Y13 [EN]: Chapter 5

Y13-5 Regression

Identity

In the early dawn, a student glanced around and strode into the gymnasium.

“Ugh.”

Youngjae turned on only the necessary lights, leaving the rest off. He took several basketballs from a long bag and lined them up on the court.

“What on earth is going on?”

Although he had spent over a month adapting to his body and compensating for his weaknesses, Youngjae felt his performance in training and practice games, including the first scrimmage, was surprisingly poor. He had felt good practicing alone before school, but that success didn’t seem to translate to real games. Usually, the success rate is much higher in practice because there are no stamina or defensive pressures.

In his past life, he was a point guard whose primary move was driving and layup. His biggest flaws were a low 3-point and mid-range percentage. He also had a small physique and below-average power due to a lack of muscle.

To offset these shortcomings and somehow survive in the NBA, he had to play smart and put in tremendous effort to hone his court vision, sense, and passing as a point guard. However, that didn’t mean his weaknesses disappeared.

“…”

Youngjae picked up one of the basketballs at his feet and shot it.

Swish-

Youngjae couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. Even in practice, Youngjae’s 3-point percentage in his past life was a career average of 29%. A guard with a mediocre outside shot who could only be expected to make about 3 out of 10 attempts. Even his best season was only 33%. Usually, spot-up shooters [players who shoot from a stationary position after receiving a pass] have percentages above the high 30s. Yet, Youngjae was making 3 consecutive 3-pointers with perfect form?

“Is it because I’m younger that my body… is changing little by little?”

That was the only thing Youngjae could figure. Unlike his body in his past life, his current body was healthier, without ingrained bad habits – a pure state. In his past life, Youngjae had tried to overcome his weaknesses through training, but he was told that there was no room for improvement due to inconsistent shooting mechanics and body balance that had persisted for years.

However, now that he was younger with the same knowledge and experience, his body had been ‘reset,’ allowing him to correct his bad habits and execute the ‘ideal’ shooting mechanics he knew.

Based on his past mistakes, he could now perform the correct training and posture. Moreover, his body balance had improved significantly, allowing him to shoot from a consistent position. The feeling in his fingertips was also much more sensitive, making more precise shots possible.

Swish-

“…”

The clean shots kept going in. Youngjae moved around to shoot from different spots and tried pull-up jumpers [shots taken after stopping briefly while moving]. Each time, the ball went in miraculously or, if it bounced out, it barely grazed the rim.

His spot-up jumpers had definitely improved a lot, but his pull-up and step-back jumpers [shots taken after quickly stepping back to create space] were still a bit lacking. This was due to the instability of his shooting after moving.

“Ha!”

Slam!

And a one-handed dunk. In his past life, Youngjae couldn’t dunk much due to his height of 6-1 (185cm) and unremarkable jumping ability. In real games, he had no choice but to safely lay the ball in. Of course, there were players like Chris Paul who could dunk powerfully despite being 6-0 (183cm), but Youngjae was Asian.

There was an unavoidable limit to his physical abilities. But now he had already grown to about 6-2 (188cm) and was still growing. He was also seeing noticeable results in bulking up, which hadn’t happened in his past life. His jumping ability had also improved significantly.

Squeak- Squeak-

Hanging from the rim, Youngjae looked down at the empty court and felt goosebumps. He let go of the rim and landed with a thud.

At the same time, an old man sitting in his study, deep in thought, tapped his index finger on the desk, closed his notebook, and smiled contentedly. The old man was none other than Steve Fisher, the head coach of the San Diego State Aztecs basketball team and a master of defensive basketball.

“Youngjae Yoon.”

Coach Fisher replayed the video on his laptop, watching it from the beginning. A smoothly moving Asian player dribbled past defenders and, the moment he was guarded, passed the ball to an open teammate.

“Sufficient skills, court vision, and sense as a point guard.”

A player who could see the game broadly, orchestrate plays, and enhance the overall offensive power of the team. But what was even more surprising was what came next. Whether it was a 2-point or 3-point shot, he would rise up and sink the spot-up jumper into the rim.

And was his finishing around the basket, like layups, bad? Not at all. Once he went up for a layup, he almost always scored, making his finishing around the basket already beyond the NCAA level. Moreover, his pull-up jumpers and tough shots while running with a defender on him also had a decent success rate. At this rate, he would undoubtedly be the best scorer in the NCAA. What Coach Fisher liked most were two things.

“No matter the stance or situation, he shoots with a consistent form and trajectory.”

“And he’s consistent…”

Unlike the aces of other universities or players in the first round of MOCK drafts (virtual drafts by various media outlets and websites before the NBA draft), he might lack explosiveness, but he had the ability to consistently score above a certain level every game. Such consistency ultimately meant no ups and downs, and no ups and downs meant a stable mentality and represented a tremendous amount of training.

So, Coach Fisher and Youngjae went to sleep with many worries, and as soon as morning came, Coach Fisher put aside all other work and called Youngjae to his office. Youngjae, also wanting this, arrived about 15 minutes early to organize his thoughts.

“Did you wait long?”

“No, sir. I just arrived as well.”

Coach Fisher, as if he had something he wanted to say, immediately got to the point and shared his thoughts.

“Since you seem to have concerns, let me start by telling you what I think.”

“Yes.”

