But is this likely?
Not big!
You must know that this is a one-on-one half-time in training, not on the court. Harden's one-on-one step-back three-point shooting rate in this situation can basically stabilize at around 80%.
So the reason Harden chose to break through was to give him a chance to perform.
In just a few seconds, Beverley thought a lot, and the more he thought about it, the clearer he became, and his gratitude to Harden arose spontaneously.
In fact, this is indeed the case. Harden's breakthrough was intentional, but it was by no means intentional.
Although he scored in his first two offenses, he saw in Beverley the characteristics of the Rockets, the spirit of the Texas junior who never admits defeat.
Beverly's mad-dog biting defense poses little threat to him, but for most guards of the same body and size in the league, it is enough to give them a drink.
So Harden hopes that the person in front of him will be his teammate, not his opponent.
After washing the ball, Beverley attacked. He didn't wait for Harden to get ready, pulled up and shot directly.
"Uh-huh!"
The basketball went hollow into the net and made a three-pointer.
2:1.
"nice shot!"
On the other side of the field, McHale said with satisfaction.
He also saw that Beverley is an engineering player, active in defense, but with limited offensive ability.
Is this a drawback?
Maybe it is true for other teams, but not at all for the Rockets!
McHale is worried that he doesn't have enough points with the ball. There are too many players in the team who need to hold the ball to be 100% effective. People like Beverley are exactly what he dreams of.
As long as he can hit semi-open three-pointers and open three-pointers, it will not squeeze the space on the court, and then Harden and Butler, as well as Jeremy Lin and Livingston, will have greater room to operate.
On the court, after washing the ball again, Beverley repeated his old tricks and shot a pull-up three-pointer against Harden.
This time Harden was prepared and blocked the ball very well, but Beverley's shot was crooked and the shot ended in a black shot.
Harden has the ball.
"It's time to end the game."
Harden whispered after taking the ball.
After hearing this, Beverly lowered his center of gravity, leaving half a step away, staring at Harden closely, his eyes very focused.
Harden stood on his front and back feet and continued to move his hips in one direction to find rhythm.
Beverley stood with his feet side by side, not stepping firmly, but with the balls of his feet on the ground, fully prepared to jump to block shots and move laterally to block Harden's breakthrough route at any time.
Harden saw that Beverley's right foot was between Harden's two feet. After dribbling with his crotch suspended, he delayed acceleration and broke through from the left to attack Beverley's right foot.
Beverley quickly moved sideways and stubbornly blocked Harden.
Seeing this, Harden changed direction and broke through to the right.
"Bang!"
Beverley once again blocked Harden's breakthrough line.
However, this time Harden did not choose to break through after being blocked. The basketball was firmly controlled on the diagonal back of his body. With his wingspan advantage, Beverley was unable to complete the interception.
There was not much time left to attack. Seeing that Harden could not get rid of Beverley, he dribbled with his right hand and entangled Beverley with his left arm. He used a secret force. After the confrontation, Harden borrowed the force for the second time and stepped back steadily in the mid-range. Steady throw.
"Uh-huh!"
The basketball went hollow into the net, 3:1, the one-on-one ended.
"He committed a foul!"
Beverley complained to the assistant coach who acted as a temporary referee.
"Kid, this is the NBA, and the stars have star whistles. Besides, Harden's moves are very subtle. He won't be whistled eight out of ten times during the game."
Without waiting for the assistant coach to explain, McHale came over and said calmly.
"As a defensive leader, you will encounter this situation almost every night in the future. What you have to do is how to defend your opponent in the face of such unfavorable situations and maintain a calm mind. This is your responsibility. Required course.”
McHale continued with a serious tone.
"Brother, welcome to the NBA!"
Harden said with a smile and hugged Beverley in greeting.
"I learned a lesson, and thank you!"
Beverly whispered.
"How about it? The person I picked is pretty good."
Xu Xin also came over and said cheerfully.
"Very good. It's not easy for him to defend Harden like this. Moreover, he is still young and has a lot of room for improvement. When he is fully integrated into the team system, our bench will have another gangster. A strong man."
McHale said with satisfaction.
"Haha, Patrick, you heard it too, work hard, take a shower first, and then come to my office to sign the contract."
Xu Xin said with a smile.
"Okay, thank you, Manager Xu, thank you, coach!"
Beverly thanked him profusely and trotted towards the locker room.
After experiencing several failures and wandering abroad for several years, only he knew the hardships. This time, he could finally return to his hometown and the top basketball hall in the world. His dream finally came true. Really.
"NBA, here I come!"
. . .
"I have prepared two contracts for you, one is 1 million, signed until the end of the season, and the other is 6 million for three years. The right to choose is given to you."
Xu Xin repeated his old trick and handed over two contracts.
The last time he signed Livingston, he also gave such a contract.
In fact, Xu Xin knows better than anyone else that signing Beverley or Livingston with an annual salary of 2 million is simply a robbery.
But now and then, with Livingston's situation at the time and Beverley's situation now, choosing a contract with a longer term and higher salary is a decision that requires no thought at all.
Will they feel confident picking up a one-year minimum salary and then testing the free-agent market?
The answer is obviously no.
"Manager Xu, is this three-year contract fully guaranteed?"
Beverley didn't even look at the one-year contract, and his attention was entirely on the three-year contract.
"Yes, fully guaranteed."
"Thank you, Manager Xu, I signed it."
Beverly said gratefully.
Xu Xin sighed secretly, I really didn't mean to squeeze you, the main reason is that my immediate boss, Rockets owner Alexander, doesn't pay luxury tax.
Harden and Butler are about to be re-signed, and Beverley can only feel wronged.
. . .
In the evening, the game against the Hornets came as scheduled. At the beginning of the season, the Rockets had lost to their opponents at home, and top pick Anthony Davis gave his best performance so far.
But today is different from the past. Xu Xin has continued to strengthen through several transactions and free agent signings. Although Garnett is still unable to play, Tucker and O'Neal are still facing the thick eyebrows who have not yet developed their shooting skills. The power of war.
In the box, Xu Xin was leaning on the sofa. The hard work of the past two months was finally about to pay off. The basic structure of the team had stabilized. At least there was no need to worry about the regular season record.
Beverley sat on the bench wearing a sports uniform. When he first arrived, he was not included in the team's roster. McHale gave him the task of watching the game carefully and learning the Rockets' offensive and defensive tactics from the perspective of a bystander.
