The Team Most Suitable for You Now

Rachel opened her eyes to the first pale light of dawn. Christmas was almost here, but she had no holiday spirit whatsoever.

To be precise, ever since she had said goodbye to basketball, her life had suddenly lost its direction. College life for others was the freest release of youthful years, but for her, it was just aimlessly drifting through the days.

Unlike most girls, she had a heart that burned exceptionally for basketball. From the moment she first picked up a ball in middle school, Rachel had been deeply obsessed with the sport. Basketball was never just a simple hobby for her—back in the day, people could often spot a ponytailed girl in a number 32 jersey splashed across the newspapers.

2005 AAU Junior All-American Championship team member, 2007 Medina County three-point champion, four-time selection among Ohio's top 64 players... Under normal circumstances, a female player who achieved such feats in high school would almost certainly catch the eye of college teams.

Rachel was no exception. By her junior year, she had already received many college offers. Fighting in the NCAA, breaking into professional basketball—that seemed to be the trajectory of her life.

Yet, at the very peak of her basketball career, everything changed.

During her senior year, an unexpected injury led to a disastrous season for her team. That year, Rachel was devastated, and the immense stress triggered a gastric ulcer.

Stricken by severe stomach illness, Rachel's weight plummeted. For an ordinary girl, losing weight might be a blessing. But for an athlete aiming for professional basketball, weight loss was nothing to celebrate.

After that terrible senior year, Rachel's stock plummeted. In the end, she didn't enter a top women's basketball school but instead ended up at the University of Oklahoma.

The crushing blow from high school hit her so hard that once she entered college, she barely played or even watched basketball. Because every time she saw others flying across the court, she remembered the life she was supposed to have, and it hurt too much to bear.

For her, basketball was like a first love. Beautiful, but destined to end.

Rachel shook her head, refusing to dwell on those painful memories. She pulled out her phone and, as usual, found a few clueless guys had sent her confession texts.

But besides those boring messages, Rachel also received a news notification. Seeing the headline, the lazy college girl sat up straight.

"Link Signs Ten-Day Contract with Memphis Grizzlies, Chinese-American Forward Continues Push Toward NBA!"

A simple headline, plain and unadorned, yet it filled Rachel with strength.

She had thought she never wanted to touch basketball again. But ever since she met that Chinese-American player, ever since she learned about his story of clinging to his dreams, ever since she saw Link refuse to give up even after being abandoned by the NBA—and now, as he once again seized a chance to realize his dream—Rachel's heart had begun to change.

As long as you don't give up easily, opportunities will always come, won't they?

Rachel smiled. Maybe she didn't have to give up either. Maybe she didn't have to live every day so miserably. Basketball was, after all, a game where only the strong survive.

"Link already made it. You have to be strong too!" Rachel muttered to herself, giving herself a pep talk. Then she picked up her phone and sent Link a message.

"Congratulations."

Today, Link was supposed to travel with the team to Texas for a road game. But early in the morning, he got a call from Jeff Austin—"You're going to the NBA."

Hearing this news for the second time, Link was clearly not as excited as when he first entered the NBA.

"Where to?" Link's tone was calm, because he knew full well that a ten-day contract was far from success. He had gotten a ten-day contract with the Rockets too. And what happened?

He'd wait until he signed a guaranteed contract and truly established himself in the NBA before getting excited.

"To Memphis. The Grizzlies need you."

"Memphis Grizzlies?" Link was a bit surprised. He really hadn't expected Jeff Austin to send him to the Grizzlies.

In his previous life, as an ordinary Chinese fan, Link's knowledge of the Grizzlies was quite limited. After all, the Grizzlies had never been a particularly popular team in China.

First, the Grizzlies were a defense-first team, which meant their games weren't exactly thrilling to watch. Second, they had always lacked a superstar. Mike Conley and Marc Gasol couldn't exactly draw huge crowds.

Third, and most importantly, the Grizzlies had never won any real honors. Forget championships—in the ten years Link had watched basketball, the Grizzlies hadn't even won a Western Conference title.

The most popular the Grizzlies ever got in China was the year they drafted Wang Zhelin. But that buzz faded quickly, because the Grizzlies never actually signed him.

The Grizzlies' general manager would occasionally say they were monitoring Wang Zhelin's situation, but they never took any real action.

That was the Memphis Grizzlies as Link knew them—a team so obscure in China it couldn't be more niche.

"Why Memphis?" After thinking it over, Link continued asking. Even though, as an undrafted player, he didn't have the right to choose his team.

But Jeff Austin sending him to Memphis had to have a reason.

"First, if you want to establish yourself in the NBA, you need playing time. If you're only getting a few minutes in garbage time like with the Rockets, you'll never sign a guaranteed contract. With the Grizzlies, you have a better chance of getting minutes! Because besides Rudy Gay, they barely have any options at the three."

Jeff Austin paused, letting Link "digest" his words, then continued: "Tony Allen is better suited for the two. Sam Young can play small forward, but he's been inconsistent. The rookie forward from Kentucky, Xavier Henry, was supposed to be their hope, but he's out for the season with an injury. So the Grizzlies desperately need a stable backup at the three. This is a much better place for you to grow wild than Houston, Link!"

"Grow wild?" Link nodded. He liked Jeff Austin's choice of words.

Indeed, no matter how strong your skills, if you can't show them, they mean nothing.

With the Rockets, Link was never part of the plan. Even when Adelman was generous, he never let Link play more than five minutes.

The Memphis Grizzlies might be a niche team, but at least Link could fight for a chance to show himself. As an undrafted player and G League guy, Link wasn't expecting to start right away. Starting from the bench and steadily building a foothold would already count as success.

"Besides, the Grizzlies' system and style fit you pretty well. They like methodical half-court offense, they rely on defense to win, and they're short on consistent three-point shooters. Most importantly, unlike other lottery teams, the Grizzlies still have a shot at the playoffs this season. So, in my opinion, there's no better team for you than the Memphis Grizzlies."

"What do you think, Link?" After giving Link some time to think, Jeff Austin asked one last time.

This time, Link nodded. "When do we report to Memphis?"

Jeff Austin breathed a sigh of relief. He had worried Link might not trust him. But as it turned out, good work earned trust.

"I'll book your flight to Memphis right away. If nothing goes wrong, you should meet your new team tomorrow."

After ending the call, Link started packing his bags. For some reason, he felt incredibly confident about this NBA journey.

Maybe because, this time, he wasn't walking alone.

With that thought, Link put away his basketball shoes. On the side of the sole, a few simple letters had not yet been erased—Rest in peace, Zeke.