[Off-ball Movement lv1]: Displaying Might!

Break between quarters.

The screams of the blonde girls in the stands rose in waves, one louder than the next.

Who could resist a "pretty vase" with both skill and looks?

Some pulled down their straps, baring their shoulders; others flaunted impressive cleavage; some swayed their hips.

All of them desperately wanted to catch Su Yan's attention.

Especially the foreign girls beside Su Yan—their jealousy and antics to attract the opposite sex grew more exaggerated by the minute.

And that opposite sex?

Without a doubt, it was Su Yan.

The male compatriots next to Su Yan were feasting their eyes.

Su Yan, however, couldn't care less. Or perhaps... he had no time to bother.

"Huff... huff huff huff..."

He leaned back in his chair, gasping for air, sweat pouring down his forehead like rain.

Once the defensive intensity ramped up, Su Yan's chances for three-pointers plummeted. He could force shots, but his accuracy dropped. If he couldn't score, there was no money.

That wasn't the outcome Su Yan wanted.

So he moved actively, defended hard, stole, protected the rim, assisted—everything.

Just like the commentators said, Su Yan was a "workhorse," incredibly energetic.

That energy—

fans, coaches, commentators—everyone loved it.

Of course... for Su Yan, he wasn't hustling for their approval. He was hustling for the cash.

14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, including 4 three-pointers.

That was Su Yan's stat line under double-team pressure—pretty impressive, all things considered.

It also meant a hefty sum of money.

But it was genuinely exhausting.

As a shooter, he shouldn't have to push this hard, and his stamina was only at the NBA average.

Clearly, keeping up this intensity was a bit over the limit.

So when the fourth quarter came, after four minutes of rotation, D'Antoni told Su Yan to get back on the court with his teammates to close out the game—

Su Yan refused.

He wanted to rest a bit longer.

D'Antoni gladly agreed. Su Yan's performance tonight was already perfect enough to satisfy him.

But the moment Su Yan stayed off the court, the Pistons started closing the gap. After three more minutes of rest, they cut a 15-point lead down to just 10.

Five minutes left on the clock.

Su Yan returned to the game.

"Swish!"

Yet the Pistons' momentum showed no sign of slowing. Hamilton used an off-ball cut to get a mid-range shot.

He nailed it.

The Pistons were shrinking the lead further.

Su Yan wasn't getting many three-point opportunities, stalling the Knicks' offense.

The situation looked grim.

"wooow~"

Jon Barry exclaimed, "The Pistons are building momentum—they still want to play with championship-level dominance!"

"The Pistons' defense is fierce; the Knicks are on the back foot."

Mark Jackson analyzed the situation too. "If the Knicks want to break through, Su Yan's three-pointers need to heat up.

That would be a dagger to the heart!!!"

The commentators were right.

The Knicks wanted Su Yan to shoot threes too. They actively set screens and created chances, but the Pistons weren't stupid.

With their defense-first mentality, they kept cranking up the pressure on Su Yan, locking down his three-point shots.

They wouldn't let him shoot.

By the end of the game, the Pistons had more or less figured out that the three-pointer was Su Yan's strongest offensive weapon.

His mid-range shots, drives, and layups—all of them were lacking.

With targeted defense and the ability to execute it, the Pistons could immediately put heavy defensive pressure on Su Yan.

So, no way out?

D'Antoni seemed to have no solution. He could only let Su Yan draw the fire and let the rest of the team handle the Pistons.

But.

Su Yan didn't think that way.

If you find this book enjoyable, to avoid losing it next time, remember to add it to your bookshelf.

Even though the defensive intensity was high and three-point opportunities were scarce, his face was still brimming with confidence.

Because they had been leading all along, he had originally wanted to hold back a little more, saving it for when they faced stronger teams.

But now it seemed that wouldn't work.

Su Yan narrowed his eyes and decided to reveal another card he had just obtained: [Off-ball Movement lv1].

The game continued.

Duhong pushed the ball up, looking for Su Yan, but he was once again blocked by Prince and Stuckey.

Chandler immediately went up to set a screen. Su Yan used the screen to first shake off Prince, then continued to tangle with Stuckey.

He drove into the lane from the left wing, suddenly accelerating, seemingly about to loop around along the baseline.

But then he abruptly stopped, made a reverse cut, and looped upward instead.

Stuckey bit on the fake. It was only for an instant, but in off-ball movement, that split-second misjudgment was fatal.

Su Yan also used Harrington's off-ball screen to loop out before Jerebko could rotate over.

"Beautiful reverse cut!"

Jon Barry couldn't help but praise.

As soon as Su Yan looped out, Duhong, who had been eagerly waiting, passed the ball into his hands.

"Whoosh~"

Su Yan caught the ball and fired another three-pointer.

Hand down, ball through.

Nothing but net.

[Off-ball Movement lv1] allowed Su Yan not just to run, but to run with his mind engaged.

It let him shake off defenders in rhythmic movement, read the court environment, and quickly use his teammates to shed other rotating defenders.

Making the opportunity truly appear.

Then... paired with his own powerful three-point finishing ability, it created a perfect offensive sequence.

Stuckey wasn't slow.

But he couldn't keep up with Su Yan.

[Off-ball Movement lv1] + [Max Level Three-Pointer].

This perfectly suited Su Yan in the moment, making his three-point offense even more threatening and harder to handle!!!

It rendered the Pistons' double-team ineffective as well.

At 3:17.

Su Yan cut along the baseline toward the right side, preparing to loop up. The opportunity was almost there, but then... out of nowhere, he made another reverse cut.

Once again along the baseline, running toward the left corner.

"Confused?"

Prince, who had already been struggling to keep up, was overjoyed to see Su Yan running back on his own.

He hurried to follow.

But then... Su Yan cut along the baseline and ran off, while Prince collided head-on with Harrington, who was waiting in the restricted area.

Left corner.

Ball arrived as the man arrived.

And even if you create an opportunity, if you can't finish it, no one will acknowledge your off-ball movement ability.

Hamilton's off-ball movement was widely recognized as elite, once giving even a peak Kobe a headache.

But.

The real reason it was acknowledged as powerful was rooted in his mid-range finishing ability under the title of "Mid-range King."

Curry's off-ball ability was also famous throughout the league.

He was also the player in the future league... who possessed the strongest combination of on-ball and off-ball ability.

Perhaps not even one of them.

The reason he could be labeled with such an impressive tag still came down to his personal, overwhelming three-point finishing ability.

Now.

The same logic applied to Su Yan.

Meteor white feather, fierce arrow piercing the heart.

"Swish!"

Using his excellent off-ball movement awareness, Su Yan once again created an offensive opportunity and seized it.

Another three-pointer hit.

These two three-pointers stabilized the team's double-digit score difference while practically grasping victory in their hands.

On the defensive end.

Whether it was repeatedly shutting down Stuckey's attacks or failing to stop Hamilton's mid-range shot, Su Yan gave it his all.

Hard work doesn't always yield results, but without effort, you'll never get stats, never earn money!!!