Everyone matured eventually. The only question was whether it happened sooner or later.
There was no doubt that Zach Randolph was one of those who matured late. During the prime of his career, Randolph had never focused on the basketball court.
Drugs, nightclubs, stashing guns, skipping practice, beating up teammates... These things seemed to fill Zach Randolph's life.
But now, at thirty years old, Randolph finally knew what he needed to do. He had to fight for his career and, most importantly, for the Grizzlies.
He loved the Grizzlies because he could see a reflection of himself in them. At his lowest point, the Grizzlies had welcomed him without looking down on him. So he wanted his team to grow stronger, and in truth, Randolph had always been working toward that goal.
That was why he wouldn't tolerate any Grizzlies player just going through the motions, especially a rookie.
Two minutes into the scrimmage, Link had been playing exceptionally well. It wasn't because he had scored a lot, but because he always showed up in exactly the right place for the play.
Whether it was his defensive positioning, offensive movement, setting screens for teammates, or moving the ball, Link did everything just right. For a role player, avoiding mistakes was more important than creating dazzling plays. Link's consistency on the court was something Sam Young simply couldn't match.
Once again, Link shut down Sam Young's shot. It wasn't that Link's defense was especially brilliant; Sam Young's offensive game was simply far too predictable.
Sam Young was undoubtedly an athletic wing, but unfortunately, his ball-handling wasn't very good. He wasn't quick with the dribble, and against tough defense, he struggled to get the ball to the basket.
That was why Sam Young's favorite move was to dribble once or twice, then suddenly pull up for a jump shot. His shooting inside the three-point line was quite good, as NBA games had already proved.
But his offensive game was so limited that Link could predict exactly when Sam Young would shoot without breaking a sweat. Whenever Sam Young attacked with the ball, Link counted his steps. After two, he'd jump to contest the shot—and get it right every time.
As a result, nearly every shot Sam Young took today was heavily contested. If he were Kobe, he could get away with that. But as an ordinary role player, Sam Young's shooting percentage under pressure was downright ugly.
Two minutes in, Sam Young had taken three shots and missed them all. After bricking another one, his numbers stood at zero for four.
Hollins shook his head. This was why he didn't trust Sam Young.
The kid was strong, played hard on defense, and could dunk and shoot. On paper, he should have been a great backup. But his impatience on the court was holding him back. He wasn't consistent, and the Grizzlies were a team that prized consistency above all.
Seeing Link shut down Sam Young's attack again, Randolph gave a quiet snort. Sam Young was putting far too little pressure on Link, so Randolph decided to make the scrimmage a little more interesting.
On the next defensive possession, Randolph focused on Link. The moment Sam Young got beaten, Randolph would help on defense. He wanted to see how a slow-moving, yellow-skinned player could make Sam Young look completely helpless.
Conley dribbled and called out instructions. He made a hand signal, and Link immediately understood and started moving!
Even though Elston Turner had only explained the play once, Link knew this time they were running a cut for him to score. It was his chance to show what he could do on offense, and he couldn't mess it up.
Conley stopped beyond the three-point line as Darrell Arthur came up to set a screen. It was only a decoy screen; Conley had no intention of attacking. He was waiting for Link to make his move.
Link and Gasol Jr. set an off-ball screen together. With Gasol Jr.'s solid screen, Link easily shook off the impatient Sam Young.
At the same time, Conley delivered the ball. Link cut to the basket, caught it, and had a chance to attack the rim!
"Great chemistry!" Lionel Hollins clapped from the sideline. The NBA had plenty of plug-and-play players, whose wealth of experience and high basketball IQ let them adapt quickly to any team.
But those players were usually veterans. This was the first time Hollins had seen a rookie who could fit right in like that!
Randolph came charging into the paint from the side. When he saw Link leap, the "Big Black Bear" jumped too. He wasn't going to go easy on Link. Better to get brutally blocked by a teammate than be embarrassed by an opponent in a real game!
Randolph swung his arm hard, but nothing happened! In midair, Link suddenly changed his shot into a pass, threading the ball past Randolph to the perimeter.
"What!?" Randolph's eyes widened. Was this guy really a wing? He had the court vision of Mike Conley!
And beyond the three-point line, the player who caught the ball was Darrell Arthur, whom Randolph had left wide open.
Darrell Arthur wasn't particularly famous in the NBA, but in the NCAA, he'd once been a dominant force. As Kansas's star forward, he had led the team to a win over the University of Memphis, which had Derrick Rose, and captured that year's NCAA championship.
