Chapter 847 [Real Harden, new bodyguard]
The training class was over. A young black man with a height of over 1.9 meters and a bit of a delicate appearance waved at Guo Xu and said loudly: "Jason, can you sign me? I am from the University of Arizona and I want to participate in the NBA draft next year."
Guo Xu walked to him, took the jersey and pen, and smiled and said, "No problem."
The young man asked with a smile: "Can you sign a sentence, James Harden, I'm waiting for you in NBA, Jason Guo."
“…”
Guo Xu looked at him a few times and found that this person who looked a bit like Jike Junyi was the real Harden, but his beard was too shaved and looked like a child, without any domineeringness.
The University of Arizona where Harden is located is in Tucson City, with a distance of about 180 kilometers from Phoenix, and his self-driving trip is about 1.5 hours. Harden went to the Suns home court many times last season, but Guo Xu never paid attention to him.
Guo Xu smiled and said, "James, I have heard of you. You played well in high school and last season."
"Really?" Harden exclaimed.
In 2007, the University of Arizona ranked ninth in the PAC10 league, with a total of 10 schools. Under the leadership of first-year player Harden, the team scored 21 wins and 13 losses in the 2007-08 season and won fifth place in the league.
Harden averaged 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. If he participated in the draft this year, he would definitely be selected, and his pick is not low.
The team's fifth place result was a breakthrough, but they failed to reach the NCAA 32, so Harden decided to play for another year.
Guo Xu signed him and took a photo, and said with a smile: "I suggest you keep your beard, which will make you more domineering and play well. I hope you will be selected with the highest pick next year."
Harden without a beard looks awkward, just like Guan Yunchang played by Donnie Yen, some people cannot be without a beard. Moreover, Harden without a beard is not strong, which is Guo Xu's impression in his previous life.
The idol actually gave him a suggestion, and Harden's eyes flashed with excitement. "Thank you, Ji Yan, I'll start growing a beard now."
"I think you have good physical fitness and work hard enough, so you will definitely be able to do it." Guo Xu patted Harden on the shoulder. "Practice shooting more, you will not be accurate in shooting. No matter how good your skills are, you will not become a superstar."
"I will definitely work hard!" Harden shouted, full of energy.
In recent years, Guo Xu will agree to take photos with his impression of future stars over the years, and he can't count them if there are many people.
Young players don’t know that they will become famous in the future. They all say that Guo Xu is the most unpretentious superstar. As the number one player in the active league, he is easier to talk to than many ordinary All-Stars, and compared with Jordan, there are two extremes.
Klay Thompson's father is a Lakers commentator. He often goes to home to watch the ball and takes photos with Guo Xu.
Westbrook plays at UCL and is also a fan of Guo Xu. The two have seen each other once.
Kerry Irving was lucky enough to have a one-on-one fight with Guo Xu during a fan meeting event, and was abused badly. This is normal, because 16-year-old Irving is too naughty, and he plays like Cai Xukun...
Don’t underestimate simple group photos. This is an inspiration for young people and may change their lives. If they post the group photos online in the future, fans will find that there are so many people who motivate Guo Xu.
When he returned to the locker room, Guo Xu took the initiative to chat with Gasol and gave him suggestions.
"Mark, usually communicate with Udunisto and lose weight as soon as possible. If you want to get a lot of opportunities to play, your weight must be reduced to less than 120 kg."
"I will work hard." Gasol smiled bitterly. He had been despised for many years because of his weight.
Rockets scouts nicknamed him "man boobs" in the 2007 draft, and it spread, so his previous life's pick is lower than Sun Yue.
boobs is a saying of women, that is, those fat men with sagging breasts like women. Little Gasol now has long hair, and he does look like a fat woman.
Haslem interrupted: "This is very simple. When I first entered the league, I was fatter than you. I lost in one season. You don't eat junk food now, right?"
"I'll quit." Gasol smiled.
Although they were Spanish, their whole family moved to Memphis in 2001 and immigrated with Grand Gasol, who came to play NBA. Gasol immediately fell in love with the fast food, hamburgers, fries, and fried chicken. The weight gain effect is very obvious. As long as he can control his diet, his body shape will improve.
Guo Xu suggested again: "You cut your hair too. Didn't you find that the powerful players are almost all bald? Except me."
“…”
In the training camp, Guo Xu had a new handbag.
Gasol Little is trained to lose weight every day under the guidance of Haslem. Haslem habitually follows Guo Xu and has been a bodyguard for many years, so Gasol Little has become a bodyguard, a super-large bodyguard.
However, Gasol Jr. has not played much time this season, so D'Antoni is more inclined to let Jordan Jr. play as a substitute, and even arranged tactics for him during training, allowing him to play like Howard in the Dream Eighth team.
Because Jordan Jr. has a stronger ability to grab rebounds on the defensive end, his height of 211cm and a weight of 120 kilograms can withstand most centers, and his top bounce and 229cm wingspan allow him to easily complete assisted blocks.
Jordan, who plays pick-and-roll on the offensive end, is also powerful, and his air-cut speed is not as good as Sir. His weakness is that he has no skills and no range. Once the opponent uses the shark-cutting tactic, he can go down and rest.
After the Olympics, D'Antoni has new inspiration and is preparing to let the rotation lineup try to defend the frontcourt in the new season. There are many people playing in the team in rotation, and physical strength is not a problem. Pressing tightly in the frontcourt can also ensure that the inside line returns to defense.
After the preseason started, the Suns made a try, not only playing fast attacks, but occasionally they also made two of Jordan, Sir and Gasol form the inside double tower.
When the opponent's long-range shooting rate is not high, going to the double towers can better defend the penalty area and protect the backcourt rebound.
After Jordan Jr. joined, the Suns' overall rebounding ability became stronger. Except for Gasol Jr., there were all rebounding experts in the inside, and the two short power forwards were very good at grabbing.
Jordan Jr. has the highest rebounding efficiency, and can grab 5 rebounds in about 15 minutes. With Superman's body, if he has enough playing time and is responsible for defending the penalty area, he has the potential to compete for the rebounding king.
In Guo Xu's previous life, Jordan Jr. played 31.5 minutes in his first season and grabbed 15.2 rebounds, including 4.3 rebounds in the frontcourt. His efficiency is higher than that of the "big bug" Dennis Rodman. Even if he is suspected of making a mistake, most people cannot get this kind of data.
When the two towers are on the court, the Suns' offense is mainly positional battles. One person plays pick-and-roll in the middle and the other person does not have the ball to cover the side, and they can cut the ball and hit the basket without any ball coverage.
Gasol, a little boy, didn't even have a chance to show his ability to support him. The defender's breakthrough was too sharp. He just blocked people to help the defender get rid of it. Needless to say, Guo Xu's skills are needed, and generally, even Lowry, who is a substitute, cannot defend himself in the interior.
Lowry's strength is steadily improving. He also imitates Guo Xu's playing style, shooting three-pointers, breaking through and organizing fast breaks.
In the preseason, Guo Xu only played symbolically for more than ten minutes. Lowry and Roy got a lot of opportunities to perform. They could drive the entire team's offense and play beautiful data.
Lowry averaged 11.1 points and 6.6 assists per game in the preseason, and gave 8 assists in a single quarter against the Clippers. His sharp breakthrough completely disrupted the opponent's defense.
Roy played for about 30 minutes, with 20+ in every game, and his shooting percentage of 44.4% seems not high, but his three-point shooting percentage is 38.3%, and he averages 2.6 three-pointers per game, which is a significant improvement compared to last season.
Chapter completed!