Y13 [EN]: Chapter 35

Y13-35 (35/296)

00035 Summer League =========================================================================

Bobbitt felt a strange sensation as he watched Youngjae dust himself off and get up with an “Oops-“. He knew Youngjae was younger than him, but his actions were as relaxed and nonchalant as those of veteran NBA players. Bobbitt knew better than anyone that Youngjae wasn’t faster than him, but he couldn’t easily shake him off. *Where* he would go, *what* plays he would make, *when* he would switch the hand he was dribbling with, *when* he would break through and *which* direction he would drive in… Bobbitt felt a chill down his spine, as if he could read all of it.

“Was that also a successful defense?”

Youngjae asked Terry Stotts without any agitation. Seeing Youngjae asking if drawing an offensive foul was also included in the defensive category of this training, Coach Stotts hid his surprise and answered.

“Of course. It’s a defensive method that’s often used in games. But, it’s surprising.”

Terry Stotts was sparing with his words. He wanted to shower him with praise, but he was a coach. It would be enough to pick out and develop just one player here, but he was worried that he might miss the potential of other players.

Soon, the offense and defense switched. This time, Bobbitt was guarding Youngjae. Youngjae looked at Bobbitt, who was smaller than him at about 6-2 (188cm), and felt the tension slowly easing. It wasn’t that he was underestimating Bobbitt. However, his desire to see how much his skills had improved over the past few months of individual training by facing Bobbitt was greater.

“?!”

Perfectly textbook posture, but the rhythm was completely offbeat. With dribblers who ride a steady rhythm, it was possible to get a sense of their timing, but Youngjae was bouncing the ball extremely leisurely and slowly.

Thump- Thump-

Bobbitt didn’t let his guard down as he watched Youngjae, unsure of when he would attack.

Thump, thump!

Youngjae suddenly bounced the ball twice quickly, then immediately leaned to the right and plunged into Bobbitt’s body.

“Hup!!”

Bobbitt, thinking he had read Youngjae’s movement, took a side step to the left and tried to brace himself in the direction Youngjae was going.

Whoosh!

“Gasp!!”

This time, even Stotts couldn’t help but gasp in admiration. The opponent was Rodrigo Bobbitt, an NBA player who had proven that he could make it in the NBA in a short amount of time, so much so that he was expected to do great things this season. A super rookie who was voted No. 1 among the most anticipated non-American young players this season. Of course, although his defense was relatively weak, his one-on-one defense wasn’t *that* bad because he was naturally fast.

Such a player was completely broken down by a rookie who was just entering the NBA. He was defeated technically, not by a post-up that took advantage of size. Youngjae, who had shifted his center of gravity to the right, used his unique agility and flexibility to brace his right leg, forcibly stop his body’s momentum, and use that force to push off the court.

It was a perfect reverse spin move that fooled the opponent, making him anticipate a drive to the right, then using that momentum to quickly turn counterclockwise.

“Huh-”

Then, with a dispirited shout, a light layup.

“……”

Bobbitt felt a sense of helplessness that he would only feel in the NBA, and the venom that had been dormant deep inside him was slowly rising.

“One more time.”

Bobbitt threw the ball at Youngjae with a force that was a little too strong. But Youngjae didn’t care, grabbed it with his right hand, and immediately rushed in without a break. Bobbitt was surprised and flustered to see Youngjae rushing in without giving him time to prepare, but Bobbitt was basically a player who was evaluated as having outstanding speed even in the entire NBA. No matter how much Youngjae was evaluated as having 8 points in quickness, he was naturally slower than Bobbitt in terms of acceleration.

But Youngjae didn’t slow down. Youngjae rushed to the rim as if he wasn’t trying to shake off Bobbitt, but rather telling Bobbitt to follow him. Bobbitt felt like he was being ignored for some reason, and he stuck close to Youngjae, restricting his movements as much as possible.

“Huh!”

This time, a rather loud shout. Unlike before, Bobbitt was very nervous, thinking that Youngjae was going to do something, and focused all his attention on Youngjae’s movements. Youngjae subtly lifted his right foot and then pulled it back. Bobbitt could immediately predict what Youngjae would do next.

