Lawrence, Kansas.
Wearing a coat, Lin Qi walked into Allen Fieldhouse, which is known as the mecca of college basketball in the United States.
Inside this nearly half-century-old red-brick building, fans of the University of Kansas's " Jayhawks " are creating a deafening roar.
Lin Qi sat down in the front row, slightly to the side. To his left sat several scouts wearing badges for other NBA teams. These scouts held stopwatches, scribbled in their notebooks, occasionally whispered to each other, and sometimes pointed at the University of Kansas's number 10 point guard on the court.
"The first step was too slow; speed alone cannot break through the defenses."
"With mediocre wingspan and average jumping ability, this kind of static talent would definitely put him at a disadvantage defensively against those black guards in the NBA."
"The most fatal flaw is that he's a senior who's already played four seasons. He'll be 22 and a half in the draft next year. His potential has long since peaked, and there's absolutely no room for imagination when it comes to drafting him."
Lin Qi listened to the scouts' whispers beside him, and expressionlessly opened his black notebook.
This is why, at this point in time, Kirk Hinrich is only ranked in the mid-to-late first round on various draft prediction lists.
The current NBA draft scene is in a morbid frenzy of obsession with "fresh meat" (young, unpromising players). Ever since high school players like Garnett, Kobe, and McGrady achieved success, scouts across the league have been frantically searching for the next 18-year-old superstar high school player (like LeBron James ) or a freshman who has shown explosive talent (like Anthony and Bosh ).
In the eyes of these scouts, age is the original sin. Veterans like Hinrich, who have played four years of college basketball in a predictable manner, are synonymous with "lack of potential" and "a predictable future."
This bias will persist until next April. It won't be until Hinrich dominates " March Madness " and leads University of Kansas to the NCAA NBA Finals Four that scouts who only look at physical test data will wake up and allow Hinrich's draft position to soar to seventh in the first round before the draft.
But even now, in this snowy November, this treasure is still underestimated by most people.
On the court, University of Kansas's number 10, Kirk Hinrich, is guarding an explosively athletic black combo guard with an incredibly fast first step.
Seeing Hinrich's defense, Lin Qi's eyes lit up slightly.
Hinrich has a refined, clean-cut white face and neatly combed short hair, making him look like a choir boy who has just come out of church. But once he gets to the defensive end, he immediately transforms into a highly aggressive perimeter hunting dog.
Facing the opposing guard's continuous crossovers and explosive probing, Hinrich didn't fall for any feints. He kept his center of gravity extremely low, and his footwork was textbook precise. The opponent tried to use the center's screen to get away, but Hinrich was like a piece of chewing gum, using an almost physical fighting style to forcefully squeeze through the narrow gap between the screener and the ball handler, sticking close to the opponent's side, and ultimately forcing the opponent to take an absurd forced shot when the 24 seconds were about to expire.
"Top-tier defensive skills, an extremely keen sense for pick-and-roll situations, and fearlessness in physical confrontations."
Lin Qi wrote his first comment in his notebook.
In the transition between offense and defense, Hinrich dribbled the ball up half-court. In this team coached by renowned coach Roy Williams, Hinrich is the absolute brains.
Unlike other talented players who dribble excessively between their legs and showcase their skills at the top of the key, he cleverly detected the opponent's defensive collapse within half a second of reaching the three-point line. With a flick of his wrist, he delivered a bounce pass, accurately finding his big teammate ( Nique Collison ) cutting to the basket.
The instant the ball was passed, Hinrich moved quickly to the weak-side corner. His teammate, double-teamed in the paint, passed the ball to Hinrich in the corner. Hinrich received the ball, jumped, and shot without any further adjustments.
Swish.
Three point hit.
The entire round flowed smoothly without any pauses.
"Doesn't hold onto the ball for long, has a decision-making time of less than 0.5 seconds when reading the game. Possesses top-tier off-ball movement awareness and catch-and-shoot ability."
This is what senior students have accumulated over four years of rigorous academic training.
Lin Qi watched the tireless number 10 running on the field.
To date, Kirk Hinrich is his favorite and most coveted player in this draft class, dubbed the " Platinum Generation."
It's not because Hinrich has the best talent, but because he's a perfect fit for the current Boston Celtics.
Boston's talent is overflowing.
If Lin Qi were to impulsively draft a player like Anthony who demands unlimited shooting opportunities and tactical favoritism, even if he did draft him, the overflowing locker room wouldn't provide enough ball possession to feed him. Instead, it would lead to endless tactical infighting and ball possession battles.
What Boston needs now is a "high-IQ plug-in" like Hinrich who can seamlessly integrate.
When Billups needs a rest, Hinrich can perfectly fill in at point guard, orchestrating the offense flawlessly. When Pierce and Wade are isolation plays, Hinrich is a reliable source of space for killer three-pointers. On the defensive end, he can relentlessly attack the opponent's fastest guards, saving valuable energy for Billups and Pierce.
In the second half, in order to win a ball that was about to go out of bounds, the seemingly gentle Hinrich did not hesitate to throw himself onto the wooden floor in front of the scorer's table, his chin hitting the ground hard, and managed to retrieve the ball.
He got up, casually wiped the blood from his chin, and continued his defensive retreat with a fierce look in his eyes, without even frowning.
Seeing this, Lin Qi closed his notebook with satisfaction.
He has basketball IQ, doesn't hog the ball, is incredibly accurate from three-point range, and on the defensive end, he inherently possesses the tough, blue-collar qualities that Boston loves.
This is practically a perfect piece of the puzzle tailor-made for a championship contender.
Lin Qi stood up, ignoring the scouts around him who were still shaking their heads at Hinrich's static stats, and turned to walk out of Allen Fieldhouse.