"This rookie's athleticism is decent. Barely passing!"
Head coach Mike Brown muttered as he looked over Su Yi's physical test report.
After all, during the offseason, GM LeBron had pressured the front office to strengthen the roster, but no All-Star was willing to come to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
First, the city wasn't much to write home about. More importantly, the team had a ball hog—LeBron James!
Just look at Larry Hughes.
In the 2004–05 season, Larry Hughes averaged 22 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.9 steals per game with the Washington Wizards.
After joining the Cleveland Cavaliers, however, Larry Hughes managed only 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
His stats had taken a nosedive across the board.
What did stats represent? They were bargaining chips when negotiating a contract with a team. For a player at the All-Star level, especially, stats were the most obvious measure.
Coming to the Cleveland Cavaliers meant your market value would drop. Who would want to come?
That was why the Cleveland Cavaliers hadn't managed to recruit any superstar teammates for LeBron James during the offseason.
If they couldn't recruit anyone, they could only turn to the draft.
Head coach Mike Brown had spotted Su Yi's shooting talent, so he recommended the rookie to the front office.
The front office saw that Su Yi wasn't expected to be drafted very high. Besides, they didn't have any other rookies they particularly wanted, so in the end, they agreed with Mike Brown and picked Su Yi.
If Su Yi found out, he'd probably give Mike Brown a huge slap!
Su Yi: So you're the guy who brought me, a LeBron Hater, to the Cleveland Cavaliers!
Su Yi would be cursing Mike Brown's ancestors for eighteen generations every day.
"Yeah, he's decent. Better than we expected."
Assistant coach Otte chimed in.
"Next, let's test his shooting and see if he's as accurate as he was in the NCAA!"
As soon as Mike Brown finished speaking, assistant coach Otte looked toward Su Yi and called out, "Su, come over here!"
Hearing Otte call him, Su Yi immediately ran over and greeted them. "Hello, Coach Brown. Hello, Assistant Coach Otte."
The two nodded.
Mike Brown got straight to the point. "Su, the reason our team drafted you was your accurate outside shot. Now, show us what you can do!"
As he spoke, Mike Brown pointed toward the court. "Shoot 100 three-pointers from each of these spots: both corners, both wings, and the top of the arc. You need to make more than 95 percent. Understand?"
Su Yi nodded. He knew full well that this was an opportunity.
If he pulled it off, he'd leap to a whole new level and, at the very least, secure some playing time.
"Then let's get started."
As soon as Mike Brown finished speaking, Su Yi headed onto the court.
Meanwhile, three staff members got ready to feed him the ball.
Assistant coach Otte looked at Mike Brown. "He just finished his physical test. Shouldn't we give him some time to rest?"
Mike Brown shook his head. "This is how we find out what he's really capable of."
Mike Brown watched Su Yi in the distance and thought, I hope you don't disappoint me.
Su Yi's actions drew his teammates' attention, too. Quite a few of them even started betting on how many of his 500 three-pointers he'd make!
"Peep! Peep!"
At the sound of the staff member's whistle,
Su Yi, standing in the left corner, jumped, hung in the air, and released the ball with textbook form.
The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air.
"Swish."
Su Yi didn't pause. He caught the next pass and, in one fluid motion, shot one ball after another.
"Swish." "Swish." "Swish"...
Ten in a row, twenty in a row, thirty in a row...
At first, his watching teammates didn't pay much attention. But as Su Yi's streak kept growing, they started to take notice.
LeBron James, who had little skill and needed teammates to spread the floor for him, was especially captivated. His eyes lit up as he watched Su Yi.
"Swish!"
With that shot, Su Yi made all 100 three-pointers from the left corner.
Without stopping for a moment, he quickly moved to the left wing and continued shooting.
Even though he'd already taken 100 shots, his form remained exactly the same as when he started, as if each shot had been copied and pasted.
Mike Brown nodded, clearly pleased.
He turned to assistant coach Otte. "Otte, what do you think?"
"Better than expected. Aside from his outside shooting, Brown, are we overlooking another one of his strengths?" Otte replied.
"What strength?"
"His extraordinary stamina. He just finished his physical test, and even after taking more than 100 shots in a row, he's still keeping the same form. His jump height and breathing are remarkably steady. Is that normal for a player?"
Otte asked rhetorically.
Prompted by Otte, Mike Brown took a closer look.
Otte was right. In addition to his incredibly accurate outside shot, Su Yi had extraordinary stamina.
Meanwhile, his teammates were discussing Su Yi's shooting among themselves.
The team's second-in-command, Big Z, even sat down beside LeBron James and said, "LeBron, if he develops quickly and becomes an asset to us, maybe we can make it out of the Eastern Conference this season!"
Seeing Su Yi shoot with such accuracy, Big Z could already picture it!
LeBron James didn't respond. Instead, he said, "Let's see how it goes first."
Amid the crowd's chatter, Su Yi finished his 100 shots from the left wing.
He still hadn't missed a single shot: 200 in a row.
Next, Su Yi moved to the top of the arc and slowed his pace a little.
To be honest, he was starting to feel tired.
From now on, he adjusted before each shot. That way, he could maintain his accuracy!
"Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish"...
This spot took longer than the first two, but he still kept making them—300 shots in a row!
Mike Brown and his teammates were left astounded.
Even Donyell Marshall, who held the personal single-game record with 12 three-pointers, admitted that he couldn't make 300 in a row.
Everyone was eager to see if Su Yi could make all 500.
Su Yi: Dream on!
"Clang!"
Su Yi finally missed his first shot at number 333.
Mike Brown and his teammates couldn't help thinking what a shame, but making 333 in a row was already incredible.
Over the remaining 166 three-pointers, Su Yi missed six.
Out of 500 three-pointers, Su Yi missed seven!
His shooting percentage was an astounding 98.6 percent. He'd completed the task Mike Brown had set for him.
When he finished shooting, Su Yi could barely feel his hands.
Su Yi thought to himself, If I hadn't taken that physical test, I might not have missed a single one of those 500 shots!
Ever since his three-point rating had reached 90, making 400 or 500 shots in a row during regular practice had been no problem.
And now it was already 96!
Su Yi guessed that the last ten-point gap came down to the level of defensive pressure he'd face from opposing players in a real game.
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