‘Is he aiming for a jumper with a step back!’

A step that quickly retracts the left foot and creates distance for a moment. But Bobbitt was uneasy about something. He couldn’t help but hesitate with the same queasy feeling as when he got up from the toilet and there was no toilet paper.

That’s how slow Youngjae’s step back was, as if he was telling him to watch.

“If you chose, you have to choose something.”

“?!”

Youngjae stepped back to create distance, then rushed towards the rim again at a fast speed. Bobbitt, who had already flinched and stopped, couldn’t stop Youngjae as he passed by.

Bang!

A one-handed dunk to finish. Bobbitt gritted his teeth, grabbed the ball, and threw it at Youngjae again.

“……”

Coach Stotts noticed that the two were immersed in training and had the remaining players who were being tested move to the next court.

“Those two. I’d like you to observe them closely and write a report.”

The new coach next to Stotts nodded.

“Coach Stotts, are those two still doing that training?”

Assistant Coach Dwayne Casey casually spoke to Assistant Coach Stotts, who was in charge of guard training, and Coach Stotts nodded slightly.

(Both have the official title of assistant coach, but Coach Dwayne Casey is the senior coach who has priority in the absence of a head coach.)

“Is it almost dinner time?”

“Well, it’s almost time. That being said, I don’t think those two are the type to skip meals or not take care of their bodies. But… how should I put it? Both Bobbitt and Yoon. It feels like they’re holding onto each other and not letting go. I think they realized that no one else in this camp is at their level except for the two of them. It seems like they feel a sense of rivalry towards each other.”

Although he had made remarkable physical growth, Youngjae’s stamina was gradually declining. It’s easy to say that they’ve been facing each other in 1:1 for dozens of minutes without a break, but at the professional level, it brings tremendous mental and physical fatigue.

Nevertheless, Bobbitt didn’t let go of Youngjae, as if to show that he was still doing well. That’s because most of their exchanges were Bobbitt’s defeats, but as Youngjae’s stamina decreased, he [Bobbitt] had no choice but to struggle with Bobbitt’s stamina and speed. However, as he got tired, he [Youngjae] showed a more skillful side, attracting the attention of Casey and Stotts.

“What do you think of those two?”

“Bobbitt, as expected, has excellent athletic ability. His shooting and dribbling are already in the completion stage. If he only improves his defense and reduces his ups and downs, I think he has enough strong stamina, flexibility, and strength to play as a starter.”

“What about Yoon?”

“Yoon… Haha. I think his skillset is already good enough to work in the NBA right now. Of course, I don’t know how he’ll do in a match against starting-level players, given that his current matchup is Bobbitt. At least he’s proving that he’s good enough for players who play in the NBA with just their outstanding physical condition. That alone greatly changes Yoon’s evaluation. In addition, the amazing thing is that he’s showing a veteran skill that makes it seem like he’s been playing in the NBA for years. He has excellent judgment and agility and flexibility to make up for his lack of strength. In addition, he has unexpectedness, and he has overwhelmed Bobbitt with skills that he never imagined.”

Casey smiled contentedly as he watched Youngjae cut off Bobbitt’s breakthrough again. Bobbitt felt a lot about his ability to think in order to confuse the opponent while facing Youngjae in 1:1 for dozens of minutes, but as he developed, Youngjae continued to confuse Bobbitt with more skillful and brilliant plays, stimulating Bobbitt.

Even now, when Bobbitt used a feint using his center of gravity, Youngjae pretended to be fooled once and leaned his body, but when Bobbitt rushed in, Youngjae rushed in with a bang, causing Bobbitt to fumble the ball, and at that moment, Youngjae’s right hand came in and knocked the ball out.

“Amazing. I should tell the restaurant that the two of them will be a little late.”

“I’ve already told them. There’s no need to interrupt them when they’re focused. They’ll be able to learn a lot from each other.”

Youngjae and Bobbitt, unaware that the two were watching them, had no choice but to sit down in their seats after finishing their last offense and defense. Bobbitt wasn’t about to lie down, so he just sat down, but in Youngjae’s case, he was trying not to lie down even though his legs and arms were shaking. In any case, the two sat down and glared at each other as if they were disgusted.

