"Zhao, if I had known you were so good and the coach had given you more playing time, maybe our record could have surpassed Miami's!" Westbrook patted Zhao Chen on the shoulder and said.
Zhao Chen smiled and said: "Haha, it won't be too late to surpass them in the future."
Westbrook nodded and said: "Haha, yes, no rush."
Zhao Chen and Westbrook are relatively easy to talk to.
KD's personality is boring, and he is not very good at dealing with people. However, Zhao Chen's personality is similar to his previous life and he is very good at communication. From time to time, he will take the initiative to bring the topic to Durant, so that Durant will not be confused. Feeling left out.
While the three of them were talking, Thunder players also arrived one after another.
Soon, 15 people from the Thunder arrived.
Point guards: Westbrook, Fisher, Reggie Jackson.
Shooting guards: Sefolosha, Lamb, Zhao Chen.
Small forward: Durant, Andre Robertson, Ryan Gomez.
Power forward: Ibaka, Perry Jones, Reggie Williams.
Center: Perkins, Nick Collison, Adams.
The main competitors with Zhao Chen are Sefolosha and Lamb.
These two people least want Zhao Chen to sign a new contract. Once Zhao Chen confirms this quota, it means that their playing time will be compressed.
Therefore, the two of them had a lukewarm attitude towards Zhao Chen. Apart from these two people, everyone else also congratulated Zhao Chen on signing the contract.
The overall atmosphere in the Thunder locker room is good, mainly young people, full of vigor and enthusiasm for future games.
Zhao Chen's experience is the kind of story that inspires players.
There are too many players in the NBA who have received non-guaranteed contracts, but most of them end up being waived, and only a very lucky part will be converted to guaranteed contracts.
Zhao Chen is the lucky one. He played on the night when he was on the verge of being laid off and successfully stayed in the NBA.
The Thunder's goal this season is to win the championship, and every spot on their 15-man roster is precious.
The training after switching to a guaranteed contract is not much different from before. This is just an ordinary day for the Thunder.
.....
Zhao Chen also devoted himself to training.
Strength Training.
Shooting drills.
Tactical training.
Zhao Chen also has several abilities that need special improvement.
Brooks arranged some three-point shooting tactics for him today, and Zhao Chen had to get familiar with them as soon as possible.
For Zhao Chen now, obtaining a guaranteed contract from the Thunder is still just the first step. Next, he needs to work hard to obtain stable playing time and tactical status.
For fringe players, the NBA is not a place where success or failure is judged in a single game.
Players like Zhao Chen need to work harder to gain the trust of the head coach.
Last night's game can only be said to have left a good impression on the head coach. To further determine the rotation position, more stable performance is needed.
After an afternoon of intense training.
"How many victory points did you get during today's training?" Zhao Chen asked the system.
"Exactly one." The system replied.
Zhao Chen figured out today how much training volume he could use to gain 1 victory point.
Today's training was quite intense. In the past, we would not have such high-intensity training on days between games.
For players, in the middle of the season, they will not easily waste their physical energy on training. They need to train more to maintain their physical condition.
As for training to improve technical ability, it is more of a matter during special training in the summer.
After training, Zhao Chen returned to the apartment to rest.
Zhao Chen was not idle when he was resting. He started looking at car models on the Internet. He wanted to buy a car for transportation.
When Zhao Chen was happily preparing to buy a car, domestic reporters also reprinted the news that Zhao Chen had signed a guarantee contract.
The transfer of the guaranteed contract also means that Zhao Chen has officially become a member of the NBA.
"Following the UAE, another domestic player has established a foothold in the NBA! 》
"Basic salary transfer, full guarantee, Zhao Chen reaps the fruits of his hard work!" 》
"A season high of 25 points in a single game helped Zhao Chen lock in his contract. 》
"Zhao Chen established himself in the NBA with three-pointers. 》
...........
As soon as Zhao Chen signed the contract, domestic media organizations also took action and prepared to send reporters to report in Lahoma, Ohio.
Especially Penguin Sports, which is rumored to be exclusively signing with the NBA next season, has been particularly active in reporting on the NBA.
Zhao Chen's position has gradually stabilized and he can conduct more in-depth reports.
...........
Early the next morning, Zhao Chen asked his teammate Andre Robertson to buy a car for reference.
Andre Robertson is 2.01 meters tall and weighs 95KG. This year, he was selected by the Timberwolves with the 26th pick in the first round and then traded to the Thunder. His salary is 5 million in 4 years, 2+2, with the first two years guaranteed and the last two years guaranteed. With the team option for the year, Robertson bought a car when he received his first salary.
Zhao Chen has a good relationship with him, and when he wanted to buy a car this time, he thought of him immediately.
"Andre, what car do you think is suitable for me to buy?" Zhao Chen asked.
"A sports car, a man must have a sports car," Robertson replied.
Robertson's obsession with sports cars is all he sees.
"What do you recommend?" Zhao Chen asked.
"Both Porsche and Ferrari are fine. Let's go and take a look."
Robertson invited Zhao Chen to take a look at the car in his convertible Ferrari.
Robertson is very passionate, and his love for cars is his second hobby after basketball.
"OK!"
Zhao Chen doesn't have much idea about cars...
....
Combining the knowledge on the Internet and Robertson's experience, Zhao Chen quickly selected his first entry-level sports car.
Porsche 718.
As an entry-level sports car owned by Porsche, this sports car only cost Zhao Chen $60,000.
Economical and affordable without losing face.
Zhao Chen now has 200,000 US dollars, and he is very confident in buying things.
In his previous life, Zhao Chen was able to earn an annual salary of 300,000 yuan at work, but that was only RMB, not US dollars.
Zhao Chen has never had such a large amount of savings.
After booking a car, it will take about a week to pick up the car.
Zhao Chen threw himself into a new round of training again. He had to earn victory points as soon as possible.
training hall.
Brooks found Zhao Chen who was training and told Zhao Chen: "Zhao, I hope your three-point shooting and defense will remain stable. Your playing time will be arranged in the second team. Of course, you must also do a good job at all times." Preparation to work with the starting lineup.”
Brooks was very satisfied with Zhao Chen's performance in the last game, and was especially impressed by Zhao Chen's three-pointer.
"Okay, I will." Zhao Chen nodded.
Zhao Chen could feel the head coach's expectations for him.
The Thunder currently lack shooters in their lineup.
Sefolosha's three-point shooting percentage last season was still 41%, but this season has dropped sharply to 31%. The rate of regression is a bit unacceptable.
Lamb also shot only 34% from three-point range.
The unreliability of these two people caused Westbrook and Durant to miss the open shots they often passed, which was very damaging to morale.
The shooting problem at position 2 has been bothering Brooks. Brooks desperately hopes that someone can solve this problem. The emergence of Zhao Chen gives him hope.
However, if Zhao Chen cannot solve this problem, then Zhao Chen will gradually be marginalized and will be excluded from the playoff roster.
It is not too difficult for Zhao Chen to solve the Thunder's current problems. Brooks asked him to do what he is good at.
December 27th.
The Thunder face the challenge of the Houston Rockets at home.
Zhao Chen has entered the big list!
