No.1 in basketball scoring

Zhang Yang, DeRozan, and Harden went for a walk by the river to digest their meal after dinner.

Although Da Luo and Zhang San had invited him to dinner, Harden still laid down a harsh promise after going Dutch; he swore he would get his revenge in this game!

(Insert a cool mid-part photo of Harden)

Seeing Harden's fierce expression, DeRozan indicated that he got it, he got it.

Harden's optimistic and cheerful personality was something DeRozan envied.

This buddy either lived carefree or, once he had a goal, charged forward with all his might, fearing nothing.

Zhang Yang wasn't worried about Harden being angry either; a meal could easily appease him, even if it was split-the-bill style.

He was replaying today's game in his mind.

In the 6 games prior, he hadn't assisted with tactical adjustments like this, merely orchestrating his teammates' movements according to his own or DeRozan's scoring needs within the tactics.

Those matches, albeit tough at times, never reached the point of necessitating tactical specifics; he and DeRozan could resolve the issues with their individual abilities, while also enhancing their skills.

Today, they faced Lynwood High School, a team with 'talent on par with Tatum and Miller,' where they truly had to think tactically to win.

After making tactical adjustments on the fly, he found that the opposing coach could barely make any effective counter-adjustments.

Considering the opposing coach's ability to so nicely blend the ultra-talented role players like Harden Jefferson into beautiful team plays, his tactical formation abilities should be adequate, at least in terms of utilizing Harden's talents.

That means the opponent lacked the ability to adapt on the spot... It seems Thomas didn't make many live adjustments either, only tweaking things after a quarter or half, and even then, it wasn't micromanagement.

He hadn't noticed this before, but now that he thought about it, it seemed high school coaches typically lacked the ability to make fine-tuned tactical adjustments and give live commands.

However, a coach's live commanding ability doesn't really play too significant a role in high school matches.

Calling a timeout out of the blue to arrange a new play likely won't pan out well with the players, unless there's someone like Jack Zhang on the court capable of directing teammates' movements correctly.

Cultivating players' abilities > Creating suitable tactics > ... > Live commanding ability, if that's how high school coaches are...

No wonder, Farmar and James, after acclimating to a year of high school games, were able to lead a team of mediocre teammates on winning streaks of tens or twenties during their sophomore year.

Farmar led his team on a 15-game winning streak in the latter half of his sophomore year, clinching a spot in the third division's championship contest.

For James, it was even more exaggerated: in his sophomore year, the 2000-2001 season, he led his team to a 26-1 record, single-handedly taking the championship.

With sufficient personal abilities and the capacity for tactical adaptation, one could easily dominate in high school's top league.

It's not even about players who possess both qualities; there aren't many with the strength of Farmar and James to start with, let alone those with their level of intellect.

Farmar, during his high school years, was powerfully dominant, dubbed the nation's top Point Guard.

James was even more outlandish, capable of averaging 20+ points with a tank-like playstyle from the age of 18 in the NBA, likely possessing NBA-level physical prowess by the age of fifteen or sixteen.

Zhang Yang felt that he and DeRozan still had a gap to fill compared to those two of the same period.

In terms of teammates, having a group of 'mediocre' teammates wasn't so easy either.

At Compton High School, with three senior-year students, Monroe, Kanter, these five teammates were fairly weak links, but they were still the best players outside of the starting five among the juniors and seniors.

If these five could be traded for CIF first-level average players, the team's strength would immediately rise by half a tier.

But, he was paired with DeRozan!

Zhang Yang stopped walking and said, "DeMar."

DeRozan also stopped and asked, "What's up?"

Zhang Yang, "Let's take the championship this season and dominate high school!"

DeRozan was taken aback for a moment but quickly regained his calm composure, responding, "Okay."

Harden, "Hey hey hey! I'm still here! Even if we lost today, we're still the second seed in the third district. If you want the championship, you'll have to see if we agree!"

DeRozan, "You can't beat the two of us."

Harden, stepping back and clutching his chest, "You're bullying me, Jack, even though I came first!"

Zhang Yang, speechless, this drama king.

DeRozan, "Why don't you transfer back? We can dominate high school together?"

Harden, "I refuse! I want to defeat you guys! From today on, we are enemies..."

Zhang Yang, "James, how about a post-meal dessert?"

"Follow me, the strawberry-flavored cake there is really good!"

…

As Thomas anticipated, the competition for the top spot in the third district attracted quite a bit of media coverage, and with online information spreading, teams in the district quickly learned that, three days later, on Sunday, second-ranked Lynwood High School was shockingly defeated by the eighth seed, Long Beach Middle School.

Thomas felt sorry for Harden, who got 'backstabbed' by two brothers, but he also saw it as good training for Harden. Considering Lynwood High School's solid lineup, Harden's method of play in the first six games had been simple and relaxed, easily leading the team to victory with minimal strategic thought, offering little improvement in personal skills. Now, he finally had the opportunity to grow.

If anything, Harden should thank his two brothers.

Though he didn't acquire Harden, Thomas still hoped that he would fully develop his talents.

Thomas didn't focus on Harden for too long, because the two talents on his side were stirring up trouble again!