Your Teammates Are Very Gentle, You Know

Lionel Hollins, a former NBA player and one of the most renowned defensive stalwarts in NBA history, possessed particularly deep insights into zone pressure.

During his playing days, he won a championship with the Trail Blazers in 1977 and was named to the All-Defensive Team in both 1977 and 1978.

Now, Lionel Hollins serves as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.

In fact, Lionel Hollins' coaching career began back in 1999. But initially, his coaching journey was far from smooth. It wasn't until the 08-09 season, when the Grizzlies rehired Hollins as head coach, that he truly established himself in the NBA in that role. Over the past three years, the Grizzlies' record has steadily climbed.

Lionel Hollins' arrival laid the foundation for the Memphis Grizzlies' style of play—defense first.

When people think of the Memphis Grizzlies, the first thing that comes to mind is their unbreakable defense. From point guard Mike Conley to the "Grit and Grind" frontcourt, every position on the Grizzlies roster is manned by a defensive stopper.

In an era where offensive possessions are increasing and the pace of play is accelerating, Lionel Hollins' Grizzlies are undoubtedly forging a unique path.

Hollins' love for defense is well known. No matter what kind of player you are, if you excel defensively, you'll find opportunities with the Grizzlies. Just look at how well Tony Allen, a player who can barely shoot, has thrived in Memphis to understand how unique Hollins' perspective on evaluating players truly is.

That's precisely why Lionel Hollins had recently set his sights on that much-hyped Chinese-American player. That 2.03-meter, slightly lean forward was exactly the kind of player Hollins needed.

People might only remember Link's 52-point night, but they overlooked the fact that he never allowed his matchup to score big in the G League. Whether it was Luke Ba Weiyuan, Lance Stephenson, or DeMarre Carroll, all were overshadowed by Link.

Even in those three games with the Rockets, Link's defensive performance in limited minutes was quite impressive. In truth, that was the real reason the Grizzlies were interested in Link.

A quasi-3-and-D player—nothing suited the Grizzlies better. Originally, the Grizzlies had planned to trade for their veteran star Shane Battier. But compared to Battier, Link was younger and could be acquired without giving up much.

Why wouldn't they make that deal?

So that afternoon, in the training facility, Lionel Hollins finally got to see his new player—the guy who had dominated the entire G League in just three games—Link.

"Link, glad to see you reported so quickly. I'm Lionel Hollins, head coach of the Grizzlies." Hollins politely shook hands with Link, which made Link feel flattered.

Because on his first day with the Rockets, Adelman hadn't even glanced his way.

"Hello, sir. I'm glad to have the opportunity to train here." Link shook Hollins' hand politely in return. "When do we start?"

Link was naturally eager—more than anyone, he wanted to get on the court as soon as possible.

"Start? Start what? Scrimmages? Hahaha, no rush, Link. You don't know anything about the Grizzlies' system yet. Once you're familiar with our style of play and what you need to do, then you can start practicing with the team. But I believe, with your basketball IQ, none of this should be a problem."

Hollins patted Link on the shoulder. Playing four years in college wasn't entirely a bad thing. Over those four years, the NCAA had surely solidified Link's fundamental basketball skills. Adapting to a system shouldn't be difficult for a senior.

"I'll work hard, Mr. Lionel Hollins."

"Hahaha, no need to call me 'Mr.' I'm the coach, you're the player. We need effective communication, not excessive formality, got it?" Hollins chuckled. Were all Chinese-American players this polite?

"I understand, Coach."

"Good, that's right. Warm up properly. This afternoon, I'll have Turner walk you through the plays. You might need to get on the court and try running them. Don't worry, I'll allow you to make mistakes for now. And your teammates are all very easygoing. So, just go for it."

With that, Hollins turned and walked back to his office. Link stayed where he was, scratching his head.

The Grizzlies' teammates were all very easygoing? You must not watch the NBA...

※※※

At two in the afternoon, the moment Link dreaded most finally arrived. The Grizzlies' afternoon practice officially began, meaning the players would start filing in one by one.

