Player File! The Scrappy Rookie Who Elbowed Kobe!

Los Angeles Lakers.

Inside General Manager Mitch Kupchak's office.

The team executives angrily surrounded Mitch Kupchak.

"I said from the start that finding hidden gems in the lower picks was an extremely difficult thing."

"Zhou, he's just a guy with developed limbs and a simple mind."

"That's right, Mr. Kupchak. We're Los Angeles, not Houston. There's no need to pinch pennies. Sign players who can contribute right away and give Kobe our full support."

"Zhou, he's a ticking time bomb. We need to put him on the trading block as soon as possible."

"Zhou's cancerous nature has already shown itself. That bastard actually dared to elbow Kobe."

"That guy's iron elbow left Kobe needing eight stitches over his eye. Fortunately, it won't affect the regular-season opener."

"Zhou Ze was already a repeat offender in college. New Orleans rookie Chris Paul knew that all too well."

The management pressured Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, wanting to DNP Zhou Ze, whom the team had selected with the seventh pick of the second round this year, and trade him as soon as possible.

This gave the two men a headache.

Just yesterday, during the Lakers' internal scrimmage, Zhou Ze had viciously thrown an iron elbow at Kobe, who was driving to the basket in an attempt to dunk over him.

Kobe immediately bled all over the court.

The incident of a Los Angeles rookie elbowing Kobe quickly blew up online.

Breaking News!!! Lakers Rookie Elbows Kobe!

Kobe and Zhou Ze Exchange Elbows in Scrimmage!

Locker Room Bomb! Troublemaker Rookie!

Who Dares Elbow Kobe? Only I, Chef Zhou!

<Lakers Second-Round Pick Zhou Ze's Greatest Skill Isn't Dunking, Nor Is It Cooking—It's Elbowing People.>

Phil Jackson, the Zen Master who had returned to coach the Lakers this year, once again reviewed Zhou Ze's player profile in the face of the team management's fierce "protests."

Player: Zhou Ze

Nationality: China

Date of Birth: June 6, 1986 (19 years and 4 months+)

Height: 206 cm barefoot, 208 cm in shoes (His growth plates have not fully closed; he may still grow taller.)

Wingspan: 211 cm

Shoulder Width: 66 cm

Standing Reach: 267 cm

Weight: 113 kg

For his static physical gifts and build, NBA scouts had given him a score of 7.

A five-centimeter difference between his wingspan and height was not particularly bad. It was still around the lower end of average.

Paul George had the same wingspan as Zhou Ze, yet he gave people a lean, mesmerizing impression. The reason was his shoulder width.

But Zhou Ze had shoulders 66 centimeters wide, comparable to many centers over seven feet tall. As a result, his standing reach was only 267 centimeters.

A standing reach of 267 centimeters was an abysmal level for an interior player.

Michael Jordan, who stood 198 centimeters tall, had a standing reach of 269 centimeters.

Sun Yue also had a standing reach of 267 centimeters.

Even guards with excellent static athleticism had standing reaches no worse than Zhou Ze's.

Because of this, scouts jokingly called Zhou Ze "Tyrannosaurus Rex."

As for his dynamic athleticism:

Standing Vertical Leap: 81 cm

Running Vertical Leap: 90 cm

84 kg Bench Press: 22 reps (Best in the 2005 class)

Three-Quarter Court Sprint (22.86 m): 3.28 seconds

Four-Point Lane Agility Drill: 10.95 seconds

An 81 cm standing vertical—on par with Walker, Chris Paul, McCollum, and Butler—yet Zhou Ze was a legitimate interior player at 206 cm and 113 kg.

His 90 cm running vertical rivaled those explosive dunkers like J.R. Smith, Howard, and Stephen Curry.

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He bench-pressed 84 kg for 22 reps, not only ranking first among the 2005 class but utterly crushing top pick Andrew Bogut. Even in the long history of the NBA, that was an absolutely explosive result.

His three-quarter-court sprint was on the same level as Curry, Beal, and Booker.

His four-point movement within the three-second area was on par with Beal's.

Zhou Ze's speed, leaping ability, and agility were all at a guard-level standard.