“You’re relentless.”

“Look who’s talking. You stamina monster.”

From Youngjae’s point of view, it was hard to even speak because he was so tired, but Bobbitt was breathing a little raggedly, but he was talking comfortably, so he couldn’t help but call him a monster.

“What the hell *were* you doing?”

“What do you mean? I was rolling around here and there, not being able to come to my senses, and then I came to my senses again and started playing basketball.”

Youngjae answered honestly to Bobbitt’s words. The last few months of his previous life were spent in pleasure. He was swayed here and there by that pleasure, and only when he was about to die did he come to his senses and decided to go back to the past and go crazy about basketball again, and now it’s been two years.

“It doesn’t seem like you *just* came to your senses?”

“Ah, of course. I’m playing basketball because I want to. It’s also fun.”

Youngjae was gradually enjoying basketball.

“I envy you.”

“What, wasn’t it fun until now?”

“No, it’s not like that. It was good. The problem is that it’s not *just* fun like this.”

Youngjae suddenly became curious at Bobbitt’s meaningful words. Had Youngjae ever met Bobbitt in the NBA in his previous life? Youngjae could say with certainty that he had never met him. Including his current team, the Dallas Mavericks, he had met 29 teams except for San Antonio, but he had never encountered Bobbitt even once.

‘At this level. Why?’

Even if he wasn’t at the level of the monstrous superstars he had faced, he wasn’t particularly inferior compared to the bench members he mainly matched up with. So why hadn’t he met Bobbitt? Youngjae pondered, but in the end, he couldn’t come up with an answer. He could only guess that Bobbitt’s future was not smooth.

“Work can’t always be fun.”

“That’s right.”

“But still, think about doing something else. Wearing a dress shirt and tie. Imagine sitting in front of a computer and working on a computer without knowing what you’re doing.”

Bobbitt lightly laughed at Youngjae, who was playfully joking. Then he pretended to think for a moment and raised his thumb.

“I think it’ll suit you? You look intellectual in your own way?”

“…… I’m going to go eat.”

“Ehe- why? Are you asking me to go with you?”

Before he knew it, Bobbitt was playfully nudging Youngjae and accompanying him to the restaurant, and Youngjae couldn’t help but smile.

It was because he was building a friendship with Bobbitt, who would be his backcourt partner. He and he will be playing together a lot in this Summer League right now.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

★Thank you for the sponsorship coupon, Rage_Wind!!

★Thank you to those who gave advance reservations, recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

@I decided to change the direction because many people seemed to feel repulsed by the family affairs in the previous episode. The original intention was not to deal with *chaebols* [large South Korean conglomerates] or *makjang* [Korean drama tropes characterized by exaggerated and often absurd plotlines] codes, but the original intention was not properly conveyed because it was a short teaser. So I decided to change the direction. So I deleted the family affairs part of the previous episode.

This novel will continue to devote most of its time to sports-related topics. It may be boring if only sports come out, so there will be some daily life and a few episodes.

@Today, all 5 Southwest teams finally achieved the rare feat of going to the playoffs with a winning percentage of over 50%. In addition, most of the matchups were decided in the last game of the regular season, so it was a bloody season.

pen36/// He’s been pretty good this season. He still hasn’t improved his shortcomings… but he’s gotten much better than he was with Houston.

flava/// Thank you for your compliments. Please look forward to it in the future^^

Ultra10/// ㅠ.ㅠ I’m sorry I couldn’t do a series of posts.

huhcafe, hikar, 유리의쿠데타, anwkdk/// I have no intention of going in that direction, so please don’t worry^^

땡중/// Yes. Lin is getting better this year.

zigichacha/// Haha, thank you. Please look forward to Youngjae’s growth

KireiAutumn///Yes, Lin was at the Dallas camp in 2010 in reality. He was noticed here in a matchup with John Wall and signed with the Golden State.

Leanforce, 쿤다라, -DarkANGEL/// Thank you^^

조아!님, 라피르and진트/// Thank you for always commenting~

낙월희/// Heh… it turned out to be an unintentional cliffhanger.

『사랑이란.』/// The family history has been deleted and changed.

우유동자/// Hehe, he will be included in the roster.