"He had a strong desire to play. I'll control his Playing Time. As long as he can get on the court, it'll be a huge boost to the team's morale."
Stevens stated his thoughts.
There were some things he could not say, but what he did say was reasonable and well-founded.
"I know you want to drag this series out longer, but none of that is worth Nikola's injury. We have to be responsible for him."
"Brad, he's still just a kid."
Tang Tian's follow-up left Stevens stunned for a moment.
Those words did not sound like they should have come from a twenty-five-year-old.
But after a long silence, Stevens nodded.
Jokic was only twenty-one. Just as Tang Tian had said, he was only a kid, full of passion.
But Stevens was an adult. He had to be responsible for his player's future.
Seeing Stevens's reaction, Tang Tian let out a long breath.
He had no way of knowing whether Jokic would force himself to play, or whether he would suffer an Achilles Tear like Durant.
But if something like that happened, everyone who had supported him playing would blame themselves for the rest of their lives.
Stevens went to see Jokic in private.
Though Jokic insisted again and again, Stevens still decided not to let him play.
After speaking with Jokic, he went to find Harrell.
Jokic had been his Plan A, and Harrell was Plan B.
Now that Plan A had been abandoned, Plan B naturally had to be used.
At the next day's training session, Stevens announced the starting lineup again.
Although they had been given a warning yesterday, Harrell was still extremely excited when he heard that he would start tomorrow night.
This second-year player had not gotten many opportunities, but he truly stayed energized at