The Problem in Seat Number Three

The very first training scrimmage after arriving at the Grizzlies, Link's performance had already won over Lionel Hollins and his teammates.

Throughout the scrimmage, Sam Young looked like a bewildered college player, as if seeing professional poise for the first time.

Link, meanwhile, played like a veteran who had spent years in the NBA. His grasp of tactics, his chemistry with teammates, and even his habits on the court—none of it resembled a rookie.

Yet Link had only played three NBA games before this. And combined, those three games hadn't even given him ten minutes of playing time.

"Tweet tweet tweet!"

Elston Turner's whistle ended the thirty-minute scrimmage. In the end, Link's team, riding on Marc Gasol and Mike Conley's clutch play in the final moments, won by seven points.

In thirty minutes, Link put up 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. His stat line wasn't flashy, but that was because he hadn't taken many shots. His value on the court, however, couldn't be captured by numbers.

His screens, his movement to stretch the defense, his defense... Even the quiet Conley said to Link after the scrimmage, "Good work, man."

"Alright, everyone worked hard today. Practice is over. Link, keep it up." Hollins pointed at Link, then dismissed the team.

Link let out a long breath. His debut with the Grizzlies had gone off without a hitch.

Breaking into the rotation seemed just around the corner!

※※※

December 21, 2010. The Memphis Grizzlies hosted the New Jersey Nets at home, back before they moved to Brooklyn.

In this game, Link didn't get any playing time. He wasn't even on Lionel Hollins' active roster. Many fans guessed he'd been sent back down to the G League again.

That night, Brook Lopez and Marc Gasol put on a vintage big-man duel. Both teams played at a slow pace, constantly feeding the ball inside for the two centers to go one-on-one.

Seeing a game with a style reminiscent of 90s NBA in 2010 wasn't exactly common.

As a third-year player, Gasol Jr. had a pretty solid outing. In 28 minutes, he went 6-for-10 for a clean 19 points. Though Lopez's 8-for-14, 26-point performance was better, Gasol Jr. was still just a third-year player at this point.

The two sides stayed neck-and-neck, but starting midway through the third quarter, the Nets gradually seized control.

It wasn't because Nets head coach Avery "Little General" Johnson had pulled some trick out of his sleeve. It was because Rudy Gay had fallen back into his habit of chucking up shots.

On this Grizzlies team, the offensive focal point wasn't the "Grit and Grind" duo, not Mike Conley, and not the arrogant O.J. Mayo. It was the red-hot Rudy Gay.

Gay averaged 16.1 shots per game this season, the most on the team. Across the league, only stars like Kobe and James took more.

But Gay wasn't a superstar. When defenses keyed in on him, his shooting consistency was highly questionable.

Tonight was no different. After the middle of the third quarter, Gay started his "clanking show."

With Gay on the floor, the Grizzlies' offensive efficiency tanked. The Nets seized the opportunity and pulled away.

In the end, the Grizzlies lost at home, 94-101. From December 17 to today, this was their third straight loss.

"A real pity of a game. Memphis had a chance to win, but their star player messed it all up." Up in the broadcast booth, some local Memphis commentators couldn't help but gripe about Gay.

"Rudy Gay chucked up 16 shots and only made 4! Good lord, not only did he fail to step up in crunch time, he actively hurt the team. If not for his 25% shooting, the Grizzlies would've won easily! Look at Marc Gasol—he's the one with the makings of a true leader!"

The commentators' complaints weren't baseless. This wasn't the first time Gay had cost the team a game. He had a flaw: even when he was cold, he kept forcing shots. The worse he shot, the more stubborn he got.

It sounded a bit like Kobe, since Kobe was also one of the famous "iron kings." But Kobe's ability to close out games in clutch moments was something Rudy Gay couldn't hold a candle to.

After the game, Hollins walked toward the tunnel with a face full of gloom. When Rudy Gay went ice-cold, he'd subbed in Sam Young to hold the fort. But Young's 1-for-4 shooting left Hollins disappointed.

If he'd had any other option at the three, he wouldn't have watched Gay drag the team into the fire.

Just as Hollins was about to step into the tunnel, a reporter stopped him.

"Coach Hollins, a tough loss. Once again, the Grizzlies' lack of depth at the three has been exposed under the spotlight. We know that a few days ago, the Grizzlies signed Link to a ten-day contract. He was one of the best performers in the G League this season. But we didn't see him on the court tonight. When do you plan to play him?"

The reporter's question was pointed. Even Haddadi had gotten some garbage-time minutes tonight. If Haddadi could play, Link deserved a shot too.

Facing the reporter's barrage, Hollins still had his brow furrowed. "When the time is right, I'll put him in!"

With that, the defense-obsessed coach walked out of frame. Gay and Sam Young's combined 5-for-20 shooting had driven Hollins to despair.

Truth be told, Hollins desperately needed Link right now. Based on Link's scrimmage performance, he could definitely do more off the bench than Sam Young.

But Hollins had deliberately kept Link out tonight. Not because Link wasn't good enough, but because he wanted Link to get more accustomed to NBA intensity in practice, then put him in at the right moment to make an immediate impact—catch everyone off guard!

Hollins clenched his fist. He wouldn't let his team lose again because of problems at the three.

※※※

At that moment, Link was sweating it out in the practice gym at FedExForum. He hadn't made the active roster, which meant he didn't need to be on the game floor or in the locker room.

So all night, Link had been in the training facility, burning off his excess energy.

He didn't know Memphis well. He had no friends locally yet. Besides practicing, Link couldn't think of anything else to do.

The team had lost tonight, but seeing Rudy Gay and Sam Young's "crash-and-burn" performance, Link couldn't help but smirk.

The worse those two played, the better his chances of cracking the rotation. Link had only been with the Grizzlies a few days—he was far from developing any loyalty to the team. For now, personal playing time came before team wins.

Just as Link was grinning at the TV in the practice gym, the door swung open. Link jumped, and the person pushing through looked just as surprised.

"Link!? What are you doing here?" Lionel Hollins's jaw dropped.

"I've been here all night, Coach. Since I couldn't play, I had to find something to do." Link gave an awkward smile.

"You've been in the practice gym all night?" Hollins shook his head. He'd told Link to go home after afternoon practice. He never expected the guy to stay and train alone for this long.

At the Grizzlies, extra practice wasn't common. Forget about the "princes" Mayo and Gay—they barely finished their regular workouts.

Conley was diligent and hardworking, but he rarely stayed behind to increase his own workload. Randolph wasn't young anymore, and Gasol Jr., as a heavy fortress, wasn't suited for excessive strain either.

As a result, extra practice was uncommon in Memphis.

Hollins had originally returned to the office to grab something, but he unexpectedly stumbled upon this scene. He smiled, then slowly walked toward Link. "Don't stay behind alone for extra practice anymore. It's not effective."

"Coach, but I—"

Before Link could finish his sentence, Hollins spoke again. "If you need extra practice, I can arrange a trainer for you. That way, you'll get twice the results with half the effort, Link. The resources of an NBA team are the best in the world. It'd be a shame not to use them."

Patting Link on the back with a smile, Hollins turned and left.

At that moment, a powerful wish surged in Hollins' heart—maybe in the next game, it was time to let the world see what that kid could do.