Training Match

"Yufei, I never expected that compared to our last matchup, your strength would improve this much. It's truly astonishing."

While resting in the spa room, Sugiyama Shota spoke to Wu Yufei with a sigh of admiration.

It was perfectly normal for Sugiyama Shota to feel that way.

After all, their previous matchup had been two years ago.

For Wu Yufei, who had the system at his side and improved at an astonishing pace, even two months was enough to create a huge gap between his current self and his former self, let alone the full two-year difference Sugiyama Shota had witnessed.

"Sugiyama-senpai, you've improved tremendously too. In just one year, you've firmly secured the Tokyo Thunder's starting center position, haven't you?"

Wu Yufei had not deliberately followed Sugiyama Shota's performance over the year since he officially entered the Japan Professional Basketball League, but he had inevitably heard plenty through various channels.

As mentioned before, although Sugiyama Shota was only a second-year player in the Japan Professional Basketball League this year, he was the most high-profile second-year player. The same had been true last year, when he had just entered the league as a rookie.

Over the past year, Sugiyama Shota had started as a substitute and, in less than half a season, successfully displaced the team's original starting center, Takahashi Takeshi.

With averages of 20.8 points and 11.6 rebounds—a double-double—in his rookie season, Sugiyama Shota had not disappointed anyone who had placed their hopes in him.

That was only natural. After all, he was the Japan National Team's center.

It was also thanks to his outstanding performances that Tokyo Thunder led the regular season all the way through, eventually posting an excellent 42-18 record.

Unfortunately, in the second round of the playoffs, starting power forward Alexander, small forward Kikuchi Ryohei,