You Are the Starter

Chapter 10: You Are the Starter

Raul's attention never left Sun Hao.

At this point, his expression was no longer just surprise—it was outright shock.

Sun Hao's subtle movements were nothing like a fifteen-year-old kid's; they were clearly those of a seasoned court veteran!

For a moment, he even doubted his own eyes.

But the truth was, his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Velazcola dribbled left after his crossover.

His gaze turned fierce.

That little boy's reminder to Sun Hao was right—Velazquez was a left-handed player, which was exactly why he wanted to play another round and demanded the first attack.

In any sport with physical contact, left-handed players attack along a different path than ordinary people, making it easy for opponents to suffer on defense.

But even without the little boy's reminder, Sun Hao was already guarding against Velazquez's drive, stepping in early to apply pressure and prevent him from building speed.

"Thud!"

The two collided head-on.

Velazquez instantly felt like he'd run into a wall.

Most young players were still growing and hadn't built up their physical strength yet.

Even an interior beast like Howard was a skinny big man before entering the league.

Sun Hao had been relentlessly training strength inside his system, and when he planted his feet, he really was a wall.

Velazquez was knocked straight back, stumbled, and fell to the ground, the ball slipping from his hands.

Turnover!

Raul's eyes widened again.

Sun Hao's muscle lines weren't particularly obvious, but his strength—it was simply unbelievable!

What kind of miraculous player had he found to fill the numbers!

Velazquez got back to his feet, looking at Sun Hao with terror in his eyes.

He wasn't known for his strength, but the gap...

This Asian player was a monster!

Possession swapped, and it was Sun Hao's turn to attack again.

After receiving the ball, he once more shot a three-pointer.

But this time, his three clanked off the rim—no one could guarantee every shot would go in.

In training one-on-ones, the only one who hit every shot was Carmelo Anthony.

Seeing Sun Hao miss his three, the despair in Velazquez's eyes faded a little.

He still had a chance.

When he got the ball again, he threw a series of crossovers, trying to shake Sun Hao.

Sun Hao kept his center of gravity steady and didn't bite at all.

He couldn't shake past him, and his forced drive ended with a shot that nearly got blocked by Sun Hao—an airball!

A stir rippled through the sidelines.

The earlier 5-0 shutout had only proven how outstanding Sun Hao's offense was.

Now, in this round, they were also witnessing Sun Hao's defensive ability!

And compared to the previous round, Velazquez was clearly in a much more miserable state.

He wasn't proving his own strength at all—he was just playing the supporting role in Sun Hao's show!

Possession swapped again. This time, Sun Hao didn't fake a three-point shot; he took the ball and drove straight to the right.

Seeing Sun Hao's choice, the already defeated Velazquez regained some confidence.

This time, he could defend.

Velazquez got into position.

Sun Hao no longer had time to change direction.

Raul saw this and felt a little relieved.

Although Sun Hao had given him a huge surprise, he didn't want Velazquez to have his mentality shattered.

After all, the latter was a local Spanish player, and for young players, confidence was very important.

"Thud!"

But just as he thought that, Sun Hao accelerated and rammed straight into Velazquez, knocking him aside!

No technique at all—just pure brute force.

Velazquez couldn't react in time, nor could he body him off...

Sun Hao floated in a smooth bank shot.

1–0!

Raul's jaw hung open midair.

This... was just bullying!

Scoring like that was even more outrageous than the earlier shake-and-bake drives or the three-pointers!

I don't even need skill to wreck you!

Velazquez's mental defenses had already shattered.

The next few possessions turned into a complete rout.

Sun Hao became an emotionless bulldozer.

Even when Velazquez dropped his center of gravity, Sun Hao still backed him out under the baseline.

The second game wasn't over yet, but the outcome had already lost all suspense.

Rhythm, physicality—Velazquez was utterly outclassed by Sun Hao in every aspect.

Watching this, the shock on Raul's face faded, replaced by a joy that Cannot Hide.

At first, prejudice had made him lukewarm toward Sun Hao, but by now that feeling had completely vanished.

Because he realized he'd struck gold!

Though his rational side told him a player dominant in one-on-one didn't always perform in a full game, Sun Hao's strength was all-around!

It made him uncontrollably optimistic—he even wanted this one-on-one to end early so he could evaluate Sun Hao's full-court performance.

He'd seen Sun Hao play full court back in China, but given how Sun Hao handled an even stronger opponent in one-on-one, he felt Sun Hao's full-court ability was far beyond what he'd witnessed before!

If he could nurture a Pau Gasol for Real Madrid the way neighboring Barcelona had, if he could develop a player who jumped from the youth team to the first team in a single year, then he could leap upward too—instead of staying stuck as a youth team coach!

