Y13 [EN]: Chapter 48

Y13-48 Pre-Season

John Wall, refusing to give ground, began to dribble. He knew a standard offensive setup wouldn’t work against Youngjae. During the Summer League, he’d managed to get past Youngjae with a dribble drive, but only after building up considerable speed.

“Alright…”

“What is it?”

Wall retreated slightly from the top of the key to gather momentum, but he was surprised to see Youngjae suddenly cut off his path. He’d barely crossed the half-court line, yet Youngjae was already hounding him with aggressive defense. Youngjae was well aware of John Wall’s plan to use his acceleration.

Still, John Wall had to try. He possessed the talent and natural athleticism to pull it off. However, Youngjae, with the size of a shooting guard and the quickness of a point guard, presented a unique challenge. Usually, Wall would have a physical advantage against most point guards, but even that wasn’t guaranteed against Youngjae.

“Khut!”

For the first time, a strained grunt escaped Youngjae’s lips. When finesse didn’t work, a straightforward, head-on approach could sometimes be effective. John Wall decided to keep it simple. What was he best at? Breaking through the defense, he thought.

Tuthung-

Youngjae’s defense was more intimidating than any other player John Wall had faced. It wasn’t just the raw defensive stats like strength or speed, but a palpable sense of intimidation that made him question, ‘Can I really break through?’ But John Wall had to do it. Before Youngjae was subbed in, John Wall had been toying with his opponents. He had an impressive record of 4/5 shooting, including a three-pointer, and 4/4 free throws, totaling 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and only 1 turnover.

‘I won’t lose today!’

He would break through with confidence. Forget about spins or hesitation steps, he would just go straight ahead, tearing through.

Puk-

[John Wall!! He breaks through Yoon Youngjae with incredible speed and power!]

[So, John Wall hasn’t been slacking off either, has he? Truly amazing…]

Tuk-

Before commentator Jo Hyun-il could finish his sentence, the sudden ‘tuk’ sound silenced everyone – Jo Hyun-il, announcer Kim Myung-jung, John Wall who was running past Youngjae… even all the spectators, players, coaches, staff, reporters, and cheerleaders who were watching. No one could say a word.

Woo…

Waaaaaaaah!!!!!!!

[W-What is happening! Yoon Youngjae!!!]

[Clearly, John Wall’s dribble drive was successful. But in that breakthrough situation, John Wall’s play was too simple. He succeeded with a head-on approach, but he shouldn’t have let his guard down. Looking at Yoon Youngjae’s defense, he slowed down John Wall’s speed as much as possible with his body, and even after being broken through, he immediately caught up to John Wall and snatched the ball away as John Wall was going up for a layup with incredible speed!]

The moment he accelerated and was about to show off his skills, Youngjae, anticipating the late help defense, reached around Wall’s back and hooked the ball away. Relieved that he had broken through, Wall didn’t see it coming. This time, Youngjae sprinted towards the rim at maximum speed, outstripping everyone, and laid the ball in. He then subtly turned his back to John Wall, who was grinding his teeth, and quickly backpedaled.

After that, John Wall seemed to have learned something and gradually improved. He played aggressively but appropriately distributed the ball to Hinrich and Arenas. Dallas’s backcourt, except for Youngjae, wasn’t known for its strong defense. When Wall didn’t force the issue and passed the ball around, Washington’s offense began to stabilize.

Youngjae felt a bit disappointed watching John Wall. He thought he had broken his momentum, but John Wall was in better condition than before. Although he had the instincts of an ace player, he immediately reduced his possession and focused his energy on a few possessions when he was convinced that he couldn’t gain an advantage in the matchup against Youngjae.

However, Youngjae was a player with nine years of experience that no one else knew about. Moreover, he had fully adapted to and even improved his physical condition and senses, which had improved since college and the Summer League.

[Have you ever seen a player with such amazing off-ball movement?! Again, from the low post to the high post! He sprints from left to right!]

When he didn’t have the ball, he moved around according to the team’s tactics, creating chaos in the paint, and then gracefully moved out to the side, wing, or top, receiving high-quality passes from Jason Kidd and soaring up for a shot.

[Nowitzki’s screen! Yoon Youngjae goes over it! What an incredible pick play!]

[Yoon Youngjae, drives straight to the basket! Is he going up for a layup?!]

[Ah! Behind-the-back jump pass! Precisely to Nowitzki at the three-point line!! Nowitzki is wide open!]

Shwush-

With an incredible height of 7-0 (213cm) and a super high shooting release point that lifted the ball above his head, the arc, seemingly piercing the ceiling, passed through the rim. No matter how quickly anyone rushed in, even most centers couldn’t reach it.