And Link was the most unique presence in this training facility.

The first to walk in was Mike Conley. This fourth-year player, already the Grizzlies' starting point guard, had a sharp mind and deep loyalty to the team, but he wasn't one to wear his emotions on his sleeve.

"Hey." After noticing Link, Conley simply greeted him and went off to warm up on his own, as if Link didn't exist.

The second to enter was Marc Gasol, a "European Fortress" who had once been too fat to look like a professional player but was now incredibly lean.

Gasol Jr.'s personality was a bit more outgoing than his brother Paul's, but as a European player, he wasn't particularly warm with strangers. The Spanish center merely gave Link a slight nod as a greeting.

The third to step onto the court was Tony Allen, the most enthusiastic of the three so far. As soon as he came in, he walked up to Link in surprise. "You actually came!? Haha, I can't believe Wallace actually brought you to Memphis! Hey, you guys know this guy just dropped 52 points in the G League a few days ago? You're great, man. Sorry about what happened with Zeke. Hey, play well—you'll love Memphis, trust me."

Tony Allen's warmth caught Link off guard. As a fan in his past life, he only knew Tony Allen as a defensive stopper, a tough defender who gave even someone like LeBron James headaches.

He never expected this hard-nosed player to be so easygoing off the court.

"Thanks for the encouragement, Tony. I'll give it my all."

Link smiled awkwardly. He really couldn't emulate that "instant friendliness" vibe black guys had.

After that, the Grizzlies' players trickled in one by one. Some greeted Link, others completely ignored him. And someone like O.J. Mayo sized up his new teammate with a very arrogant gaze.

Beyond that, Grizzlies backup small forward Sam Young looked at Link with a hint of anger in his eyes. It was obvious to everyone: if Sam Young had been performing well, the Grizzlies wouldn't have needed to recruit Link. Link was here to compete with Sam Young, and it would be strange if competitors could have a friendly chat.

As time passed, more and more people filled the training facility. Link began to feel nervous because the "baddest" Grizzly of them all still hadn't shown up.

"BAM!" Just then, the training facility door was shoved open, and a hulking "mountain of meat" walked in, waving at everyone. "Afternoon, everyone."

Link looked at the black version of Jon Brockman and couldn't help but swallow.

Zach Randolph, the "most easygoing" teammate on the Grizzlies, had arrived!

When Link stared at Randolph, Randolph happened to turn his gaze toward him. Their eyes met, and Randolph flashed a sinister grin as he walked over to Link.

"You're Link? The guy who set the single-game scoring record in the G League?" Randolph asked as he approached.

"Hey, Zach."

"We don't need softies on this team. So if you want to stay, you'd better be tough on the court. Practice in Memphis isn't like playing house in the G League, hahaha." Randolph laughed, and Sam Young chuckled along.

"I know better than you how to play a tough game, Zach. I've seen plenty of big guys like you. Back in the G League, there was a big fella just like you who tried to threaten me." To everyone's surprise, Link shot back at Randolph.

"And?" Randolph leaned in close. He had expected the rookie to be too scared to speak. But now, he had to admit—he kind of liked this yellow-skinned guy.

What the Grizzlies needed was exactly this kind of fearless backbone.

"You'll find out the result soon enough."

"Ooh!!!!!" Hearing Link's reply, the Grizzlies players who had gathered to watch the commotion erupted in noise.

Randolph smiled too. He grabbed Link by the shoulder, squeezing with hidden force. "I'm looking forward to you showing me the result, kid."

After Randolph walked away, Link let out a long breath. It seemed that dealing with different people required different approaches.

The quiet Conley and Gasol Jr., the arrogant Mayo, the enthusiastic Tony Allen, the angry Sam Young, and the unpredictable Randolph... The Grizzlies, just like Memphis itself, were truly a chaotic melting pot of all sorts of misfits.

But as for his first training session, Link found himself growing more and more eager. This peculiar little group was actually quite interesting.