Volume 5: Peerless

The Nuggets had the increasingly mature Jokic, while Murray had also grown a great deal after being tempered by his rookie season. Gary Harris, Will Barton, and Millsap were all formidable as well. But the Warriors did not need Markkanen to contribute right away. In Zhang Yu's eyes, he was the future core of the Warriors' frontcourt, and Zhang Yu had tremendous patience with him. Zhang Yu comforted Markkanen a little more. After Markkanen left, Curry walked over from the side and said gloomily, "Being unstable in clutch moments is a mistake every rookie makes. Jaylen Brown and Markkanen both missed crucial shots in the clutch, but they have to go through moments like these before they can learn from defeat and grow." Jaylen Brown had a chance to save the team at the end, but his mid-range shot clanked under pressure from the defense, costing them the game-winner. He was extremely frustrated. Zhang Yu laughed. Zhang Yu had given him the starting spot and tactical role he had dreamed of, and had placed his hopes on him in the clutch, yet he had let Zhang Yu down. He was consumed by self-blame. After finishing their second preseason game against the Timberwolves, the Warriors attended several more events. One was a commercial event held in Qi Capital, Qilu Province... But even if Zhang Yu had a hundred more timeouts, he would have made the same choice. Markkanen had actually played very well that day: 9-of-17 shooting, 5-of-9 from three, 3-of-4 from the line, for 26 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block. He had even scored more than Jaylen Brown. Although Markkanen's ball-handling offense was fairly average and he could not grow into a superstar like Nowitzki, his shooting from every angle and excellent cutting ability allowed him to