Arthur had been an explosive leaper and dunker in college, but his athleticism seemed mediocre by NBA standards. Still, as a power forward, he had a steady three-point shot, which was what kept him in the league.
Back when stretch fours hadn't yet become commonplace, Arthur's occasional, unexpected three-pointers could deal the opposition a serious blow—just like now.
Randolph had been completely drawn into the paint by Link, leaving Arthur wide open for a shot. Arthur made the most of the opportunity, turning Link's brilliant pass into an assist.
Arthur scored, and Link cocked his head at Randolph. "You almost got a hand on me."
"Little punk!" Randolph cursed, but he had a smile on his face.
A teammate who was both clever and rebellious seemed right up Randolph's alley.
Randolph had failed to put Link in his place that possession. On the next one, he didn't expect Link to turn the tables and put him in his place instead.
This time, Randolph planned to use his size to overpower Arthur. But the moment he caught the ball with his back to the basket, he was double-teamed.
And Link was the one who came to double-team him!
Hollins frowned. Doubling Randolph hadn't been part of his strategy. A player didn't have to follow the coach's instructions every second on the court, but freelancing and giving up points wasn't acceptable.
So, would Link's decision to freelance work?
Link's double-team was crafty. He kept disrupting Randolph's footing, making him afraid to bring the ball below chest level. Randolph had already gotten a taste of just how good the Chinese-American wearing number zero was at stripping the ball, thanks to Sam Young.
Unable to lower the ball, Randolph couldn't turn and drive. But trying a hook shot or turnaround jumper from that distance would have been a stretch.
With no other choice, Randolph passed to the wide-open Sam Young.
Sam Young caught the ball beyond the three-point line and had a chance to shoot, but his atrocious three-point percentage made him hesitate!
At the NBA level, one second of hesitation was enough for an opportunity to disappear. By the time he reacted, Link had already gotten back to him!
"Beautiful!" Hollins couldn't help clapping from the sideline. He'd lost count of how many times he'd applauded Link today, but he just couldn't help himself.
With energetic movement and a clever approach, Link had successfully stifled the opposition's attack. That was exactly the kind of defense Hollins liked.
At that moment, Hollins couldn't help wondering how Link had gone undrafted. Surely he was worth a second-round pick, at the very least. With that basketball IQ, Link already deserved to rank among the top sixty rookies in the draft class.
With Link contesting him, Sam Young had no choice but to pass again. Randolph had lost his best position after his attack failed. Their offense had been completely disrupted, and it ended with Mayo missing on a one-on-one attempt.
Watching Mayo choose to go one-on-one against Tony Allen, Link shook his head. Mayo was the type who had a star's ego but not a star's talent.
Gasol Jr. grabbed the rebound, and Link's team quickly launched a fast break. Conley moved the ball up quickly this time. He caught Gasol Jr.'s pass and immediately sent it ahead to Link.
But Sam Young cut Link off, costing him some time. Randolph caught up and rushed to protect the basket.
Even though Link had been cut off, his lighter, quicker body meant he could still get past a defender. He used a change of direction with an odd rhythm to blow past Sam Young, and the feeling of beating his man was exhilarating.
Just imagine how amazing it would feel once he upgraded to peak Hill. After all, peak Hill's first step was incredible.
After getting past Sam Young, Link charged into the paint and took off for a layup.
Randolph reacted half a beat too slowly. He'd thought Link would pass, but the kid was attacking with surprising force!
Link's yellow skin made people assume he was soft. But the truth was, Link didn't shy away from contact.
Because he was a fraction late getting in position, Randolph couldn't block the shot. Instead, his whole bulky body came crashing down on Link.
Link gritted his teeth and fought to keep his balance, doing his best to keep his shooting form intact. Then the "Big Black Bear" knocked him flying out of bounds. But as he hit the floor, Link heard Turner's whistle—and the sound of the ball dropping through the net!
"Damn it, Zach. You gave him a chance for a three-point play. In a real game, you'd be on the bench already! Great job, Link! If someone gets careless on defense, make him pay for it!"
Hollins roared from the sideline. Randolph shrugged helplessly, then walked over to Link.
At first, Link thought Randolph was coming over to trash-talk him. Instead, the "Big Black Bear" reached down toward him with a powerful arm.
"Nice work. That's how you play in Memphis. Oh, and I forgot to say this at lunch—welcome to the Grizzlies, buddy."
Randolph smiled. He acknowledged the yellow-skinned kid's ability.
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