Sun Hao missed on a drive, and possession changed.

This was Velazquez's last chance, but after being stunned by Sun Hao, the player who already lacked an advantage in strength actually chose to back down and post up.

The result? He couldn't generate power on his turn, and Sun Hao timed the gap perfectly to swat the shot right in his face.

Sss~

The players on the sideline couldn't bear to watch anymore.

This one-on-one lost all suspense after that brutal block.

Another 5–0.

Though Sun Hao's touch dipped a bit in the second game, he ended the fight in an even more brutal way.

Sun Hao had arrived on the last day; Velazquez hadn't.

The youth team training had been going on for a while, and Velazquez ranked near the top of the camp in skill.

But now he was being completely dominated by Sun Hao.

After these two one-on-one games, everyone else present had a completely different understanding of Sun Hao's ability.

The guy they'd been mocking was the strongest king here!

"Good work."

After training ended, Raul came over and patted him on the shoulder, offering affirmation.

The shift in his expression and demeanor made it clear his attitude toward Sun Hao had changed.

"Not bad, not bad—just warmed up."

Hearing Sun Hao's reply, Raul paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

He hadn't paid much attention to Sun Hao before. Now it seemed Sun Hao had pride running through his bones.

The one-on-one drills continued. Sun Hao and the others who had finished rested on the sideline, waiting for the final full-court scrimmage.

"You're really amazing."

Just then, the eleven- or twelve-year-old boy who had spoken to him earlier came over again.

A shy, kind smile, plus a friendly warning—Sun Hao had a good impression of this kid.

And since he looked familiar, Sun Hao started chatting with him.

"Sun Hao, Guangdong, China."

Sun Hao extended his hand and introduced himself.

"Rudy Fernandez, Balearic Islands, Spain."

The boy shook Sun Hao's hand and replied with a smile.

Sun Hao paused for a moment when he heard the name, then immediately broke into a grin.

No wonder the kid looked familiar—even though he was too young to recognize right away.

But once the name was said, everything clicked into place.

Fernandez, the future core player of the Spanish national team, with a smooth and elegant playing style, who also had an impressive stint in the NBA.

Despite his young age, Fernandez carried a maturity that didn't belong to his years.

The two of them chatted without any generation gap, hitting it off well.

And during the conversation, Sun Hao learned that Fernandez also loved traveling!

Before long, they had already made plans to go out together in a few days.

By the time they were done talking, the one-on-one drills were also wrapping up.

Raul gathered the players back together, and next came the final full-court scrimmage.

The training camp had been running for a while, and the groups were divided based on when players had joined.

Raul let his bias show this time, deliberately placing Sun Hao with the group that had entered the camp earliest.

It was clear he wanted to see whether the basketball IQ Sun Hao had displayed was just a momentary illusion or the real deal.

The full-court scrimmage started quickly.

Once again, Sun Hao became the absolute focal point on the court.

As it turned out, the thing Raul had casually given Sun Hao to pass the time on the plane was the team's Tactics Manual.

Even though he had just arrived at camp, his grasp of the plays already surpassed everyone else present.

Coupled with his newly unlocked Basketball IQ Badge.

Effortless control was the best way to describe his performance.

He never hesitated when it was time to pass, made decisive moves when it was time to shoot, and all the while read the defense and directed his teammates' positioning.

It was like putting a Ferrari engine into an Otto—the team Sun Hao was on took off instantly.

Raul watched from the sidelines, ecstatic.

His judgment had been right!

In China, because his opponents were too weak, Sun Hao's individual ability hadn't been fully displayed!

He had truly, truly struck gold!

"Sun Hao starts in the new season."

After the full-court scrimmage ended, Raul couldn't contain his excitement and announced the decision.

This time, none of the players laughed. They all felt it was only natural, and many even looked at Sun Hao with envy.

In competitive sports, strength speaks.

PS: Thanks to Huanyu for the 100,000 tip, congratulations on becoming the third Alliance Leader of this book! Thanks to Too Lazy to Change Name for the 50,000 tip, congratulations on becoming the second Alliance Leader! Thanks to Yun, Jie for the 10,000 tip! Thank you, big shots, heart and kisses~ I'll remember the extra chapters, they'll be added after the release.

Thanks to Ling Tian Feichen, Meat Mince Little Eggplant, Lisbon Night Train Himself, Book Friend 160912142444935, Invincible Young Master Han, Vulgar, Jiao Jiao Shen Huai Jue Ji, Until Death Eternal Immortal, and Hypocritical RS for the tips!

Thank you, all big shots! Heart~

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