[John Wall, penetrates the paint with a screen from Andrea Bargnani!]

[Yoon Youngjae is following him!]

Shwush-

However, as much as Youngjae was showing crazy offensive and defensive prowess, John Wall wasn’t just standing still. John Wall, whose shooting touch was fantastic today, unlike before, not only shot three-pointers but also drove into the high post or low post with his signature accelerated drives, steadily scoring points with pull-up mid-range jumpers. Nevertheless, Youngjae’s performance was so good that even John Wall, who was in good condition, couldn’t stop him.

[Again, a 2-2 play with Nowitzki. Nowitzki comes out to set a screen!!]

[Dallas is developing their offense through very diverse routes compared to last year!! Dallas, which was called a jump shot team without drives until last season, is now using drives, 2-2 plays, skilled pick-and-rolls, and pick-and-pops!]

Several Washington players, including Kirk Hinrich, John Wall, and Nick Young, tried to guard Youngjae by switching matchups, but Youngjae cleverly dealt with it. He attacked freely, receiving screens from Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler.

Nowitzki’s screen was clumsy, but it was difficult for the opponent to properly defend due to Nowitzki’s own shooting range. Tyson Chandler, as one of the league’s top screeners, properly blocked the path of Youngjae’s matchup opponent. If the matchup opponent couldn’t stick to him properly, causing a mismatch, he easily scored points and assists with speed or height.

[Combo guard J.J. Barea is actively moving on the perimeter! Caron Butler is at the right 45-degree high post! Tyson Chandler is boxing out in the paint, creating space with his back to the basket. He can pass to anywhere!]

[So, what kind of play will he create this time?!]

[Yoon Youngjae quickly penetrates the paint. Nick Young is blocking him!]

[Ah, Yoon Youngjae, steals the timing of his matchup opponent, Nick Young, and throws an alley-oop pass!!]

[Tyson Chandler, two-handed dunk!!]

Washington players were now blatantly sticking to Youngjae. When he was with Jason Kidd, both players could organize the offense and lead, so they couldn’t stick too closely, but when J.J. Barea and Youngjae played together, Youngjae was the main leader. J.J. Barea, with his narrow vision, was taking on movements closer to a shooting guard.

[Alright! Yoon Youngjae, post-up!]

When matched up against Kirk Hinrich, who was smaller and weaker than him, Youngjae immediately turned around. Youngjae, pushing Kirk Hinrich with a post-up [a play where a player positions themselves with their back to the basket, using their body to shield the defender], rotated his body and soared upwards. Even as his center of gravity swayed backward, Youngjae kept his eyes on the rim and scraped the ball with his fingertips, avoiding Hinrich’s hand until the end.

Tung-tung- Tung-

Shwush-

[Yoon Youngjae!! Fantastic fadeaway! Kirk Hinrich can only shake his head!]

[The game is now in the final moments of the fourth quarter, the score is 97 to 88! The Dallas Mavericks have not lost the lead once since the third quarter!]

[At the same time, Yoon Youngjae, who was substituted in during the second quarter, took a brief rest in the third quarter, and then returned to show tremendous performance in both offense and defense for the Dallas Mavericks!]

As Washington called their last timeout, Youngjae high-fived the players who had been playing and smiled happily. Nowitzki, Kidd, Terry, Butler, Marion, Barea, and even Chandler. He felt like he wanted to writhe in joy at being the main contributor to the victory among such prominent players.

“Yoon, I’m very satisfied with today’s performance. You executed exactly what I wanted. That’s all for today. I’ll substitute you with Terry.”

“Understood.”

Coach Carlisle, usually known for being stern, smiled lightly, satisfied with Youngjae’s performance, and explained the tactics to the other players.

“Good, good! I really liked it. We work well together, don’t we?”

Tyson Chandler, who was subbed out at the same time as Youngjae, patted Youngjae on the back and praised his performance. On the other hand, DeShawn Stevenson, who was subbed out during the second quarter, could only glare at Youngjae with a bitter expression.

“Wow! Nice!!!”

“Ooh!!”

Even while resting on the bench wearing his jersey after being subbed out, Chandler and Youngjae were in sync. In particular, it was their job to stand up from the bench and cheer and encourage the team. After all, neither of them would be playing anymore. Besides, Chandler was originally a lively vocal leader.

Ironically, the two newcomers, this year’s transfer and rookie, were cheering the most enthusiastically, so the existing players couldn’t help but smile at the feeling that the atmosphere, which had been calm, was becoming more energetic.

