time, the finish became a layup by Jeff Teague after taking a handoff, but Adams disrupted it and the ball bounced off the rim.

Seeing Little Sabonis instinctively box out, Chen Xi could not help laughing. He then grabbed the rebound and turned to push the pace.

<On the tactical discipline of Thunder guards grabbing rebounds and pushing the break>

After reaching the frontcourt, Chen Xi gave the ball to Little Sabonis, who had come up high, then quickly ran toward the baseline. He deliberately slipped past Miles, drawing the defense's attention. On the other side, Roberson took the opportunity to cut to the basket. Little Sabonis's pass arrived immediately, and Roberson easily finished with a reverse layup.

5-6.

Chen Xi had maintained a 46.5% three-point percentage so far that season. He remained a massive threat, constantly drawing opponents' attention, especially with his excellent ability to play both on and off the ball and seamlessly switch between the two modes to finish at any moment.

If the Thunder used that well, it could completely revitalize the entire team's offense.

They could even use it to copy a series of Warriors tactics and create an imitation version of Curry Gravity.