Y13 [EN]: Chapter 37

Y13-37 (37/296)

00037 Summer League =========================================================================

The game commenced with a jump ball between Moussa Scheck and Brian Butch. Moussa Scheck, towering at 7-4 (223cm), effortlessly won the tip.

Coaches Casey and Stotts briefly outlined their offensive and defensive strategies to the players, and the Dallas players began executing the game plan.

Boboua was primarily responsible for ball-handling and orchestrating the offense. Prior to Youngjae’s arrival, the Dallas coaching staff had intended to focus on Boboua’s development as a point guard during the offseason, making this a logical arrangement.

However, a slight adjustment was implemented: given Youngjae’s capability for high-level playmaking, despite being drafted as a shooting guard, Boboua was instructed to initiate the offense, but to defer to Youngjae as a facilitator if he encountered difficulties.

Dontaie Draper, assigned to man-mark Boboua, struggled to contain Boboua’s incredible speed despite being only 5-11. As he barely managed to keep pace with Boboua, who was driving towards the basket like a lightning bolt, Brian Butch, guarding the paint, was forced to step up and block Boboua’s path.

Boboua hesitated as his lane to the basket was cut off. In that split-second, he frantically searched for an alternative, but no solution presented itself. The defense had reacted too quickly. He recognized that Moussa Scheck was open in the paint, but Brian Butch’s presence obstructed any passing lane.

“Hey!”

A voice, not loud, but clear, cut through to Boboua. In a packed arena, it might have been lost, but in the relatively quiet Summer League venue, the call reached Boboua distinctly. Without hesitation, Boboua threw a somewhat awkward, but usable pass towards the sound.

Youngjae, having somehow slipped into the paint, caught Boboua’s pass with his right hand. Ty Lawson was tailing him closely. Youngjae, aware of Lawson’s less-than-stellar defensive reputation, anticipated a delayed reaction to his off-ball movement.

Swoosh!!

“?!”

Without even securing the catch, Youngjae instantly redirected Boboua’s pass, firing it like a laser beam. The ball landed perfectly into Moussa Scheck’s hands in the paint.

KWAANG!!!

The force emanating from the 7-4 (223cm) center was immense. Moussa Scheck, unleashing a thunderous two-handed slam that rattled the rim, roared, “Woo-hoo!” and bumped fists with Youngjae.

“……”

Ty Lawson was stunned by what he had just witnessed. In that instant, Youngjae had capitalized on the double-team on Boboua, called for the ball from a flustered Boboua, and… no, it wasn’t even receiving the ball. It was more like redirecting the ball to Moussa Scheck in one fluid motion.

“Wow, that guy is a real monster,” Boboua muttered, watching Youngjae, who had not only salvaged a potential turnover but also made it appear as if his drive had intentionally drawn the double team. He was once again reminded that Youngjae was undeniably the smarter player.

“Hoo.”

Even after a highlight play, Youngjae refrained from celebrating or delaying his return to the backcourt. After the fist-bump with Scheck, he sprinted back to his team’s side of the court, fixing a glare on Lawson, his assigned matchup, and lowering his stance.

Even if his shot wasn’t falling, Lawson possessed a diverse offensive arsenal: crafty drives, unpredictable passes, alley-oop throws, kick-out passes after penetrating, and so on. However, Lawson opted to directly attack Youngjae.

It might have seemed arrogant, but Lawson considered it natural. He believed he was simply on a different level. He was participating in the Summer League to sharpen his game sense as a second-year player, nothing more. His opponent was a rookie, drafted this year, and not even a high-profile pick.

Lawson, employing upper body feints with an erratic rhythm, executed a spin move in the opposite direction as soon as Youngjae leaned left. Lawson smirked, abruptly halting his spin and pivoting back in the original direction with the momentum…

Thud!

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-

“Offensive foul! Ty Lawson!”

Lawson could only stare blankly at Youngjae, who had fallen backward, his expression dumbfounded.

