Chapter 661 - 587: Never Seen Such a Way of Playing

Chapter 661: Chapter 587: Never Seen Such a Way of Playing

Chen Yu had been deeply impressed by Iguodala back at the prospect training camp.

At the time, Chen Yu’s team was unanimous in their assessment: he had the potential to become a top-tier wing defender.

First, at 6’6" with a 6’11" wingspan, his length is excellent.

His athleticism is also outstanding, especially his explosive leaping ability.

A quick jump is a must-have quality for an elite defender.

He also has great lateral quickness, which is incredibly useful for defending drives.

And because he started playing basketball late—only in his third year of high school—his skills were less polished. This meant he was more willing to share the ball and focus on defense rather than prioritizing offense.

A player like that is a natural fit to be a defensive stopper on the wing, camp out in the corner for open threes, and drive to the basket for a score in crucial moments.

You could say he just needs to be developed using the Marion template.

"What about the perimeter?" Nelson asked again.

Milicic could hold down the interior, and Iguodala could be moved into the starting lineup on the wing, but what about the perimeter?

"Don’t even get me started."

The perimeter was a headache for Chen Yu.

Nash was short, had short arms, was lightweight, had a small frame, and lacked athleticism. There was no way he could become a top-tier defensive stalwart on the perimeter like J Kidd.

He could get by on experience for some basic defense, but against a top-tier offensive player, he could only watch helplessly.

Joe Johnson was the same.

He had solid fundamentals, excellent isolation skills, and a good jumper, but his average athleticism was a major liability on the defensive end.

Against someone with a quick first step like Tracy McGrady, he’d get blown by repeatedly.

"Actually, if we had a chance to get Jason, that would be a great option," Chen Yu remarked with a sigh.

When the Phoenix Suns won their first championship, they had J Kidd locking down the perimeter. He always gave you peace of mind.

Compared to Nash, though, his offense was far too lacking.

It just goes to show that perfect players are few and far between.

On the bench, Derek Anderson wasn’t bad. He was relatively balanced on offense and defense, but in terms of ceiling, he was a far cry from Joe Johnson.

And Chen Yu needed Joe Johnson’s ability to break down defenses in isolation.

Once the run-and-gun offense stalled, that ability to create a shot became crucial.

As for the remaining guards, they all had defensive capabilities.

Larry Hughes was excellent at getting steals, Tony Allen had the potential to become a great defender, and Chris Duhon was the same—his scouting report listed defense as a strength.

But it couldn’t be helped. The starting point guard spot would always belong to Nash.

Seeing Nelson looking at him with a half-smile, Chen Yu threw up his hands. "Don’t look at me. There’s nothing I can do."

With this roster... besides, even powerhouses like the Phoenix Suns and the Spurs couldn’t demand that every single position be flawless.

The Magic made the Finals year after year, yet their interior play was always a problem.

"Also, when the bench unit is in, I want a secondary playmaker similar to Dako. Who on the inside do you think can handle that role?" Chen Yu asked.

When the bench unit was on the floor, the playmaking abilities of Hughes, Tony Allen, and Duhon were all limited.

They could bring the ball past half-court without a problem, but they couldn’t be trusted to properly organize the offense and make good passes.

After all, playmaking is more than just passing the ball.

"What do you think about Dior?" Chen Yu asked, then answered his own question.

Last season, whether with the Hawks or the Pioneers, Dior showed off his ball-handling and passing abilities coming off the bench.

Chen Yu felt he was a bit like Odom.

Although none of his skills were top-tier, he could do a little bit of everything.

Most importantly, he had a good feel for passing, especially when kicking the ball out from the post.

Last season, he averaged 2.6 assists in just 13.5 minutes per game off the bench, which was quite impressive.

Give him starter-level treatment, and he could probably rack up 5 to 6 assists per game.

That was nearly on par with a point forward like Hill.

Nelson nodded. "He is indeed a good choice."

Or rather, there was no other choice.

If they wanted a player of that type, he was the only suitable one on the current roster.

"Let’s go with that for now. We’ll discuss it again in the meeting tomorrow."

This is what the preseason was for: adjusting the lineup and weighing all the factors.

At the end of the first half, the Pioneers were still ahead, 55 to 51.

In the second half, both teams started bringing in their subs.

The Pioneers made a more drastic change, swapping in an entirely new bench lineup.

O’Ku, Dior, Iguodala, Derek Anderson, and Larry Hughes.

Most importantly, the Pioneers’ playstyle changed.

All five players floated around the perimeter, launching a frenzy of three-pointers.

Their offensive pace also quickened. The ball was like a hot potato; there was almost no ball movement, and they would shoot at the first decent opportunity.

It gave off the feeling of a Summer League game, where rookies were desperately jacking up shots to make an impression.

This style of play made the Wolves extremely uncomfortable.

The Wolves, led by Sanders, had always been one of the best zone-defense teams in the league.

And in the NBA at that time, zone defense was primarily focused on protecting the paint, leaving the perimeter wide open.

When Hughes pushed the ball quickly up the court and O’Ku didn’t even cross the three-point line before letting one fly, Sanders couldn’t help but curse inwardly while repeatedly glancing over at Rivers on the sideline.

’So they’re really turning into a three-point brigade, huh.’

The crazy part was, they were actually making them.

After the game, Sanders made a point to check the stats. He discovered that in the second half, the Pioneers’ bench mob had shot 10-for-22 from three.

That number was already absurd. Many teams didn’t even attempt 22 threes in an entire game.

Sanders felt that the Wolves’ loss probably came down to the three-pointer.

Their perimeter defense was too lax, giving the Pioneers too many open looks.

The problem was the Pioneers were just too fast. They sprinted up the court and fired away as soon as they reached the three-point line, completely disregarding shot selection. How were you supposed to defend against that?

It got to the point where Sanders couldn’t help but ask his lead assistant coach, Randy Whitman, if there was really no problem with shooting so many threes.

More and more teams in the league were shooting threes.

Part of the reason was the trend set by the Phoenix Suns.

During their three-peat, the Phoenix Suns had launched plenty of threes and stockpiled outside shooters.

Following their example, other teams in the league were naturally catching on.

But no one was shooting with the same maniacal abandon as the Pioneers.

The starting center and the backup center both running out to the perimeter to shoot threes—it was simply unimaginable.

Randy Whitman thought for a moment before saying, "Philip, don’t overthink it. Shooting threes can score points in bunches, but the efficiency is too low. A style of play like this is doomed to fail in the long run. We just need to play our game."

Sanders nodded, but he still had his doubts.

Because this Pioneers team was special.

You could say that from the players to the coaches, the whole thing was built and established with Chen Yu’s help.

So, one could assume that the reason the Pioneers chose this playstyle was because it was Chen Yu’s idea.

In other words, Chen Yu believed that shooting more threes was better.

And this team-building philosophy might very well be a conclusion drawn from the Phoenix Suns’ championship strategy.

’When you thought about it that way, didn’t that make it worth studying?’