Chapter 98: The Kings’ Teachings
Sacramento’s training hall, their first team practice session after the trade they just completed.
Tonight they will face the Kings for the first time with a complete lineup.
Last time they faced the Kings, the overall performance was poor. Xu Ling clearly struggled against a beast-like forward line like Ron Artest, who is experienced and physically strong, but this time, the situation seems different.
Since there was a game tonight, the afternoon training that day was mainly about maintaining form.
However, after training ended, Xu Ling and Kidd stayed on the court for one-on-one isolation practice.
Kidd rubbed the basketball with his fingertips, as if flipping through an invisible book.
“Look here,”
Kidd’s voice sounded exceptionally clear in the empty arena. He didn’t use any fancy moves, just the simplest post-up positioning, but at the moment of exertion, his left shoulder had an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible sink.
“99% of people look at my feet or hands, but the shoulder doesn’t lie. If he really wants to go that way, the shoulder will move first. You have to train until you can catch it with your peripheral vision.”
The old master indeed has experience; as soon as he spoke, he got straight to the point.
Xu Ling asked thoughtfully: “Does this method work against Kobe?”
During college, Xu Ling was probably the best perimeter defender in the country, but after entering the NBA, his defense was just outstanding, not elite.
As a rookie, this was already quite outstanding defense, but every time Xu Ling looked back on the Judgment Dunk game, he was still annoyed that Kobe scored 58 points over him.
Admittedly, Kobe was on fire that night with many unbelievable shots. Against that kind of ball, you really have no way, just like Florida stud J.Mac’s signature move is picking up a smaller opponent and doing an airborne train bento—you can’t expect other actors to do the same.
But Xu Ling’s problem wasn’t that he couldn’t guard Kobe’s insane shots; it was that Kobe scored a lot that night from one-on-one post-ups.
This made Xu Ling discover a major weakness in his defense: he wasn’t good at defending post-ups.
Hearing Xu Ling’s question, Kidd raised an eyebrow and asked curiously: “Is that important?”
Xu Ling answered honestly: “That’s why I want to strengthen my low post defense.”
“Then you’re probably going to be disappointed.” Kidd said, “Improving low post defense is one thing; limiting Kobe is another. We can’t use conventional defensive thinking against Kobe because every possession his moves are different.”
Xu Ling was helpless; he knew Kidd was right.
Kobe is the kind of player who, once he starts isolating, is hard to predict. Even if you close off all his shooting space, he can still force opportunities.
“But what you should be thinking about now isn’t defending Kobe’s post-ups, but how to take your low post offense and defense to the next level.” Kidd continued, “Although I’ve only played two games with you, I can see you’re very confident in your shooting. That confidence makes you subconsciously avoid risks, so you have to play more in the low post. Only by understanding low post offense and defense will your awareness in that area improve.”
Kidd’s words were undoubtedly sincere advice from a veteran.
Xu Ling certainly knew his post-up skills were laughably immature compared to contemporary outside scorers. Is this scientific? Everyone grew up watching Michael Jordan’s games; everyone wants to be the next Jordan, yet you polish your outside shooting like Reggie Miller—something seems off no matter how you look at it.
However, Xu Ling wasn’t really unwilling to develop his low post; it was circumstantial.
Before Kidd and others arrived, Grizzlies games had almost no margin for error. Once Xu Ling started off poorly, the whole team often lost direction. Therefore, he rarely dared to use regular season games to practice his immature low post offense.
Now the team has reinforcements: Kidd controls the rhythm, Josh Howard boosts forward line toughness. Although they lost Pau Gasol, this trade still injected strong immediate combat power into the team.
Because of this, Xu Ling sincerely accepted Kidd’s suggestion: “I understand. Thank you for telling me this.”
However, unlike the composed Kidd, another key new addition Josh Howard seemed preoccupied.
In the past few years, as a wing player handpicked by Avery Johnson, Howard was one of the core members of that Mavericks team that reached the Finals and set the regular season league first record. But he was inconsistent in high-intensity matchups, prone to faltering in key moments, and plagued by injuries this season with poor weight management during rest, ultimately leading the Mavericks to send him—rather than Jason Terry—away in that shocking league trade a few days ago.
New to the team, this unremarkable-looking man desperately wanted to impress his new teammates, giving his all in training. Unfortunately, his current form was still far from his peak.
“Josh,” Marc Iavaroni saw his anxiety and comforted him, “Don’t rush; we have plenty of time for you to get back to your best.”
Howard just silently glanced at the coach.
He knew his body better than anyone. It could be said that making it to the NBA was a miracle in itself.
Howard was born with congenital inward bowing of both legs. To allow him to walk like a normal person, his mother followed the doctor’s advice and underwent a surgery that sounded horrifying: breaking his twisted knees and legs, then reimplanting fixators to forcibly correct them.