For that reason, NBA scouts gave Zhou Ze a 9 out of 10 for his athleticism.

The perfect score was 10.

The one point deducted was for "jump quickness" and "explosiveness."

Zhou Ze's jump quickness and explosiveness were extremely average.

Although he could jump high, he needed a long time to gather himself, giving opponents plenty of time to rotate over.

Although he ran fast, his acceleration was poor, making it difficult for him to beat defenders with his first step.

In terms of basketball skills:

Limited by his average physical tools and lacking explosiveness and jump quickness, his one-on-one defense was acceptable, but his help defense and rim protection were poor. Although his defensive effort far surpassed that of ordinary players, he was easily faked out and prone to getting into foul trouble too early.

His overall defensive ability had not reached the NBA average.

Likewise, while he had a solid frame and outstanding strength, his rebounding instincts were average. He was not the kind of rebounder a team could rely on.

On offense, aside from bullying his way through opponents with his body in the post, he only had a turnaround jumper from the right side, and his post footwork was rough. NCAA players were relatively weaker physically and in terms of strength, so Zhou Ze could often put up decent numbers. But once he reached the NBA, the flaw of his limited offensive arsenal would be completely exposed.

His mid-range shooting was practically nonexistent.

His three-point shooting had good efficiency and volume during his NCAA years, making him one of the best big-man shooters in the 2005 class!!!

His ball-handling ability was practically nonexistent.

As the "leader" of the North Carolina Five and a key contributor to the team's championship run, Zhou Ze possessed terrifying court vision, solid passing fundamentals, and boundless creativity in his passing. However, he attempted too many risky passes, and against higher-level competition, he would likely struggle with turnovers.

NBA scouts gave Zhou Ze a skill rating of "6."

Personality and other factors.

In addition to a player's physical tools, athleticism, and skills, player profiles also included evaluations of "personality," "mental fortitude," and "injury risks."

Zhou Ze possessed an extremely strong competitive drive, like Jordan and Kobe.

Even when his team was in adversity, he never had the slightest thought of giving up. The more unfavorable the situation, the more daring he was to shoot and take responsibility.

He had good communication skills. He had firmly secured a starting role as a freshman and also served as the team's "leader" on the court. Beyond his personal ability, his communication skills were evident as well.

He had a fiery temper and was easily provoked. When faced with an opponent's taunts, he would occasionally be enraged and come to blows. Chris Paul of Vickson University understood that very well.

When Zhou Ze first arrived at North Carolina, he had no shortage of conflicts with the North Carolina Four, who were juniors. But with his superb cooking skills and unique personal charm, he integrated well into the team and quickly built chemistry with his teammates.

His knees carried a certain injury risk. Before March Madness, he had once spent two months recovering from an injury.

With average physical tools and raw skills, but excellent running and jumping ability, a solid frame, outstanding strength, and a three-point shot, the reason Zhou Ze had fallen to the second round—

was his fiery temperament and injury concerns.

One had to remember that the other four members of the North Carolina Five were:

Marvin Williams, this year's second overall pick.

Raymond Felton, the fifth pick of the first round.

Sean May, the thirteenth pick of the first round.

Rashad McCants, the fourteenth pick of the first round.

Even Rashad McCants, the lowest-drafted among them, went fourteenth in the first round. And they were all juniors; in terms of potential, they were in a completely different league from the just-turned-nineteen Zhou Ze.

For that reason, when the Los Angeles Lakers selected Zhou Ze with their second-round pick, Lakers fans all felt they had struck gold.

With such explosive physical talent, he could absolutely become an important piece of the team's rebuild and a key lieutenant supporting Kobe.

But no one had expected...

Zhou Ze to ruthlessly elbow Kobe during yesterday's open intrasquad scrimmage.

Kobe had elbowed Zhou Ze on the previous possession, sure, but Zhou Ze's retaliation had not only come quickly—it had come viciously.

After Shaquille O'Neal was traded away and the Lakers F4 disbanded, Kobe became the team's undisputed core.

As a nation known for etiquette, China should understand social etiquette and human nature very well, shouldn't you?

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