One Year Left to Play-Chapter 306 - 102: This Is Not a Multiple Choice Question

Is the mental gap really this big?

Jason Williams’ young mind was hit hard.

Before Jason Williams could reply, a hearty voice reached their ears: "Oh, Aix, your analysis isn’t bad! No wonder the team spent so much capital to bring you back."

Both turned their heads to see that it was Cedric Ceballos, one of the two inside teammates Zhang Hao analyzed earlier, and a former All-Star forward.

Ceballos warmly greeted the two: "Hello, I’m Cedric. Some people like to call me Big-S, some call me Big-Wave-S. You can just call me Ceballos. I’m so excited about you joining..."

Before the two could respond, Ceballos casually sat between them, placing his hand on one of their shoulders: "Jason, don’t be discouraged. Aix is right; there’s no happy basketball in Los Angeles, but we have things more worth pursuing. We’re restoring the Lakers’ glory! Aix is also right; you’re very important to us. Your joining will definitely greatly boost our rebounding strength. I’ve long wanted to partner with a strong rebounder like you.

Aix, your shooting fits well with me and suits our team..."

This new teammate, whose height, weight, and playstyle were very similar to Almon Gilliam, gave the two a completely different impression than Almon Gilliam.

Very passionate, very much like a big brother.

But too deliberate, that feeling of forming cliques was very intentional.

"Center: Elden Campbell, 27 years old, height 211 cm, wingspan 216 cm, weight 127 kg, ability rating 81, offense 75, defense 86...

Cedric Ceballos, 26 years old, height 198 cm, wingspan 211 cm, weight 108 kg, ability rating 88, offense 90, defense 77..."

Zhang Hao looked again at Ceballos’ ability rating. Whether in terms of physical fitness or technique, Ceballos wasn’t stronger than the 30-year-old Almon Gilliam. But Almon Gilliam had never averaged 20 points, while Ceballos did at 25 and became an All-Star, the ability rating representing significant disparity in on-court talent.

Clearly, Ceballos was indeed a more mature player with more bravery during games, improving team strength beyond what Almon Gilliam could achieve.

But at this moment, Zhang Hao found himself liking Almon Gilliam more...

...

"Center: Campbell, 27 years old, 211 cm, ability rating 81; Fred Roberts, 35 years old, 208 cm, ability rating 66.

Forward: Ceballos, 26 years old, 198 cm, ability rating 88; Jason Williams, 27 years old, 206 cm, ability rating 74; Derek Strong, 27 years old, 203 cm, ability rating 65; Corey Blount, 26 years old, 206 cm, ability rating 70; Anthony Miller, 24 years old, 206 cm, ability rating 59; George Lynch, 25 years old, 203 cm, ability rating 76.

Guard: Nick Van Exel, 24 years old, 185 cm, ability rating 84; Anthony Peeler, 26 years old, 193 cm, ability rating 79; Sedale-Srte, 34 years old, height 188 cm, ability rating 73; Frank King, 23 years old, 185 cm, ability rating 58."

Zhang Hao looked over the ability ratings of the 12 teammates. If Divac with an 87 rating and Eddie Jones with an 85 hadn’t left, the Lakers really would have been a top-tier team with a chance at 50+ wins, but these two left and were replaced by him and Jason Williams...

"Players of this era have such distinctive characteristics, entering the NBA at almost twenty-two or twenty-three."

Zhang Hao stopped thinking about the team’s strength changes. Since he’s here, what else can he do? Just play well and strive to win, as the overall strength is far higher than that of the Brooklyn Nets.

Ceballos arrived, and Zhang Hao and Jason Williams no longer sat idly, joining Ceballos at the training ground to exercise their bodies. Shortly, teammates gradually showed up.

As newcomers, Zhang Hao and Jason Williams, under Ceballos’ enthusiastic introduction, got to know their new teammates.

The feedback received was varied.

Just met, unfamiliar, not much to talk about. Zhang Hao and Jason Williams, being newcomers, were soon left alone.

"Aix, it seems some people are quite happy we joined."

"If some dislike our joining, naturally, some will like us joining. Haven’t you figured that out after playing so many years?"

"I’ve always been rather unpopular."

"...You’re really straightforward."

"Uh, thank you. You’re smarter, analyze it for me."

"Who’s really older between us! Forget it..."

Zhang Hao felt too unlucky. The Brooklyn Nets do have clever players; why did it end with this guy and him being traded to the same team?

But there’s no choice. Zhang Hao thought for a moment and said, "Maybe when you were traded before, you didn’t impact the new team you joined. You’ve only switched teams once, right? When you joined the Brooklyn Nets, there wasn’t much opportunity to show yourself. Last season, you only played 13 minutes per game, and although your efficiency averaging 5.7 rebounds was high, it didn’t affect the team. Since you know you’re not well-liked and others don’t need you, surely you’d sense new teammates not liking you.

But our trade this time is different. The Lakers traded two of their best three players for us, which will greatly affect the team’s dynamics."