For an ordinary person, surviving such surgery would be questionable for normal walking, but Howard not only endured but made it to the NBA. However, over the years, his legs remained the most vulnerable part of his body. Now, this innate curse was quietly eroding his athletic career.
“Coach, I don’t have that much time.”
Howard replied softly.
Hearing this, Iavaroni said no more.
The other two new additions were more low-key.
Vladimir Radmanovic looked like a carbon copy of Darko Milicic—not that ambitious, but not tanking either; he just did his job day by day, with no sense of discomfort after switching teams.
Trevor Ariza saw this trade as a chance to start over. He has outstanding physical talent but rough technique. From being drafted by the Knicks into the NBA to bouncing to the Lakers, Ariza had almost never truly received the attention he deserved. As people often say “Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou don’t believe in tears,” what Ariza experienced was an American reality—the two cities most emblematic of the American Dream, Los Angeles and New York, never truly believed in him.
Even in Memphis, Jerry West, who handled this trade, saw Ariza only as a throw-in and forward line depth supplement. After all, no one would take seriously a failed lottery pick like Ariza, entering his fourth year with per-game stats hovering around 5 points and shooting percentage just over 40%.
Ariza quickly became the training maniac in the Grizzlies second only to Xu Ling.
However, opposite to Josh Howard, he still had plenty of time; his good days hadn’t arrived yet.
That night, the Grizzlies challenged the Kings on the road.
After the game started, Artest indeed shadowed Xu Ling relentlessly, with constant hand checks and nonstop trash talk: “Rookie, remember last time? It’ll be worse tonight!”
Xu Ling ignored him and, following Kidd’s instructions, didn’t rush into individual offense. Instead, he ran off-ball frequently, using screens from Howard and Milicic to drag Artest into obstacles, then cut out for catch-and-shoot.
“You do look like you’re going to have a bad night.”
Xu Ling threw out this line and ran off.
Soon after, just a few possessions later, Xu Ling became the tactical core again.
Xu Ling curled out through double baseline screens. Artest fought through, but just as he was about to catch up again, Kidd’s pass arrived—not to Xu Ling’s hands, but a precise bounce pass with perfect lead, directly setting Xu Ling up for a smooth drive.
Artest’s balance was still recovering, so he could only watch as Xu Ling blew by for an easy layup.
“Great pass! Kidd completely read the defense; he put Xu Ling in an advantageous position on the catch!”
Xu Ling looked at Artest and mocked: “Bad defense.”
In a rage, Artest chose to iso hard next possession and missed.
Xu Ling grabbed the defensive rebound, entering his individual offense rhythm. After pushing up alone, he again showed his privilege to ignore the system—a not-surprising pull-up three in a numbers advantage that went in.
Xu Ling turned back to the now-caught-up Artest and continued the trash talk: “Bad defense times two.”
Artest was furious, but no matter how angry, he couldn’t change the fact that Kidd had completely freed Xu Ling’s offense. He no longer needed to hold the ball long against Artest’s brick wall defense; through movement and Kidd’s passing, he got tons of catch-and-attack opportunities—either scoring directly or making quick decisions before Artest’s help defense settled.
At halftime, Xu Ling had efficiently scored 14 points, while Artest picked up his fourth foul from losing his cool and spent most of the time on the bench looking depressed.
Meanwhile, Kidd had 5 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists at half, with a triple-double in his trade debut within reach.
Howard’s performance was also solid; though not at his best, his current form could already replace Mike Miller.
In the second half, the Kings tried to adjust, but the Grizzlies’ offensive system was running smoothly. Kidd directed traffic with passes time and again, as Xu Ling, Warrick, and Howard kept cutting and shooting.
Ultimately, the Grizzlies cleanly beat the Kings 108-85 on the road for a satisfying revenge.
Xu Ling finished with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, over 50% shooting— a different player from his struggle last time against the Kings. Kidd delivered a perfect debut with 9 points, 11 rebounds, 16 assists; what’s speechless is that what kept him from a triple-double was the seemingly easiest category: points.
After the game, Artest didn’t shake Xu Ling’s hand and went straight to the locker room. Xu Ling, in the interview, gave credit to his teammate: “Jason makes the game easy. He always finds the open teammate; we just need to be ready to knock it down.”
For the Grizzlies, this was perfect rhythm.
Kidd did everything everyone hoped, Howard indeed brought toughness to the three spot, Radmanovic, Milicic, and Warrick split time at four and five, the unheralded Ariza sat comfortably on the bench, and Xu Ling felt for the first time in the Grizzlies that he could play relaxed—Kidd took the organizer burden off him; he finally didn’t have to be the kid playing head of household bearing everything.