“I think you will be more successful as a shooting guard. I know I’m not the type of person to be certain or make definitive statements, but I want you to play as a shooting guard for the Aztecs.”

Youngjae didn’t say anything. Fisher, not expecting an answer from Youngjae, paused and continued.

“I know you’ll be confused about your identity. Until high school, you were a point guard. I don’t doubt your abilities as a point guard. However, there are clear limitations to Youngjae Yoon as a point guard. And considering that your height will continue to increase, even more so.”

“…”

“Broad court vision, game orchestration ability, sharp passes, and excellent drives. Decent finishing around the basket. All good. But… frankly, there are many players like that. In the case of the Aztecs, we are, to be frank, in a mid-major conference. No matter how well you perform as a point guard, you won’t be a very attractive card to NBA teams.”

At Fisher’s words, Youngjae couldn’t help but nod. The lines between the 1 and 2 positions were gradually blurring. With the emergence of point guards who could shoot well and shooting guards who could lead, the place of pure point guards (guards who prioritize passing and have weak shooting – Kidd, Rondo, Rubio, etc.) was gradually shrinking. In that trend, Youngjae aimed to be a pure point guard, but in the end, a point guard without a shot was only half a player, and to compensate, they had to have almost miraculous game orchestration abilities.

Fortunately, in Youngjae’s past, his team had an organic system, and he had good driving, finishing around the basket, and free-throw abilities, allowing him to survive. He also had excellent screeners, outside shooters, and teammates to handle the playmaking.

‘My prime…’

Youngjae was honestly not confident. Remembering that his limit in the point guard position, which he had clung to so much, was just a decent backup, he could agree with Fisher a hundred times over. His court vision and passing might be top-notch in the NCAA, but not in the NBA.

There were plenty of players like his past self. To that point.

“I plan to have you play both the 1 and 2 positions depending on the tactics. And I think it’s good to do so. The Aztecs don’t have many reliable scoring options. Especially not a consistent shooter like you. That’s why I want you to play as a shooting guard. That’s the first reason.

The second is that you don’t have many ups and downs. If you’re a team’s scorer, explosiveness to turn the tide in dangerous moments is important, but it’s also important to consistently score. You have that consistent shooting ability. At least, if you’re put into the game, you might not be the team’s top scorer, but you always make me expect you to score consistently above the expected level. In the case of our school, we have a stable defense. A stable scorer can be seen as a guarantee of victory.”

Youngjae nodded in response, not wanting to interrupt Fisher.

“I think you’ll become a shooting guard who can lead. That’s a very good ability. And your defense isn’t bad either. The only downside would be that you’re showing the opposite of what you showed in high school, so it could be a fluke… and the problem of explosiveness I mentioned earlier. Also, players with a confused identity often fail to reach their full potential. They try to catch two rabbits and end up missing both… But, I vaguely feel that that path is your path.”

Although Youngjae had inflicted a humiliating defeat on him, D.J. Gay was clearly the Aztecs’ point guard. Even from the perspective of team chemistry, taking Gay’s position as the captain and playing as a point guard would inevitably cause team harmony issues.

Considering all of this, Youngjae felt that Coach Fisher was truly amazing. He felt a pleasant smile spread across his face as he was reminded of Gregg Popovich, the coach of the San Antonio Spurs, where he had been in his past life, even if only slightly.

A coach who helps players understand and ensures that there are no meaningless plays. A great leader who allows players to play as a team within the system.

“Won’t you trust me and follow me?”

Youngjae actually thought he had no choice. That’s because even if he had regressed and become younger, he was at best a bottom-of-the-barrel player who had barely joined the league through undrafted status. Of course, his survival skills in that cutthroat environment were impressive, but he was still a backup. He had died and been reborn just as he was barely becoming a backup member.

Did he think he would become a lead actor? If so, it was a mistake. Youngjae never thought of himself as a lead actor. That’s why he worked even harder, tried not to repeat the past, and, above all, was determined to play for the team.

“Actually, my concerns were the same as what you said, Coach. But I was going to follow you even if you hadn’t said these things. I sincerely appreciate you explaining this to me and thinking of me. I will prepare to play for the team, and I will trust and follow you, Coach. I don’t know how I will grow in the future, but I will do my best to become the player you want me to be.”

Coach Fisher smiled contentedly at Youngjae’s attitude, which he liked even mentally, and extended his right hand. Youngjae bowed and respectfully grasped Coach Fisher’s right hand with both hands.

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

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

Spot-up: A shot attempted from a stationary position after receiving the ball.

Pull-up: A shot attempted after stopping while running a few steps.

Step-back: A shot attempted after quickly stepping back to create distance from the defender.

Naturally, spot-up shots have the highest success rate, while pull-up and step-back 3-pointers have relatively lower success rates.

Youngjae’s 3-point shooting is considered poor by NBA standards, and point guards typically have a higher proportion of pull-up and step-back shots than spot-up shots. That’s why point guards generally have lower 3-point percentages than shooting guards.

anwkdk: Scoop is part of the process of going for a layup, so he has naturally mastered it. And in the case of floaters, even short players in the NBA use various skills around the basket other than floaters. Of course, the protagonist also knows how to use floaters.

Halau, card1: ㅠ.ㅠ I’m sorry it’s still early. I’ll try to write as much and as quickly as possible.