Y13 [EN]: Chapter 170

Y13-170. 2011 Off-Season

After a brief timeout, each team made a substitution. Team Shelton replaced Tim Shelton with Kawhi Leonard, and Team B brought in Youngjae for Jamal Franklin.

Wowwww!!!

The fans, thrilled that the real game was finally starting, roared with excitement. The players, already energized by the cheers for the past five minutes, were even more surprised by the amplified response.

“Kelvin, I’ll handle the playmaking. Focus on scoring.”

“Alright, let’s see if I can get a sweet pass. I’ll make sure to slam it home.”

Youngjae glanced at the score. 17 to 11. Just a 6-point difference. Youngjae nodded, confident that they could close the gap. They had come back from double-digit deficits in countless playoff games. As Youngjae dribbled the ball forward, he felt a wave of nostalgia. It was only a year ago, but it already felt like he missed this team.

“?!”

Lost in his thoughts, Youngjae was taken aback. Blocking his path was none other than Kawhi Leonard. Leonard had been drafted 15th overall by the Indiana Pacers in this year’s draft and then traded to the San Antonio Spurs for George Hill. He was also Youngjae’s roommate back in college.

‘Leonard is guarding me, and Gay and Tapley are on the 2 and 3 [shooting guard and small forward positions]?’

While they were at a disadvantage in terms of size, neither D.J. Gay nor Chase Tapley were particularly strong defensive guards to contain Youngjae. Leonard could play both small forward and power forward, but he also had the speed and agility to guard guards on defense. In a game like this, the outcome often came down to a battle between the star players, and the crowd clearly wanted to see them go head-to-head. In that sense, it could be seen as good fan service.

“…”

As it was a friendly match, his teammates seemed to be encouraging a 1-on-1 with Leonard, refraining from setting screens or helping, and watching the two players with anticipation. Youngjae sighed and bounced the ball. He didn’t particularly enjoy isolation plays, but he wasn’t about to call for a screen even in this situation.

‘His rhythm is off. It’s a completely unique rhythm.’

But Leonard could sense it. He didn’t know what had happened to Youngjae in the past year, but even though Youngjae had been growing at an incredible rate when they played together in the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association], Leonard had always been confident that he wouldn’t be easily beaten as long as he was defending him. But now, Youngjae’s movements were more relaxed than before, yet he radiated a dangerous aura.

Thud!!

“Ugh!!”

Youngjae’s body, honed over the past year to survive in the NBA [National Basketball Association], was significantly different from that of a college basketball player. He had subconsciously assumed that even if he was outmatched in skill, he wouldn’t be outmatched in strength or speed, but his opponent was far beyond his expectations.

“Hah-”

With his signature grunt, Youngjae roughly pushed his left shoulder in, then smoothly stepped back a couple of steps as if nothing had happened. Leonard gritted his teeth and took a step forward to close the distance. Maintaining a reasonable distance, avoiding risky steals or overly aggressive close defense, Leonard paused to catch his breath…

Swish-

“?!”

But Youngjae fearlessly launched a shot from within the tight defense, with only about a foot of space between them. Leonard could only watch the shot with a look of resignation.

Swish-!

Wowwwww!!!!

Despite instinctively reaching out with his right hand to contest the shot, the mid-range jumper went in cleanly. Leonard couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the monster Youngjae had become.

“Is that what it takes to survive in the NBA?”

But Youngjae spoke in a firm tone, as if to tell Leonard to get his head in the game.

“There are players who are even more monstrous than me out there. If you get discouraged by my play, you’ll never survive. You’ll understand once you experience it yourself.”

At Youngjae’s resolute words, Leonard finally returned to his usual stoic demeanor, and Youngjae couldn’t help but smile slightly at the expressionless Leonard.

“I’ll show you what it takes to survive in the NBA. Be prepared. If you’re expecting the old me, you’re in for a rude awakening.”

Youngjae and Leonard continued to match up throughout the game. Youngjae displayed superior performance in both offense and defense against Leonard. He exploited Leonard’s unrefined skillset and made up for his lack of power and size with speed and experience.

And 15 minutes later, when the final buzzer sounded, Team B had come back to win the game 32 to 44, with a 12-point lead. They had outscored their opponents 33 to 15 in those 15 minutes.

For Youngjae, it was an enjoyable time and a chance to regain his confidence. Leonard hadn’t made his debut yet, but for someone who knew Leonard’s future, the confidence he gained from such a decisive victory against Leonard was significant.

After the event, Youngjae spent some quality time with his friends whom he hadn’t seen in a while. He had originally planned to schedule a meeting immediately after the event, but he asked for their understanding and postponed the meeting until the next day to catch up with his friends.

