A Ghostly Smile (Seeking Recommendation Tickets)

"Jon Brockman's performance must be a huge disappointment for the Kings. It seems he hasn't adapted to playing the three-spot."

"That's right, Luke. Barea has completely dominated Jon. Both were talented white forwards in college, but the gap between them now is glaring. I think Luke Barea might get recalled to the NBA soon. As for Jon, he'll probably have to spend more time in the Development League."

Even though Development League games don't have the same scale as the NBA, they still have TV broadcasts, so commentators are provided. After all, it's still a professional league.

At this moment, the two commentators were both taking jabs at Jon Brockman. His performance over the past four minutes was a textbook trainwreck.

Ridicule and denial from the outside world are pressures every professional player has to face. Commentators won't go easy on you just because you used to play well.

If you play badly, you can't exactly stop people from talking about it, can you?

"Coach Conner must be tearing his hair out right now, because the Blue Team's forward line is their weak spot. If Coach Conner can't get Brockman to play hard, or find a reliable forward to replace him, I wouldn't be surprised if Luke Barea drops 30 points today."

The blond-haired man speaking had a mocking tone, because he knew the Blue Team couldn't field anyone who could match up against Barea.

"Exactly, a more reliable forward. If the Thunder announced they were sending Kevin Durant down to the Blue Team, then they might have a chance."

"Hahahahaha, too bad the Blue Team isn't even a Thunder affiliate right now."

The two commentators' banter infuriated some Blue Team fans watching on TV. They were sneering with every word. But faced with their mockery, the fans could only take it.

Again, if you play like that, you can't exactly stop people from talking, can you?

Just then, the electronic buzzer on the court snapped the commentators and fans back to reality. The timeout was over, and everyone turned their attention back to the court.

Luke Barea rolled his shoulders, stepping onto the court brimming with confidence. In four minutes, he'd already scored 7 points. That big oaf named Brockman was nothing but a "walking ATM."

Barea wasn't going to hold back. He had no intention of wasting his time in some Development League. This white forward's goal was to get back to the NBA as soon as possible. If he put up big numbers in this game, it would be the catalyst for his early return.

As for whether that would ruin Brockman, Barea didn't care.

But when Barea looked at the other half of the court, he froze. In fact, everyone in the entire arena froze.

"Wait, the Blue Team made a substitution!?" The commentator's eyes went wide. He thought he was seeing things.

A yellow-skinned player in a number 5 jersey stepped onto the court, and he was replacing none other than the Blue Team's star, Jon Brockman! Subbing out your star player just four minutes into the game was definitely not a normal rotation.

And Link's poor performances in previous games had left a bad impression on the commentators. In everyone's memory, that yellow-skinned guy could only come in for a few minutes when the situation wasn't too dire.

But today, he was coming in early!

"Coach Conner is replacing Brockman with Tom Lin? Is that old coach sure he didn't make a mistake?"

"Tom Lin, nickname Link. The most vivid impression he left on me was those two consecutive turnovers last game. If you ask me, this kid isn't ready for professional play. God, Luke Barea is going to tear him apart."

"Yeah, yeah. Link played four whole years at Fresno State. And Fresno State only plays in the NCAA Division II. In other words, this guy hasn't even played the highest level of college basketball. It's a miracle he's lasted this long in the Development League without getting cut."

Both commentators covered their foreheads. Conner must really have no one left to use if he's putting in a nobody like this.

"Destroy him, destroy him!" Meanwhile, the Sioux Falls Skyforce coach was shouting at Barea from the sidelines.

In his eyes, Conner putting in a guy who hadn't even played Division I college ball was pure suicide!

If you're that eager to die, he'd be happy to oblige!

The game resumed. The inbound pass came out, and Link was suddenly at a loss. Before the transmigration, even though he was a basketball fan, he mostly played 3-on-3 pickup games. He'd barely played any formal 5-on-5 games.

Let alone a professional 5-on-5 game.

How to move off the ball, how to set screens, where to position himself—countless questions flooded Link's mind. Development League games emphasize individual performance, with few complex plays. So, coaches usually don't lay everything out. Most of the time, players have to read the game themselves.

"Move without the ball, and seize your opportunities!"

At that moment, Conner's words echoed in Link's mind. He gritted his teeth and decided to just do it!

Link started running frantically off the ball, darting into any open space he could find. Faced with Link's aggressive movement, Luke Barea wasn't nervous at all. In fact, he almost wanted to laugh.

In the Development League, no big man is willing to be a blue-collar screener for you. That means it's hard to get open just by running.

And more importantly, when Luke Barea was studying the Blue Team's roster today, he'd specifically noticed Link because of his unusual name.

And in the three-point percentage column for Link, it read 0.0%. What's the point of running so hard if you can't even hit the shot?

Meanwhile, the Blue Team's point guard drove and kicked the ball to Upshaw, who was the hottest player on the floor for the Blue Team right now.

But the defender guarding Upshaw was glued to him this time. He didn't want to get torched himself. That would push the NBA door even further away.

Sometimes, the defensive intensity in the Development League can be even higher than in the NBA. After all, every player here is fighting for a living.

Upshaw had no room to shoot. He thought about driving, but then he remembered Whiteside standing in the paint for the Skyforce and changed his mind.

That intimidating big man had just shown Brockman what a no-fly zone looked like. Upshaw didn't want to be the next unlucky guy.

Just then, Upshaw spotted Link breaking open. Without hesitation, he fired a hard pass his way!

"Zeke Upshaw doesn't take the shot himself; he passes it to number 5, Link."

"No, no, Upshaw should have been more aggressive. That yellow-skinned guy is going to mess this up."

Link couldn't hear the commentators' jabs from the court, or he'd have thrown the ball in their faces. But right now, all he wanted was to put the ball in the basket.

Link caught the ball cleanly. Luke Barea didn't close out; instead, he deliberately gave Link two steps of space, almost like he was baiting him to shoot.

Even a player of LeBron James's caliber gets left open beyond the arc sometimes, let alone an unknown undrafted rookie.

Just as Barea was feeling smug, he saw the corner of Link's mouth curl up slightly, followed by a decisive jump shot!

"What's this guy smiling about!?" Barea felt something was off. That grin sent a chill down his spine.

So he immediately turned around. Right in time to see the basketball arc through the air like a rainbow, swishing cleanly through the net!

Swish!

The sound of the net rippling reached Link's ears, and an indescribable sense of relief flooded his entire body. On a basketball court, this was simply the most beautiful sound there was.

Then, the entire venue erupted in cheers. Even though there were only a little over two thousand people, the combined noise was still considerable.

Link smiled and pointed toward the stands, and the cheers grew even louder.

This feeling of being in the spotlight—it was wonderful!

"The ball went in! The ball actually went in! Did you see that? Link actually made that three-pointer!"

The commentator's eyes went wide. That kid's release had been so decisive just now—there was no way it was a fluke.

"Just lucky. Watch, Luke's going to drive him crazy next." The other commentator dismissed Link's shot.

"Luke, what are you doing!? Get serious. I'm not letting you give him another point!"

Down on the court, the Sky Force coach still didn't take Link seriously.

But Luke Barrett himself swallowed hard. That confident smile on the guy's face when he took the shot—it still sent a chill down his spine...