In that shocking four-team trade, the Memphis Grizzlies became the first to reap the benefits of their new additions. The Dallas Mavericks were still tweaking their lineup, struggling to find balance between Kobe and Nowitzki; the Los Angeles Lakers were stuck in the awkward spot of wanting to tank but unable; the New Jersey Nets remained lukewarm, middling. Only the Grizzlies surged post-trade, winning streak after streak, reentering playoff contender status with upward momentum.
Now, the Grizzlies are heading to Cleveland for a road game against the Cavaliers.
This matchup is not only the finale before All-Star Weekend but also the long-awaited spotlight showdown. Xu Ling vs. LeBron James—this rookie hailed by media as the best since Tim Duncan, carrying the “Chosen One” expectation to surpass Jordan; Adidas vs. Nike’s ace endorsers for the next decade; plus the off-court grudges already sown and fermenting…
The storm between Xu and James hasn’t calmed with time; it’s intensified. Every media outlet wants to mold them into archrivals, just as Adidas and Nike desperately hope one crushes the other. From James’ disrespect to the ball boy in Memphis, to Xu Ling’s Twitter post that caused uproar, and the ensuing chain reactions—all fueling this game.
Two days before the Grizzlies arrived in Cleveland, James had just led the Cavaliers to a blowout win over the Pacers at home with a triple-double.
After the game, ESPN reporter Chris Sheridan held the microphone to him and asked the question every media person inevitably would: “LeBron, what do you think of the challenge from rookie Eli Xu? Many are starting to compare him to your rookie year.”
On camera, James flashed his flawless signature smile, tone generous and sincere: “Eli is an incredible genius; I really believe that. He has a bright future. I admire his competitiveness; he desires greatness. Memphis is completely different because of him. I’m looking forward to our next matchup; it’ll be fun.”
This was originally a standard, unimpeachable official response; if it ended there, just another bland media interaction.
However, James seemed to find the wording too formulaic and added in a more personal tone: “Honestly, seeing him reminds me of my younger self, full of energy, wanting to conquer everything. But for me, the most important thing in my rookie season wasn’t stats, but learning how to be a true professional player, how to truly lead a team to wins, how to take responsibility.”
At this point, the Chosen One paused briefly, as if giving time to digest, then dropped the key line: “I believe he’s learning that too; it takes a process. Maybe after he plays another 50, 100 games, he’ll better understand what this league really means.”
You know, the most valuable ethics lesson news workers learn from “don’t take out of context” is “do take out of context.”
James’ comments were quickly spun by media into their unique interpretations.
《James affirms Eli’s talent but says he needs to “learn how to be a pro player”》
《LeBron advises Xu Ling: Play 100 more games to understand the league》
《Lesson from a senior: LBJ thinks Eli still needs growth process》
Such headlines flooded the internet.
Moreover, James’ words inherently carried a heavy lecturing tone; it’s hard to say he didn’t mean it that way.
As the Grizzlies prepared to board the private jet to Cleveland, these stories were fermenting in every corner of the basketball world.
Xu Ling wore headphones and didn’t speak to anyone.
His teammates didn’t bother asking about it.
The plane landed in Cleveland.
Outside, a crowd of media gathered; many wanted to know Xu Ling’s thoughts on His Majesty’s earnest advice.
Xu Ling walked up to them, pulled off his headphones, looked at the reporters in front—too many, as if they’d just won a spotlight game.
At this moment, Xu Ling’s mood wasn’t calm. He didn’t give the reporters a chance to ask but spoke first, giving them the answer they wanted.
“I’ve heard a lot of suggestions and analysis about what I still need to learn, how many games I need to play, what level I need to reach.”
“But I came to the NBA not to meet someone else’s standards or understand someone else’s philosophy.”
“I’m here to win games. Win tonight’s game, tomorrow’s game, all the games I can win.”
“I’m not answering any questions now. Don’t ask; you won’t get an answer.”
Come on, Eli, you’ve already given the answer.
And that wasn’t all.
Xu Ling stared sharply at the reporters: “Once I beat the guy setting standards for me face-to-face on the court, then we can talk slowly.”
With that, Xu Ling strode forward, and the reporters involuntarily parted for him.
Regardless of the cause, who was right or wrong, or their personalities, in the NBA, in this world, there’s an irresistible force pulling them further apart.
The irony of destiny lies here: it never heeds the wails or bold words of individual will.
Howard’s innately cursed lower body, Ariza’s past discarded with contempt by big cities, Milicic and Radmanovic’s near-resigned career fatigue… and Xu Ling himself, the villain image pushed into the storm’s eye by media and sponsors.
All this, against LeBron James’ perfect idol persona, layered in Chosen One aura without room for flaw, was destined from the moment they entered the league to clash head-on.
The commercial logic of the NBA and modern sports is essentially a grand narrative hunger. It’s never satisfied; it needs heroes, but even more demons; needs mutual respect, but even more irreconcilable enmity.
Xu Ling strode out of the Cleveland airport passageway, leaving the noise behind.