He had clearly pivoted in the opposite direction after observing Youngjae lean left. He couldn’t see while spinning, but no defender would completely abandon their position against a spinning player. After faking in that direction, he had turned back, but Youngjae hadn’t moved to the right, instead taking Lawson’s shoulder with his chest and collapsing.

In other words, Youngjae hadn’t fallen for the spin move and had stood his ground to draw the offensive foul.

‘No, that’s impossible. He knew where I was going from the start?!’

Youngjae stared intently at Ty Lawson with cold eyes.

His gaze conveyed, ‘You can’t do it.’

“Ouch-”

As Boboua helped him up, Youngjae playfully brushed himself off, feigning discomfort, “Are you groaning like an old man?” Boboua retorted, “Then would you get up happily without groaning? It hurts.”

Youngjae had almost been fooled by Lawson’s impressive technique. Lawson’s drive was so sharp that Youngjae was momentarily caught off guard. That’s how skilled Ty Lawson was.

However, Youngjae, having grown accustomed to Boboua’s incredible speed, was able to fully anticipate Lawson’s intentions. Moreover, as he gained experience in actual games, his accumulated knowledge was resurfacing.

The tells were evident. The shifting center of gravity; as a human being, one’s intentions are inevitably revealed in their movements. In Lawson’s case, his spin move appeared flawless, but his stride momentarily shortened. Especially on the final step, where he needed to turn, bypass the defender, and stride wide and quickly towards the basket, Lawson took a smaller step.

That indicated a high probability of a feint. That’s why Youngjae hadn’t reacted to the spin move and had maintained his position. It was a defensive play that required exceptional judgment, dynamic visual acuity, and instantaneous reaction speed.

After that, Lawson employed various methods to break down Youngjae and desperately tried to overcome him. But the more he tried, the more Youngjae rejoiced inwardly. Lawson was under a terrible delusion. He was fixated on defeating his matchup rather than winning the game.

‘Is he trying to play the ace [the star player]?’

Youngjae smiled wryly, feeling like he was seeing a reflection of his former self. At the same time, Youngjae was reminded of a fundamental truth: basketball is a team sport. Coming off the bench for limited minutes – 5, 10, 15 minutes per game – in his previous life, Youngjae had done everything he could to survive in the San Antonio Spurs. He had meticulously studied and executed the tactics of the legendary coach Gregg Popovich. But even then, he harbored regrets.

I want to be a starter.

Is this all I’m capable of?

I want to be the best.

Perhaps Lawson was repeating the same trial and error that Youngjae had experienced in his previous life. That thought was evident in Lawson’s play. Youngjae glared coldly at Lawson and clicked his tongue.

‘That’s all nonsense.’

Initially, he had enjoyed a successful college career, but he wasn’t drafted. After navigating the D-League [NBA’s developmental league], he barely secured a spot on the San Antonio Spurs, and he realized a crucial point: basketball is a team sport, and he wasn’t at the level to be the team’s primary scorer.

He then shifted his mindset and adapted his playing style. Mentality is crucial in basketball, and skills can improve significantly with mental growth.

Youngjae then developed rapidly. Even an ace is a member of the team, and the ego of a player who cannot truly be an ace is a surefire way to drag the team down. If that player is a point guard, the problem is amplified.

That’s why he adhered so closely to Coach Steve Fisher’s advice in this life as well. When he returned to college, he could have dominated games with individual brilliance.

However, he had already experienced the joy of winning as part of a cohesive team. After winning as a team, Youngjae realized that the true essence of basketball lay in leading and building a team, rather than individual achievements. Even an ace cannot perform at their peak every day. It’s also the ace’s responsibility to trust and support teammates who are playing well.

He runs the extra mile to avoid being a burden to the team. Even if he is beaten defensively, he buys time, supports his teammates to optimize the strategy, and relies on them. Youngjae had internalized this approach and was now putting it into practice.

