Brothers, Being a Wimp Has a Bright Future!

[Ding, congratulations, Host, you have obtained 1 random attribute point. Enhance it?]

The system's voice rang out again.

The muscles at the corners of Zhou Ze's mouth twitched involuntarily.

A random attribute?

Was this damned system really being so careless?

To be honest, what Zhou Ze wanted most right now was to add some wingspan. After all, his current wingspan was indeed a little too short. Even his standing reach was inferior to that of some guards with elite physical gifts.

[Ding, Vertical Leap +1, increased to 71 (115).]

"Not bad."

"This one point of vertical leap might not seem like much, but for many NBA players, this is the result of training hard for half an offseason."

Zhou Ze was quite satisfied with it.

After the game, the players from both sides followed convention and exchanged hugs in the spirit of "friendship first, competition second."

Seeing the sour-faced Kenyon Martin walking toward him, Zhou Ze smiled and opened his arms.

Kenyon Martin had put up 8 points and 4 rebounds tonight. Moreover, Zhou Ze had pulled him out near the three-point line during the game, leaving him with barely any presence on the court.

"Man, why do you look so unhappy?" Zhou Ze asked, though he already knew the answer.

Kenyon Martin rolled his eyes irritably.

"Bro, I think you should shoot more threes instead of always trying to bang it out under the basket. Look at me—I barely broke a sweat and easily scored 20-plus."

"Being a softie has a bright future," Zhou Ze said with a broad grin.

Naturally, Zhou Ze did not mean what he said.

First of all, although Zhou Ze played the softie for most of his offensive possessions, he worked hard on defense. That was why Kobe merely gritted his teeth whenever Zhou Ze missed a mismatch shot in the paint, rather than roaring at him.

Second, Zhou Ze felt that, as one of the few active softies in the league, he was somewhat unique. Through his own efforts, he hoped to bring more and more big men into the ranks of softies.

Once they all became softies, and he himself had fully developed into an invincible hard man, wouldn't that be double the happiness?

Lastly, not every player could develop a three-point shot. Most NBA players who were not known for shooting early in their careers would struggle their entire lives to develop a reliable three-pointer.

Of course, Kenyon Martin did not take Zhou Ze's words to heart.

"Rookie, I hope you'll still have such good luck the next time we meet." In Kenyon Martin's eyes, Zhou Ze might have had a decent three-point shot, but the reason he had put up such pretty numbers tonight was largely because the team had not taken him seriously from the start or defended him specifically. That had allowed him to find his rhythm and shoot with plenty of confidence.

"Don't worry. The next time we meet, I'll be ten thousand eight hundred times more accurate than I am now," Zhou Ze said confidently.

Meanwhile, as a rookie—and one with Chinese nationality at that—Zhou Ze had recorded 23 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds in his debut. After the game, he was surrounded by more than a dozen media outlets.

In terms of media appeal, no one on the entire Los Angeles Lakers roster could rival him apart from Kobe.

However, the questions from the American reporters were extremely tricky and sharp.

"Zhou, as a rookie, you attempted ten three-pointers tonight. Aren't you worried your teammates might have a problem with that?"

"Zhou, as an interior player standing 206 cm barefoot and weighing 113 kg, you had very few offensive possessions in the paint. Do you have some kind of aversion to contact?"

"Zhou, you played 30 minutes tonight but grabbed only 3 rebounds, ranking sixth on the Los Angeles Lakers—worse than even Kobe, a guard. Do you dislike fighting for offensive rebounds?"

"Zhou, has your relationship with Kobe really improved? Are you still willing to play with Kobe?"

And so on!

The reporters' questions were far from friendly.

[Ding, Basketball Peak System has issued a daily player mission: Clap Back at Reporters!]

[Mission Reward: 300 Peak Points.]

Before the media interview, the coaching staff and PR team had both hoped that Zhou Ze's answers would be more humble and gentle, allowing him to build a positive image in front of the media.

But the system's reward was simply too tempting.

A bookshelf grouping feature has been added. You can add multiple books to groups for categorization. If you have any suggestions after using it, feel free to let us know, and we'll make further changes.

Sorry about this!

That damned system won't let me keep a low profile!

"That's right. I attempted ten three-pointers, but I made five of them. Is my three-point percentage really that low?"

"As a rookie on the team, I may have taken quite a few shots, but that was arranged by the coaching staff. You should ask Mr. Phil Jackson about that."

"Why did I take so few shots in the paint? That was also arranged by the coaching staff!!!"

"For the team to win, I'm willing to do anything, even if it means becoming the softie you all see me as!"

"As for rebounds, I really didn't protect the boards well enough. I'll step up my training in that area."

"Kobe and I don't have that many conflicts. I believe he doesn't dislike playing on the court with me either."

Faced with the reporters' tricky questions, Zhou Ze remained neither servile nor overbearing, firing back at them one by one.

When it came to his shortcomings and weaknesses, such as rebounding and defense, Zhou Ze did not avoid the subject either, admitting them openly.

Seeing the forceful and domineering Zhou Ze stare them straight in the eye, the reporters who had wanted to make things difficult for him suddenly felt inexplicably guilty.

Meanwhile, the reporters who supported Zhou Ze applauded one after another.

At the same time, while Kobe was being interviewed by the media, a reporter asked him how it felt to play alongside Zhou Ze. Kobe replied with a helpless laugh, "Whenever I want to beat the hell out of him, he always changes my mind with his performance on the court and makes me want to buy him a hearty breakfast instead."

When Kobe mentioned Zhou Ze, there was indeed a teeth-gritting expression on his face, but there was even more appreciation.

The reporters could also tell that Kobe truly had a love-hate relationship with Zhou Ze.

[Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the daily mission—Fiercely Rebuke Reporters.]

[Ding, congratulations, reward obtained—300 Peak Points.]

[Peak Points]: 416/816

Zhou Ze immediately gained two chances at a random draw.

Having just gone off on the media reporters, Zhou Ze was in a good mood. He truly hoped there would be more missions like this in the future.

However, the Los Angeles Lakers' public relations manager hurriedly pulled Zhou Ze aside, afraid that he would become hostile with the media.

After all, those unscrupulous media outlets loved taking things out of context.

"Zhou, these media people aren't easy to deal with. Facing them like that will bring you no small amount of trouble."

"You should learn from your fellow countryman—Yao Ming."

The Los Angeles Lakers' media PR manager earnestly tried to persuade Zhou Ze.

Though Zhou Ze could be somewhat irreverent, he was not incapable of appreciating kindness. He knew the other man meant well.

Afraid of being lectured, Zhou Ze promptly admitted his mistake.

Only then did the PR manager breathe a sigh of relief.

What the PR manager did not know was that Zhou Ze's principle was: "Admit mistakes enthusiastically, never change."

"Draw!"

"Draw!"

Zhou Ze continued drawing!

Two draws in a row.

[Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining Random Attribute +1. Would you like to enhance it?]

[Yes.]

[Ding, Release Speed +1, increased to 72 (115).]

[Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining a new badge—Sharpshooter (Bronze).]

A bookshelf grouping feature has been added. You can add multiple books to a group for categorization. If you have any suggestions after using it, feel free to raise them and we will make further adjustments.

At the request of many readers, an ad-free VIP membership feature is now available.

Click to view