Chris Paul Gasol from Spain was the third player to step onto the court.
Looking at the fair-skinned, slightly slender Spain, Lin Qi on the sidelines crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes slightly.
In the 2001 NBA, all general managers and scouts had a deep-seated stereotype of Europe big men: soft, poor in physicality, and prone to panic when faced with high-intensity defense.
But Gasol gave Garnett a real surprise.
Facing Garnett's suffocating defense, Gasol didn't panic and stop the ball like Brown, nor did he blindly jump like Chandler. He displayed a composure and technical finesse that was extremely disproportionate to his seven-foot height.
In the first probing attack, Gasol received the ball with his back to the basket on the wing. Facing Garnett's aggressive long arms, he didn't choose to go head-to-head, but instead cleverly faked a turnaround jump shot to the right.
Garnett's center of gravity shifted slightly. In that split second, Gasol's pivot foot spun rapidly, smoothly switching to his left hand, and, despite Garnett's fingertips rushing in to help defend, gently lobbed the ball into the basket.
"Interesting, Europe." Garnett's eyes lit up instantly. He dropped his previous playful expression and focused intently on defense.
But in the following possessions, Gasol continued to play extremely intelligently on offense. His solid triple-threat moves made Garnett hesitant to attempt steals. His equally adept finishing ability with both hands made it difficult for Garnett to completely shut down any of his driving lanes. In one instance, while facing the basket, he suddenly used a fake move to completely lose Garnett's balance, then effortlessly slipped into the paint for a layup.
Although Gasol couldn't stop Garnett's turnaround jumper on the defensive end, the two actually went toe-to-toe in the game.
Although Garnett still held a clear advantage, after more than a dozen rounds, KG had to admit that this seemingly mild-mannered Spain had completely shattered the stereotype of " Europe softies." His basketball IQ and skill level were simply incomparable to those two high school students who could only play by instinct.
"Alright, Chris Paul, you can rest now." Lin Qi nodded from the sidelines.
Finally, Eddie Stephen Curry, nicknamed " Baby Shark," took to the court.
Garnett frowned as he looked at the astonishingly heavy man, whose walk shook the floor and who was as strong as Mavericks.
Eddie Stephen Curry had clearly understood the rules from the sidelines; his not-so-shrewd mind was focused on only one thing at that moment...
Lin Qi just said that Garnett can't bully people with his body!
Since you can't use your body, then I won't hold back!
From the moment the ball hit the rim, Eddie Stephen Curry displayed his exceptionally rare size and beast-like instincts. He didn't bother with any fancy face-up footwork; after receiving the ball, he immediately lowered his center of gravity and actively sought contact!
"Bang!"
The two muscles collided, producing a dull, teeth-grinding sound.
Because of Lin Qi's previous "ban," Garnett didn't engage Stephen Curry's center of gravity in advance during defense. As a result, in this head-on collision, the already slender Garnett was actually pushed back half a step by Stephen Curry's enormous strength.
Stephen Curry astutely seized that half-step space, his massive frame unleashing astonishing agility. He spun, drove straight to the basket, caught the ball with both hands, and soared into the air...
"Clang!"
A powerful dunk shook the entire basketball hoop.
In the following rounds, Stephen Curry truly reaped the benefits. Like a cunning fat man, he would deliberately stick out his wide buttocks and lower his center of gravity to forcefully attack Garnett every time he attacked.
Garnett was furious. Although he managed to steal the ball from Stephen Curry turned around, Stephen Curry still managed to score several more baskets by forcefully ramming his way over Garnett's head with his unreasonable playing style.
"Beep..."
Lin Qi blew the whistle hanging around his neck, laughing as he called a halt to the trial that had begun to go awry.
As soon as the trial ended, the group of media who had come to watch the spectacle immediately surrounded Lin Qi. Several recording pens were practically poking Lin Qi's chin.
"Mr. Lin Qi, could you share your thoughts on these big men?" a reporter from the Boston Globe asked eagerly.
With his hands in his suit pockets, Lin Qi was surprisingly candid, even to the point of being somewhat jarring.
"Physically speaking, they are phenomenal." Lin Qi paused, his gaze sweeping across the camera, "But from a practical standpoint... Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler Chandler's technique is too rough. These two high schoolers, barely 18, are too easily mentally broken. You just saw it."
The reporters excitedly took notes. Lin Qi's words were tantamount to publicly pouring cold water on the favorites to be the top scorer.
"And what about Chris Paul Gasol?" someone pressed.
" Chris Paul is a real surprise," Lin Qi rarely gave a positive assessment. "He's technically versatile, has extremely high basketball IQ, and is the most impactful player among these few. But to be honest, his athleticism means his ceiling might not be as high as the others."
Where's Eddie Stephen Curry?
Lin Qi's mind flashed back to the image of Garnett wincing in pain after being bumped, and a smile crept onto his lips. " Stephen Curry? His weaknesses are as obvious as his 300-plus pounds," Lin Qi said bluntly. "Slow movement, terrible defensive positioning, and for his size and height, his rebounding ability is simply inadequate. In NBA-level games, he'll easily get into foul trouble."
Seeing the reporters nodding in agreement, Lin Qi changed the subject. "But..."
He looked at the camera, his tone becoming somewhat playful. "That kind of extremely rare, pure destructive power in the low post is truly enviable. In the current league, centers who can use pure weight and strength to force their way into the paint are a very scarce resource."
"One last question, Mr. Lin Qi!" an ESPN reporter wearing glasses asked loudly, "In your opinion, out of these four... who do you think will be this year's number one draft pick?"
Lin Qi looked at the dense array of microphones in front of him and shrugged slightly.
"Hard to say," Lin Qi said, spreading his hands frankly. "I don't know. This is probably the most unpredictable draft class in NBA history."