One Year Left to Play-Chapter 260 - 92: The Unsatisfied Youth

At that time, Wilkins was already 34 years old, while Danny Manning was not yet 28 and in his prime. Trading Wilkins and two first-round picks for Danny Manning, regardless of the trade value or performance that season, seemed like the right move to Hawks fans after the season ended.

However, unexpectedly, Danny Manning's performance took a dramatic downturn between ages 28 and 29 last season, aging rapidly. In the first four games of this season, he averaged only 15.5 points and 5.2 rebounds.

Of course, that's not bad, especially with the peak performance of elite point guard Mookie Blaylock, the high-scoring tall shooting guard Steve Smith, and the strong frontcourt rotation of Grant Lang, Andrew Lang, and Stacey Augmon, with Ken Norman and Alan Henderson coming off the bench...

The Hawks' configuration is aimed at winning the championship, but no one expected the strongest core player, Danny Manning, to decline so rapidly, collapsing after just one peak year.

But even with a collapse, it only means they can't win the championship, their playoff spot is still secure.

99 to 107, the Brooklyn Nets worked hard but ultimately couldn't improve their record, losing the game, making their record 3 wins and 2 losses, the same as the Hawks' 2 wins and 2 losses record before the game.

In this game, Zhang Hao performed steadily, playing 31 minutes, making 6 out of 13 shots, and hitting 4 out of 5 free throws, scoring 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.

...

After playing against the Hawks, the Brooklyn Nets returned to Rutherford Town.

After a day's rest, on November 13th, they welcomed the Kings for a home game.

Although the Brooklyn Nets lost to the Hawks, making their record 3 wins and 2 losses, they still looked good.

When the game started, under Almon Gilliam's impact on the basket, Zhang Hao and Kenny Anderson had more scoring and collaboration opportunities, attacking fiercely.

The Kings' defense wasn't great either, but they had a strong offense. The 1988 draft was a talented year, and from that class, Mitch Richmond, just 30 years old and in his prime, led the players from the class of 1990 like Lionel Simmons, Spud Webb, and the short but powerful center Wayman Tisdale to battle against the Brooklyn Nets.

With their offensively driven playoff-edge level team, the Kings' offensive firepower was naturally impressive, but the Brooklyn Nets had a fiery start, full of momentum, with both teams competing fiercely throughout.

Players on both sides exerted themselves to the fullest, but in the end, in the tug-of-war, it was Mitch Richmond, a Hall of Fame-level player, who performed better.

Richmond scored 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, Spud Webb had 8 points and 12 assists, Tisdale added 20 points and 9 boards, and Walter Williams had 19 points and 5 rebounds, overshadowing Kenny Anderson's 23 points and 11 assists, Almon Gilliam's 25 points and 8 rebounds, Zhang Hao's 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 2 turnovers, Jason Williams' 6 points and 14 rebounds, and Chales' 8 points and 7 assists. The Kings ultimately defeated the Brooklyn Nets 117 to 109.

...

Three players scoring 20+ points, yet they still lost the game.

There was a chance, but in critical moments, Richmond gave the Brooklyn Nets players a good lesson.

From a perfect 3 win and 1 loss start for the Brooklyn Nets to a 3 win and 3 loss, 50% win rate, in just three days.

Looking at the schedule, the Brooklyn Nets, considered contenders for the top draft pick, faced playoff-level teams in five out of their first six games, with only the Raptors considered an easy opponent, showcasing they were intended to be appetizers for stronger teams.

With such a schedule, a 3 win and 3 loss start was satisfactory to the Brooklyn Nets coaching staff.

It's true they just had two consecutive losses, and it's true they wanted to foster a winning habit, but whether it was the stern Randy Whitman, the changeable Butch Baird, or the newly joined Brooklyn Nets coaches Chris Owen and Alvan Adams, none of them expected to win a lot of games; improvement over last season's record was sufficient.

Zhang Hao performed well in these two games in terms of individual performance.

But he felt the opponents were paying more attention to him, especially targeting his poor defense.

If there's a pick-and-roll on the perimeter, the opponent is likely to use it to pull him out, and he can't help but follow, or else after the opponents' pick-and-roll inside, it would be unstoppable if it's a strong inside player.

But being pulled out makes him a target for the opponents on the perimeter.

Obviously, his consistent performance on the offensive end not only brought him attention but also opponents' targeting.

In the area he excelled at offensively, he's still developing his playmaking, his passing training hasn't stopped, and his on-court attempts to connect plays aren't bad but aren't outstanding either.

In scoring, where he's best, Zhang Hao felt a sense of powerlessness against the Hawks and the Kings. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Unless he explodes like against the Pistons, his performance would be like a typical primary scorer.

He's already impressive as a rookie, especially a high school rookie, but he didn't become complacent; instead, he remained "unsatisfied."

This is something particularly special about him...

...

...

"Aix, are you training so early again? God, don't you give yourself any rest time?"

After losing to the Kings yesterday, the Brooklyn Nets got two days off, with their next game against the Pacers at home on the 16th, and then another home game against the Utah Jazz on the 18th before hitting the road again.

For November, considering the opponent's strength, the Brooklyn Nets' schedule seemed tough, but with only 13 games that month, it was relatively light in terms of density.

The team didn't have practice scheduled today, and Kenny Anderson also didn't add practice.

It's natural to lose games... they will definitely lose some games. Having played for years, he knows focusing too much on losing isn't good. That kind of bracing, head-on rush approach doesn't suit him, so he opted to play around with his teammates.

Kenny Anderson hurriedly went to Zhang Hao's apartment early in the morning, but didn't find him there. Finding Zhang Hao training at the gym, Kenny came running in merrily.

Seeing Kenny Anderson dragging a suitcase, Zhang Hao responded, "I sleep quite on time, normally asleep by 11... what's with the suitcase, boss? Running away from the team?"

"You're the one running away from the team!

I wasn't asking if you sleep well, but on rest days, don't just think about training all the time, have some leisure activities sometimes... whatever, looking for you is indeed a waste of time..."

Kenny Anderson said, opening his suitcase, revealing a laptop as thick as two bricks stacked together, and a box.

"There's plenty of time for fun after death, while alive, I need to strive hard..."

Zhang Hao was in the middle of posturing when he heard Kenny Anderson mumbling about securing a beta game disc for Warcraft 2, recalling he had a computer, Zhang Hao immediately stopped and joined him.

At this point, Kenny Anderson heard something about Zhang Hao's earlier line but didn't hear it clearly, asking, "Aix, what did you just say? What's that about fun after death? Is it partying on a grave?"

"That'd be someone else partying on your grave... ah, never mind, you misheard!

Let's go play games! You're right, can't have your head down training all the time, need to play games occasionally too."