Presti turned to page four and stopped at a report from a Mississippi prep high school.
"Al Jefferson, Prentice High School, Mississippi." Presti adjusted his glasses. "He's 6'10" (2.08 meters) tall, weighs 260 pounds, and has hands as wide as maple leaves. He grew up helping his grandfather move logs at the lumberyard, so his lower body is incredibly solid. In his senior year of high school, he averaged 42.6 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 blocks per game. The University of Arkansas offered him a place, but he's so poor he can't even afford his mother's medical bills, so he'll definitely skip a grade."
Lin Qi pulled the folder closer and flipped through the interview notes attached to the back of the report by the local Mississippi scout. Tucked inside was a receipt from a local fast-food restaurant, with the scout's on-site investigation notes written in ballpoint pen: This kid can eat a whole tub of fried chicken and three boxes of sugary Apple at every meal; the high school gym in Prentice doesn't even have a decent pull-up bar.
"His low-post touch is extremely soft, and his footwork is reminiscent of Kevin McHale." Lin Qi looked at the shot distribution chart in the appendix. " Darrell calculated his close-range bank shot conversion rate on the computer last week, and it's close to 72% on the right side of the paint. But this kid is used to the wild life in a small town in southern Mississippi, eating sugary muffins and fried chicken for lunch every day. His body fat percentage is 14.5%, and he can't even run four full laps in an endurance test before he's panting heavily, clutching his knees. He has absolutely no lateral quickness to defend pick-and-rolls, and his rim protection relies entirely on standing within a meter of the basket with his arms outstretched. If we can get him to the middle of the first round, he can be used as a weapon to break down the paint, but he can't be the core cornerstone of a team."
"And then there's JR Smith from St. Benedict Prep in New Jersey." Presti turned a page. "He's a five-star guard for Roy Williams at North Carolina, with a shooting range that extends two steps beyond the three-point line. He's incredibly athletic, a real springy guy. But in the video footage Frank Vogel pulled up, his mental assessment was terrible. He's extremely emotional, only looking at the basket when he has the ball, and his defense is completely dependent on his mood."
"The local scouts clearly noted in the comments that JR's father was constantly blocking the high school locker room, interfering with the coach's tactical arrangements." Lin Qi closed the two pages. "Among these high schoolers, there are many physically gifted, but few who are truly intelligent."
Presti turned the page, revealing a team photo of the 38-0 team. In the center of the photo was a group of young men in dark blue jerseys, with the Oak Hill Academy team flag hanging behind them.
" Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, the undisputed champions of high school basketball this year." Presti pointed to the tall boy standing in the center of the front row, "Scouts across the country are practically wearing down the doorsteps of that remote mountain school in southwestern Virginia, all scouting for Josh Smith. 6'9" (2.06 meters), left-handed, with an incredible leaping ability, capable of dunking straight at the rim in fast breaks, and his weak-side help defense is rated number one in the nation. Scouting reports compare him to Sean Marion or Amar'e Stoudamire. This kid is currently ranked in the top five high school basketball in the nation, and his draft stock is at least a top-ten pick in the first round."
"How many of the games from Oak Hill have you watched?" Lin Qi asked.
"I watched all eight videotapes last week in Frank Vogel's server room." Presti pulled a data floppy disk from a drawer. "Josh Smith's physique is undeniably excellent, but he has a bad habit. Despite his 230-pound frame being unstoppable under the basket, he stubbornly relies on his outside shooting. He averages four long two-pointers and three-pointers per game, with a shooting percentage of less than 25%. Coach Steve Smith has slammed his clipboard down countless times on the sidelines, but he still keeps pulling up for those jump shots."
As Lin Qi looked at the group photo, his finger suddenly slid past Josh Smith's side and landed on a small player on the far left of the back row, almost huddled in the shadows.
The boy was extremely thin, wearing a loose-fitting number 4 jersey, with a buzz cut, and two unusually long arms hanging naturally, his hands reaching his thighs near his knees.
"Have you done the scouting assessment for this point guard?" Lin Qi asked.
Presti followed Lin Qi's finger and stared blankly. "Number 4? Rajon Rondo? Boss, Rondo isn't even on any draft prediction list this year."
Why aren't you here?
"Because no one would pick a short high school point guard who can't even make a proper mid-range shot." Presti closed the clipboard and explained professionally, " Rondo transferred from Eastern Conference Louisville High School to Oak Hill last year. He caused a lot of trouble back in Kentucky, was withdrawn and taciturn, and ran off to Virginia after a falling out with his high school coach. His physical test showed he was only 6 feet 1 inch barefoot and weighed 170 pounds. The worst part was his shooting heat map; aside from driving into the paint for layups, his jump shot percentage was abysmal outside the free-throw line. His release motion was a push from his chest with a noticeable pause."
Presti took a breath and continued, "Right now, the league's ideal point guard is Jason Kidd, Baron Davis, and Chauncey Billups Billups. A point guard must be at least 6'3" (1.91 meters) tall, able to hold his own in the low post, and able to punish zone defenses on the perimeter. Rondo too thin, has a terrible shot, and in half-court sets, opponents simply camp out in the paint to defend him from two meters away. What's more, he already signed his offer from University of Kentucky, and renowned coach Tabby Smith personally went to Louisville to recruit him, promising him the starting point guard position in his freshman year. If Rondo dares to skip college and go straight to the draft, he'll most likely be drafted late in the second round or even undrafted. He doesn't have Adidas sponsorship; taking that risk would be tantamount to ruining his future."
Lin Qi reached behind the folder and pulled out a thin sheet of paper printed with a dot matrix printer. The paper listed Oak Hill Academy's team passing and cutting data for the past two months.
"You only focused on how Josh dunked in the replay, didn't you watch the breakdown of the plays?"
Lin Qi pushed the thin piece of paper under Presti's nose and dotted it with his fingernail, highlighting the red words circled in pencil.
"A 38-0 high school powerhouse, 60% of their offense comes from transition fast breaks. Josh Smith's soaring dunks are possible because Rondo, after grabbing a defensive rebound in the backcourt, can push the ball directly across the half-court line without needing to adjust his footwork. Look at these stats: a 2.06-meter wingspan and a hand span of nearly 10 inches. Under full-court press defense, he only committed 10 turnovers in eight games and dished out 96 assists. Every pass he makes, whether it's a bounce pass or a long alley-oop, lands at chest level or just half a hand's width above the rim, saving the receiver time to adjust their footwork."