The next morning, Youngjae was waiting for someone at a cafe in downtown San Diego. The appointment was still 30 minutes away, but he figured he’d rather explore the city and soak in the atmosphere than sit alone in his hotel room watching TV.

Bzzzz-

“Oh, Emily!”

Youngjae put on his earphones and answered the video call.

– Are you at the cafe now? –

Emily was smiling, though she looked a bit tired, with smudges of charcoal on her face, as if she was filming outdoors.

“Yeah, I have someone to meet soon. By the way, how long is the outdoor shoot? Is it too hard on you?”

– Nope! I’m still going strong… Kyaaaa!! –

Youngjae flinched in surprise at the sudden loud noise. Steve, dressed as a zombie, ran up behind Emily, reaching for the smartphone while making groaning sounds.

“Steve, what are you doing? You scared me!”

– Oh? Who’s this? Isn’t that our little bro? –

Despite the gruesome, gaping wound on his neck, Steve waved cheerfully, while Emily, who had also been attacked, showed off her warrior-like appearance with special effects blood smeared on her white neck and cheeks.

“Steve’s working hard too. He looks like he’s lost some weight.”

– Tell me about it. I wish someone would treat me to a good meal. Right, little bro? –

Youngjae firmly started with, “When you come to my house, bring a gift…” Steve laughed it off as if nothing had happened, told them to have a good call, and quickly ran away.

– Have a good meeting and call me tonight. It’s my turn tonight, so wait for me? –

“Umm, okay.”

– …If you call me first, I’m going to be really mad?! Gotta go! –

“Okay, go ahead.”

Hanging up the phone, Youngjae thought that he would probably end up calling first again today, and took a sip of his Americano.

A shadow fell over Youngjae, who was lost in thought.

“Excuse me, are you by any chance Yoon?”

Looking up at the man who had arrived a bit early, Youngjae smiled and stood up to greet him. The man was quite tall, with a solid build that suggested he worked out regularly. He had a slightly sharp but overall pleasant and smiling face, and appeared to be in his late 20s. Youngjae shook his hand.

“I’ve been waiting for you. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Youngjae Yoon.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jonas Lim. I was quite surprised to hear from Bill Duffy [a sports agent]. I couldn’t believe someone like you would want me.”

Jonas Lim seemed to still find it hard to believe that Youngjae wanted him, scratching his head awkwardly. But Youngjae’s eyes lit up at the sight of Jonas Lim. There was no way someone could have such a career if they were truly clueless, and it didn’t take long for him to realize that this behavior was somewhat calculated.

“I feel the same way. I needed a coach to help me with off-season training after my first season, and Duffy looked around for me. That’s when Jonas’s resume caught my eye. I never imagined that someone so young could have such an impressive career.”

Jonas glanced at Youngjae and felt a chill run down his spine. He had been acting clueless, but Youngjae didn’t seem fazed or disappointed by Jonas’s act. Instead, he was hiding his own true self and making such playful remarks.

A twenty-year-old rookie who had only focused on sports wouldn’t have paid much attention to his meeting with him, but Youngjae was different. He was carefully observing Jonas’s every move and judging him.

“I’ve met someone truly formidable.”

Jonas felt that there was no need for further pretense and changed his attitude. The atmosphere became sharper, and Youngjae stopped making playful remarks and silently took a sip of his cold Americano.

“Why are you looking for a personal coach from your first season? Isn’t it enough to train with the team coaches? Besides, if you played that much and achieved that much in your first season, you’d want to take a good rest. Rest is as important as training for athletes.”

“I think you know to some extent. There’s a good chance of a lockout [a work stoppage] this off-season. If that happens, I’ll be prohibited from contacting team officials. I’ve never been dissatisfied with training with the Dallas Mavericks, but I think it would be detrimental to me to train alone during a period when I still have a lot to learn, including the off-season. I think it’s much better to have a coach to help me than to learn and develop on my own. And while rest is important, I have no intention of stopping training.”

For athletes, the off-season was the best time to rest and the best time to improve their individual skills. It was a period to compensate for their weaknesses that were revealed during the season and to maintain their performance so that they could offset those weaknesses in the next season.

During the season, it was difficult to devote much time to improving individual skills due to stamina management, season games, and travel time. In particular, correcting shooting form or bulking up were things that should never be touched during the season. These were things that had to be refined through numerous repetitions during the off-season and applied to the season.

“The Dallas Mavericks certainly have fantastic training facilities and talent. But I can’t rely on that alone. You know that many players in the NBA and other American professional sports have personal coaches, right? I think you know that all players would want to have personal coaches if they could afford it.”

“That’s right. The team has enough coaches and trainers, but they can’t compare to dedicated coaches and trainers. So, what do you want to improve through me?”