Boboua, as the primary ball-handler, had limited vision and a lower basketball IQ [understanding of the game], making it difficult for him to react to unexpected situations. Youngjae provided Boboua with verbal cues or positioned himself within Boboua’s line of sight. Of course, Lawson or Dontaie Draper shadowed him in off-ball situations, but it didn’t matter.

He possessed superior playmaking skills compared to Boboua, but he didn’t overtly display them. The coaching staff had assigned their roles, and they were adhering to them. He was still a rookie, and it wasn’t his place to assert himself.

“Heot!”

It didn’t have to be a flashy pass. He didn’t have to shoot. Assists, rebounds, etc… He didn’t need to accumulate stats [individual statistics]. He didn’t care if he was underestimated because of it.

Ultimately, the team’s victory is paramount, and that’s how he wins as well. The most important thing is to contribute to the team’s success while he’s on the court.

Coach Casey nodded approvingly as he watched Youngjae deliver a perfect pass to DeShawn Sims. If he had been focused on padding his assist numbers, he could have forced passes to Moussa Scheck, but Youngjae deliberately distributed the ball to DeShawn Sims.

Youngjae aggressively attacks the basket, drawing Brian Butch and Ty Lawson, then dishes the ball to DeShawn Sims. Consequently, the opponent’s power forward, Othello Hunter, responsible for both DeShawn Sims and Moussa Scheck, is forced to close out on DeShawn Sims, who now has the ball.

If Hunter commits to Sims, Sims can easily pass to Moussa Scheck for an uncontested shot. Even if the pass is well-defended, Scheck’s size makes the score a near certainty.

Since this type of play originates with Youngjae, the players who score and assist all acknowledge Youngjae, high-fiving, bumping fists, jumping together, and showing camaraderie.

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

★Thank you to those who gave 선작 [pre-selection], 추천 [recommendation], 코멘 [comment], 쿠폰 [coupon]!!

@Youngjae is starting to dominate the Summer League. The problem is that Dallas’ Summer League team at this time is inherently low level;;; Other than Boboua and Lin…

Thank you, 니앞에꽃미남님, 찬란한유산님!!!

낙월희님/// ㅎㅎ I’ll try to make it as easy as possible.

악마의숫자님/// Thank you for the compliment^^.

우유동자님/// That’s right. Basketball is the most physically demanding of all team ball sports. It can’t be helped because it’s the sport with the most physical contact.

dkcnwiicw님/// I’m glad you understood with our explanation. Thank you.

anwkdk님/// The details will be spoilers.ㅠ.ㅠ And there will never be a reduction in the number of episodes. The sports part has almost all the plots 짜여 [planned out], and I plan to proceed as is.

dydqlsl님/// Beasley joined the Miami Heat in the middle of the season last year and this year. He’s been pretty good this year compared to last year. But it doesn’t meet the expectations of the 2nd pick.

He also recorded 32 points, the most points in the team in the last game.

라피르and진트님, 쿤다라님, -DarkANGEL-님///Thank you for always commenting.

킹덤브라더스님///Hmm, the US national team. That’s an interesting opinion. Thank you.

퓨로타님/// The details will be spoilers.ㅎㅎ I’m not going to let the military service problem affect my career.

AdYang님/// Thank you for your comment. I’m glad you were satisfied.

…(-1)…님/// ㅎㅎ Please look forward to how much it will grow.

huhcafe 님///Will it work out…? It has to work out.

얏홍이다님///Thank you for the coupon. We also 사사… 아니, like our readersㅋㅋ [laughing]. Unfortunately, we have exams for the 연참 [continuous chapters].ㅠ.ㅠ

그눈건님/// Thank you for your comment. First of all, the Joara system separates the afterword 칸 [section] and the content 칸 [section]. The afterword is not included in the capacity no matter how long it is written. However, it is included in the scroll or the bottom right page of the readers, so you may feel a little disappointed. Still, we are doing our best to maintain daily 연재 [updates], 14kb or more of the main편 용량 [main content volume].