Walker only stayed in the hospital for one day. The next day, wearing a brace, he returned to the UConn training gym in a wheelchair.

When his teammates saw him appear, their expressions were more exaggerated than the last, and they were all stunned.

It was obvious that Walker's appearance was a huge boost to the team's morale.

"I'm watching you guys, don't lose!" Walker shouted to his teammates from the sidelines in his wheelchair, smiling.

His face was full of smiles, and the players on the court trained even harder.

After four days of training, UConn returned to their home court to play against the University of Louisville.

With Walker absent, UConn's main offensive focus became Lamb. However, Lamb seemed a bit uncomfortable at the start. Tang Tian created opportunities for him with screens, but his jump shots failed to hit, and one shot almost air-balled.

This wasn't about skill; it was a mental issue again.

By halftime, Lamb had only scored 6 points on 2-of-10 shooting, and UConn trailed their opponents by a large margin of 27 to 41.

In the second half, Calhoun adjusted the strategy, shifting the offensive focus to Tang Tian and Napier's pick-and-roll.

Tang Tian's three-point positioning still created a lot of offensive space for UConn, but Napier was two levels below Walker, and failed to finish several opportunities.

Forced to the end, Calhoun could only rely on the new tactics to let Tang Tian shoot three-pointers. After Tang Tian made two, he was heavily guarded, and UConn's offense completely collapsed.

In the end, UConn suffered another crushing defeat at home, 56-71, ending their ten-game winning streak.

Lamb's performance was exceptionally poor, making only 4 of 16 shots and barely reaching double figures with free throws, and he also had as many as four turnovers.

This performance obviously did not meet the team's expectations.

The loss made the team atmosphere a bit depressing. The usual laughter during training sessions was gone, and only the dull thud of basketballs hitting the floor could be heard.

"It's just a loss, why so unhappy? I didn't beat Louisville when I wasn't injured either. There's really nothing to be ashamed of. We're still second in the league, cheer up a bit." Walker still maintained a smile, shouting to his teammates from the sidelines.

His encouragement worked, and his teammates' emotions gradually recovered.

After three days of rest, the team traveled to Cincinnati to challenge the University of Cincinnati.

Walker also went to the away game with the team, leaning on a crutch.

After the game started, a three-pointer from Tang Tian and a successful breakthrough from Napier gave UConn a dream start.

But as the game went on, UConn's firepower seemed insufficient.

In the end, they lost the game 52-63, suffering a two-game losing streak.

Lamb continued to perform poorly, with only 15 points on 6-of-20 shooting.

After the game, Calhoun pulled Ollie and Walker aside to chat for a while. It was clear that consecutive poor performances had made him lose some trust in Lamb.

"Coach, he's talented, he just needs time to adjust. No one is born a leader," Walker said with a smile.

Walker's words finally convinced Calhoun.

Back at UConn's training session, Walker also chatted with Lamb for a while.

After chatting, he continued to smile and cheer for his teammates with loud shouts.

When the training ended and the players had left one after another, he prepared to leave.

Tang Tian hadn't left yet. He went to the locker room and then returned to the training gym.

When he went in, he saw that Walker's smile was gone, and he looked dejected instead.

"Kemba." Tang Tian called out.

"Tang? You haven't left yet?" Seeing Tang Tian come over, Walker forced a smile on his face.

"Sit." Tang Tian saw Walker about to get up and gestured for him not to move.

"How's your injury recovering?" Tang Tian walked over and sat down beside him.

"So-so. I originally thought I could recover faster than expected, but it seems doctors are still more professional." Walker said with a wry smile.

"Being close to the expected is good news. You can't rush injuries," Tang Tian said.

"The team's situation now makes it hard not to worry," Walker said somewhat helplessly. He was very familiar with Tang Tian, and at this time he fully revealed his true feelings.

"It's really not easy for you either," Tang Tian said, patting him on the shoulder.

Whether the team lost or Lamb performed poorly, Walker always maintained a smile in front of his teammates, giving positive encouragement.

Although he was only 1.85 meters tall, you could feel that he had a strong heart.

"If even I get discouraged, then this team might really be finished," Walker said with a wry smile.

"It'll get better. Just get through this month. As long as we're in the top eight, we can play in the championship. Anyway, those teams in the league are definitely going to play, so it's pretty much the same whether we play them sooner or later," Tang Tian comforted.

Walker nodded.

"Tell me, Jeremy, what exactly is his problem? I can feel that it's not an attitude problem, just a simple case of poor performance," he continued.

"Mentality. He's a bit nervous." Tang Tian pointed to his chest.

"Yeah, I can feel the coach's helplessness. He doesn't dare to be too blunt, otherwise if Jeremy's mentality collapses, it won't just be a matter of this month," Walker said, shaking his head.

"I think he might need some external stimulation," Tang Tian said with a different opinion.

"Hmm?" Walker looked at him questioningly.

"Do you remember when Jeremy first started playing, his performance was also a bit of a struggle. I remember it was that game against Marquette, and he let go after making a 2+1. So I think he needs something to detonate his heart before it'll be effective," Tang Tian said, using a metaphor.

"What if it explodes?" Walker roughly understood what Tang Tian meant, which was to use a more aggressive method.

"With the current situation, what's the difference between exploding and not exploding? I can feel that the coach already has a bit of distrust in him," Tang Tian replied.

Walker nodded. After the last game, if he hadn't spoken up, Calhoun might have really put Lamb on the bench to reflect.

"How to detonate it?" Walker asked, clearly agreeing with what Tang Tian said.

"Like this..." Tang Tian explained his idea.

"So ruthless? Should we give the old man a heads up first?" Walker said worriedly after hearing it.

"I would have said it long ago if I could. Do you think a coach of that age would agree?" Tang Tian retorted.

Walker thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Let's wait until after the next game and see if those things I talked about with him have any effect," he continued.

Tang Tian nodded. What he wanted to do also needed a flashpoint, and it did have some risks. If Lamb played well in the next game, there would be no need to take that risk.