Chapter 12 Whiteside's Opportunity

Whiteside's eyes suddenly turned serious when he saw Smith, his opponent.

He wasn't a nobody. He played for Marshall University for a year, averaging 13.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 5.35 blocks, with three triple-doubles from blocks.

He thought he should have been a lottery pick in that year's draft.

Even if his draft position was lower than expected, he was still the third pick in the second round.

It was just a pity that the team that picked him was the Kings, a turbulent team that didn't know how to develop young players at all.

And on that team, in a one-on-one to decide playing time, he lost to a player who was cut the next day.

That was the beginning of his nightmare.

After that, he rarely got playing time on the Kings, was sent down several times, and was eventually cut and went to play in overseas leagues...

So he really valued this kind of one-on-one opportunity.

Even if he wasn't very smart, he wouldn't want to fall in the same place twice.

Jason Smith frowned slightly when he saw Whiteside's eyes.

That look, as if he was about to explode at any moment, was a bit annoying.

Although he lost his starting position, he was still a solid NBA rotation player, not comparable to a journeyman like Whiteside.

The rules of the one-on-one were simple: five baskets, and the person who scored kept possession of the ball.

The coaching staff was looking for players with strong defensive abilities, so Smith started on offense.

Smith and Whiteside were both 2.13 meters tall, but Smith weighed 110 kilograms, about 10 kilograms more than Whiteside at this time.

This would give him a great advantage when competing under the basket.

The assistant passed the ball to Smith, who dribbled directly with his back to the basket.

Whiteside's resistance didn't seem very good, and Smith quickly pushed him under the basket.

Smith shot after suppressing Whiteside.

"Pa!"

But at that moment, something unexpected happened to everyone.

Whiteside, who had been lowering his center of gravity the previous second, gave Smith a resounding block the next second.

Smith was a little stunned after being blocked.

Whiteside roared after the block, full of霸气 (baqi, imposing spirit).

This surprised both Williams and Demps.

Although they knew from the data that Whiteside's blocks were not bad, the speed of that block was much faster than they expected.

Williams turned his head and smiled at Tang Tian at this time.

He suddenly felt that Tang Tian's "wait a minute" call was very timely.

Otherwise, they might have missed a replacement player.

Tang Tian smiled and nodded to Williams.

He wasn't too surprised by Whiteside's performance.

In terms of blocking, Whiteside was S-level.

The possession switched between the two.

Whiteside attacked Smith.

And at this time, his disadvantage became apparent.

His offensive skills were really lacking.

As an inside big man, he didn't have the footwork, back-to-basket moves, or even hook shots.

He just took the ball and rammed inside, which was a completely Dwight Howard-style of play.

But because of his weight, the awkward thing was that he couldn't push Smith...

As a result, he lost the ball because he exerted too much force.

Williams shook his head at this time. Obviously, Whiteside's ball-handling offense was zero, a typical rough inside player.

Smith was a little confused after being blocked once, but after defending the next ball, his confidence returned completely.

He had just been careless. With this kind of offensive skills, how could he play in the NBA?

He continued to push inside after receiving the assistant's pass.

Whiteside still couldn't hold him back.

This time he was obviously prepared, and he waited until he was sure he had completely knocked Whiteside away before shooting.

"Pa!"

In Smith's unbelievable eyes, Whiteside struck later and blocked his shot again!

Williams' eyes lit up.

Whiteside's blocking ability was a bit perverted.

He even blocked it in that position!

And at this time, attracted by that youthful face, he realized that Whiteside's wingspan was also excellent.

This guy was a natural shot-blocker.

However, Whiteside's offensive skills were still rough, and his strong attack was defended by Smith again.

If his blocking was S-level, then his offense was probably a C.

His advantages and disadvantages were too obvious.

Williams was very excited, but Tang Tian frowned slightly.

Defense wasn't just about blocking. Whiteside's overall defensive effect wasn't good.

This was probably why he couldn't play in the NBA, but could run rampant in leagues like the NBL.

Sure enough, Smith used his footwork to get past Whiteside this time, and Whiteside's block hit his hand.

The one-on-one between the two lasted for more than ten minutes, and was finally stopped by Williams.

Because there were no free throws for fouls, and there was no limit to the number of fouls, the score between the two had always been 0-0, and no one could get 1 point over the other.

Williams asked Smith to go back first, and then pulled Tang Tian together to discuss with Demps and Borrego whether to keep him.

Whiteside looked at them blankly in the distance.

"Zero independent offensive ability, general overall defensive ability, but if he increases to about 105 kilograms, he should be able to stand in the restricted area, but he needs to learn how to avoid fouls."

As a coach who cultivates players, Williams' vision was still quite accurate, and his analysis was also very accurate.

"But his physical fitness is good, he can catch the ball for dunks and grab rebounds for second chances, and his blocking ability is particularly outstanding. If he can handle the foul problem well, averaging 2 blocks per game is not impossible."

Williams' second sentence revealed his inner thoughts. He should want Whiteside quite a bit.

"He's a blocking-enhanced but offense-weakened version of Ajinca."

Williams' final summary was quite accurate.

"And younger."

Tang Tian hadn't spoken all along, and he only added a sentence after Williams finished speaking.

But this one sentence was enough.

Young means potential. Skills can come slowly, but physical talent and blocking ability are innate.

Demps nodded after listening to Williams and Tang Tian's opinions.

The Pelicans' inside was weak now, and many players couldn't play, so change was necessary.

Moreover, the team had several non-guaranteed contracts, and cutting and signing people wouldn't cost too much.

After the chat, Borrego went to inform Whiteside to bring his agent to the team tomorrow to discuss the contract.

"Yes!"

Whiteside shouted excitedly.

After playing overseas for so long, he finally had a chance to play in the NBA again!

"Dell, what kind of contract are you going to give him?"

Demps was already preparing to leave at this time, and Tang Tian walked over and asked him.