[The game is over. In the end, the Dallas Mavericks win the game 102 to 93.]

[Today was a truly great game. The MVP is undoubtedly Dallas’s ace, Dirk Nowitzki. He was the main force of Dallas’s offense today with 9/14 shooting success including 2 three-pointers, 4/4 free throws, totaling 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 turnovers. In particular, Nowitzki’s fadeaway was truly amazing.]

[In addition, the performances of Tyson Chandler and Yoon Youngjae, the transfers and rookies who came to Dallas, were also outstanding. Tyson Chandler played 22 minutes and showed that he is a center who threatens Brandon Haywood’s position, who was extremely sluggish today, with 4/5 shooting success, 3/4 free throws, totaling 11 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.]

[Also, Yoon Youngjae played 21 minutes and showed a perfect performance with 5/6 field goal success including 3 three-pointers, 2/2 free throws, totaling 15 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 1 turnover. Although he is from a shooting guard background, he also has excellent leading skills. With high-quality shooting, amazing defensive participation, and sensible play based on excellent BQ [Basketball Quotient, a measure of basketball intelligence] and agility. It was truly a flawless performance.]

[If he shows this level of performance, can’t Yoon Youngjae really challenge the Rookie of the Year title that he mentioned at the entrance ceremony?]

[Of course. For now, Blake Griffin, who is maintaining his Rookie of the Year eligibility this season due to last year’s season-out, and John Wall, who is expected to become the second Derrick Rose, are receiving the most expectations for this season’s Rookie of the Year. These two each have the potential of a 1st pick, and their respective teams’ situations virtually guarantee them a full-time starting position. On the other hand, Dallas has All-Star-level veterans Terry and the best point guard of the time, Kidd, in the guard lineup. The key will be how quickly Yoon Youngjae establishes himself in the Dallas Mavericks and receives playing time.]

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

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

＠The terms that I have written in the afterword have been organized in the yard. For now, it is organized in one article so that you can find it with Ctrl+F, but if there is a more convenient way, please give me your opinion.

＠The NBA community is buzzing about the Hack-a strategy [intentionally fouling a poor free-throw shooter to force them to the free-throw line]. Personally, I think we should blame the free throw-missing players who are being targeted by the Hack-a strategy, but it is also true that viewers are getting bored because of it. The NBA Secretariat is said to have started discussions, so there may be some rule changes next year.

※Post Up: A 1:1 play where you go in with your back to the defender near the basket.

※Jump Pass: Passing while jumping into the air. If you can’t pass, it becomes traveling, and you have to pass to a limited area in a short time, so it should be seen as a gambling play.

Thank you, Ahkking-nim, Brilliant Legacy-nim, Laytime-nim///

Helic-nim/// Here’s an episode

Full Light Wolf-nim/// 칼업뎃 today too!!

Frog Power-nim/// Hehe, I brought it right on time today.

zigichacha-nim/// Youngjae against Griffin’s overwhelming season!!

Seongcheon-nim/// Hehe, so far, it’s close to what you said.

Mr. Handsome in Front of You-nim///Hehe, thank you for the compliment~

Fabian-nim/// There are some natural enemies in the NBA, so these two could definitely…hehe

Devil’s Number-nim, Kwon Woo-hyun™-nim/// 엌ㅋㅋ I bring it to you every day, is it not enough!!

misscherry-nim/// ㅠ.ㅠ Sports novels are originally a bit frustrating.

Slim Dog-nim/// ㅋㅋ In reality, you can never stop John Wall.

Cheonsangbyeolli-nim/// Hulㅋㅋㅋ Save me

Serious Invincible Reader-nim/// Originally, that’s never the intention ㄷㄷ

Gahan可汗-nim/// Hehe, it will be revealed at the end of the season!!

Angel’s Circumstances-nim/// I refuse the summons!!

Lafir and Jint-nim/// He was expected to be as good as Rose, but he was below expectations. Tsk.

simomssoul-nim/// Next time ㄷㄷ

Omari On-nim, Financia-nim/// Thank you for your comments as always!!

Nandwa Kim-nim/// There are only two basketball novels that have been completed. And that’s from one writer.ㅠ.ㅠ

AdYang-nim///땡. Not yet hehe

myus1004-nim/// Thank you for the coupon!!

Yabes-nim/// I set the former team to Spurs…and after all, the best SG can also play the role of PG ㅎㅎ. Jordan, Kobe, Iverson, Wade, Harden, etc…

-DarkANGEL-nim/// Thank you