Los Angeles, Lakers training facility.
After arriving in the locker room, Zhao Chen found that the atmosphere was a little different.
The team seemed a little quiet, and Randall was sulking in frustration.
Zhao Chen took a closer look and found that Kobe had also come to the locker room.
Zhao Chen knew that Kobe would need about a week to come back, so he came back early to start recovery training.
The younger brother Jokic came over quickly to report Zhao Chen as soon as he saw it.
Kobe has always been strict. After he came into the locker room, he ridiculed Randall for his laziness and poor performance in the last game, and that he was not as good as other second-round picks.
Randall averaged 7 points and 6 rebounds in 5 games. In terms of his playing time, it can't be said to be bad, but it can't be said to be good either. However, compared to the No. 7 pick, he did not perform better than other times. The player with the first round pick has better potential.
Zhao Chen also wiped his sweat when he heard it. Randall didn't know if he could hold on due to this mental pressure.
In his previous life, Zhao Chen also heard many rumors that Kobe had very high demands on Lakers rookies Russell, Ball, Randle and others.
I didn't expect that he would show up and attack Randall like this on the first day he came back.
Randall didn't dare to talk back at all.
"OK, I will handle it." Zhao Chen patted Jokic on the back.
Seeing Zhao Chen approaching, Kobe stood up and smiled: "Hi, Zhao, long time no see."
"Kobe, long time no see." Zhao Chen high-fived and hugged Kobe.
"We've done well during this period, winning five games in a row. We haven't had such a good start in a long time."
"Haha, this is the result of everyone's hard work."
"Well, you did great."
Kobe expressed joy at the results of Zhao Chen joining the Lakers. He felt that this was what he wanted to see.
"By the way, Kobe, since you are here, can you help me?" Zhao Chen said.
"What's the deal?" Kobe asked.
"These rookies are playing very well. I hope you will encourage them one by one later. They have always admired you and are working hard with you as their goal." Zhao Chen said.
Hearing Zhao Chen's words, Kobe felt very comfortable.
"Haha, that's no problem, I'm good at encouraging people." Kobe said confidently.
"Well, remember, don't find fault. The key is to encourage them and don't find fault." Zhao Chen said.
"Okay, buddy, I understand what you mean." Kobe smiled.
Zhao Chen knew Kobe's personality. Kobe didn't mean to target Randall, and it was probably just a casual remark to criticize Randall.
Kobe praised a lot of rookies from other teams, but he had some paranoid demands for his own rookies.
Maybe when he was watching the game and felt dissatisfied with a certain round, he would harshly criticize the rookies.
Kobe's qualifications and status are there. When Kobe talks about them, the rookies can't talk back.
Zhao Chen was so proud that Kobe quickly went to chat with the rookies one by one.
It's not that Kobe doesn't have emotional intelligence. He can see that Zhao Chen intends to keep the gap between the rookie and him not too big.
After a while, Zhao Chen saw Randall and Kobe high-fiving each other.
Obviously, Randall's confidence was restored after hearing Kobe's encouragement.
Jokic also smiled and gestured OK to Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen nodded.
It's really tiring to be the boss of a team.
Kobe has no intention of coming back to dominate the game. Apart from encouraging rookies, there is not much difference between him coming back and not coming back.
Everyone on the Lakers is gradually adapting to the days when Kobe comes back to practice.
............
General Manager's Office.
Mitch Kupchak and boss Buss are reporting work.
"Our overall ticket prices have increased by 23%, and Zhao's jerseys are now out of stock. I think our signing in the summer may be one of the best operations." Kupchak said.
"Haha, it's really great." Jim Bass nodded.
Jim Buss was reading the newspapers recently and all he saw were praise for the Lakers, which made him feel very happy.
"Do we need to bring in one more All-Star to compete for the championship? Paul George's agent called me and said his client was interested," Kupchak said.
"What's Zhao's opinion? Have you asked him?" Jim Bass said.
"Zhao clearly said no," Kupchak said.
"Huh?" Jim Bass was also a little surprised.
"Zhao felt that the team could not tear apart the current lineup because of Paul. He believed that the rookies all had potential. He said that we only need to supplement the inside line." Kupchak said.
"Then you do it his way. We are not in a hurry about Paul, and his contract has not expired yet." Jim Bass said.
For now, operating according to Zhao Chen's ideas, everything about the team is making progress, which is what Jim Bass wants to see.
"OK!" Kupchak nodded helplessly.
Zhao Chen clearly rejected Paul George's joining.
If he needs Paul George, why not just team up with Durant.
Zhao Chen doesn't want to play with him, it's that simple...
On November 9, after two days of rest, Staples Arena ushered in a strong enemy.
The warriors are coming!
Last season's playoff battle with the Thunder made people feel how powerful the Warriors are.
Many people believe that the Warriors are actually stronger than the Heat at the time. The Warriors are the only team that can hope to defeat the Thunder with a full lineup. After their playoff trip last season, they also received great attention.
Before the start of the regular season, they were also considered strong contenders for the championship.
The Warriors have a record of 3 wins and 1 loss this season, and the three teams they defeated are the Rockets, Spurs, and Mavericks.
The Warriors are very strong, but the current Lakers cannot compare with them in terms of depth and thickness of the lineup, and Zhao Chen is also under great pressure.
In the end, the Lakers lost this game.
Except for Zhao Chen, everyone else on the Lakers was in average shape, which also caused the Lakers to be suppressed in the first three quarters.
At the last moment, Zhao Chen scored three three-pointers in a row, but failed to reverse the situation. Curry also responded to Zhao Chen's three-pointers.
123 to 118.
The Lakers narrowly lost to the Warriors at home, ending their five-game winning streak.
The performance of the Lakers' rookies is average. It seems that they are not even a little bit worse than the Warriors players.
After the game, Curry greeted Zhao Chen: "I said, you will face failure."
Zhao Chen shook his head and said: "This is just a regular season game."
Zhao Chen's mentality will not collapse just because of a regular season loss.
It's not surprising that the Warriors defeated the current Lakers. Their overall strength is indeed stronger.
After the game, the details of the game between the Warriors and the Lakers attracted a lot of attention.
Zhao Chen scored 47 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but was unable to help the Lakers defeat the Warriors.
This explains to a certain extent the weakness of the Lakers in other positions.
The Warriors won this game because of their depth.
Curry, Thompson, Green, and Iguodala all performed brilliantly.
With this loss, the media felt that the Lakers needed to increase the number of superstars.
