Trial Report

"Nima Goodwin, height 206cm, weight 100kg, 100-meter dash 12.7 seconds, standing vertical 66cm, approach vertical 81cm, wingspan 215cm.

Ball-handling ability is below average.

In shooting practice, mid-range and three-point shots are incredibly accurate, with a shooting percentage as high as 96%.

Huh?

No... why would we choose a rookie with such mediocre talent who only has a jump shot?

This is a deep draft year; picking any random small forward would be better than him!"

General Manager's Office:

Boston Celtics interim head coach John Carroll read Goodwin's scouting report, feeling confused about the newly appointed general manager Danny Ainge's decision to draft Goodwin.

Due to unsatisfactory results in recent years, the Boston Celtics management had taken drastic measures, firing the previous head coach and the former general manager.

Danny Ainge's mouth curled into a slight smile, dismissive: "Carroll, you haven't finished reading yet. Don't be so quick to judge; keep looking at the scouting report."

John Carroll: ???

With a scouting report like this, was there even a need to keep reading?

But seeing Danny Ainge's calm and composed demeanor, John Carroll continued to look at Goodwin's report.

"Key emphasis: Goodwin possesses a clutch gene! Whether on the stage of the NCAA finals or in practice games, whenever the team falls into a crisis, he is always able to step up in time and successfully help the team turn the tide."

A clutch player?

John Carroll couldn't help but think of Robert Horry, who currently played for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Robert Horry was a player with average talent and not-so-superb skills, but he possessed one very important ability: his three-point shooting. Robert Horry's three-point ability was extremely strong, especially in critical moments; he could always find the open spot and sink the shot with precision and cold-bloodedness.

Robert Horry had won championships with the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, playing an important role on every championship team. He had hit key shots many times to secure victories for his team, such as the game-winning three-pointer against the Orlando Magic in the 1995 Finals, and the magical game-winning three-pointer against the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 Western Conference Finals.

Robert Horry was known as "Big Shot Bob," a professional clutch performer.

Could he be the next Robert Horry?

"The NBA is not the same as the NCAA!" John Carroll tried to retort.

Hearing John Carroll's words, Danny Ainge felt a bit displeased, thinking to himself: What a short-sighted guy.

In the end, Danny Ainge had to play his trump card: "Arnold Auerbach is very satisfied with him and hopes we can draft this clutch player to the Boston Celtics."

Game over!

John Carroll was instantly speechless; that was the legendary "Red" Auerbach.

The self-cultivation of the Boston Celtics dynasty was inseparable from one name—Arnold Auerbach. Just hearing his nickname, "Red," was enough to command respect, and he could be called the primary architect of Celtics history, with the team's first 16 championships created, in some sense, by his own hands.

Arnold Auerbach's word was the absolute authority in the Celtics organization.

So, how could John Carroll, this interim coach, dare to object any further?

"Also, I plan to use a second-round pick to select Goodwin." In Danny Ainge's view, no one should be competing with him for the player, as Goodwin's scouting report was laid out for all to see.

But Danny Ainge was very optimistic about Goodwin, especially since he had witnessed the "miracle" from Goodwin in person at the NCAA finals—hitting a game-tying three-pointer, then hitting consecutive three-pointers in overtime to score 9 points in a single burst, single-handedly bringing the NCAA championship back to the University of Kansas.

Danny Ainge dared to say that if not for Goodwin, the NCAA championship this year would have surely belonged to Syracuse University, as Syracuse University had the NBA-level talent Carmelo Anthony.

At the same time, Danny Ainge felt that Goodwin was very much like himself.

During his playing days, Danny Ainge was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 31st pick. He was a white shooter with exquisite marksmanship and very decent defense. He once became one of Larry Bird's most important assistants, and he even made the All-Star team twice with the Celtics, and was even selected as an All-Star reserve for the 1987-1988 season!

Danny Ainge's career-high three-point shooting percentage reached 44.3%, contributing 1.2 three-pointers per game; he could be called a very outstanding shooter! In fact, before entering the NBA, Danny Ainge didn't have a great three-point shot. In his rookie season, Danny Ainge only had a 29.3% three-point shooting percentage, but through constant, relentless effort, he didn't gradually develop a great three-point ability until the 1985-1986 season.

Danny Ainge believed that with hard work, Goodwin would definitely become a player like him and become one of Paul Pierce's most important assistants.

In recent years, the Boston Celtics had not achieved the expected results, but the team had cultivated one All-Star player—Paul Pierce.

In the 2002-2003 season, Paul Pierce averaged 25.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.8 steals, leading the team to the playoffs, but unfortunately, they stopped in the second round, swept out by the New Jersey Nets without any ability to fight back.

This also made the Boston Celtics management realize that having only one Paul Pierce was not enough; they needed to continue looking for more players like Paul Pierce, so they turned their eyes to this year's draft.

The Boston Celtics had plenty of draft picks this year: two first-rounders and two second-rounders.

So when John Carroll heard Danny Ainge's words, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; it seemed Danny Ainge wasn't that stupid after all.

Previously, John Carroll had thought Danny Ainge wanted to use a first-round pick to select Goodwin. In John Carroll's view, Goodwin wasn't worth a first-round pick. One had to know that this was a deep draft year, and with so many talented players, wasting a first-round pick for nothing wouldn't be worth it.

Now, it was great; everyone was happy!

John Carroll nodded with satisfaction.

Seeing John Carroll's expression, Danny Ainge frowned slightly, muttering to himself: It seems I need to hurry up and choose a real head coach.

In Danny Ainge's view, this former NCAA head coach, John Carroll, would find it difficult to lead the Boston Celtics to complete their revival plan.

Time passed slowly, and soon it was the day of the 2003 draft.

Madison Square Garden in New York was already packed.

At this moment, Goodwin arrived here alone. He was wearing a black suit with a neatly tied tie, standing handsomely in the crowd, attracting everyone's attention.

Goodwin's mouth curled up slightly. I'm here! Then he strode inside.