Chapter 3: Houston Rockets!

Daniel approached the nearby coach and said, “Phil, I think Li is ready to play tomorrow night.” The coach glanced at Li, who was training, and replied, “Alright, noted.” The coach had witnessed Li’s emotional journey from hope to disappointment.

When Li first joined the Lakers, the coach thought he had decent innate talent—tall for a point guard, some passing awareness, and a hardworking defender. The coach always liked players like that and even hoped Li could become a competent starting point guard.

But after some time with the team, Li’s many shortcomings became apparent, making the coach feel he wasn’t even on par with players like Sparsh Parker or Jordan Farmar. His shooting was unreliable, his physicality lacking, and his ball-handling fundamentals mediocre.

Overall, Li struggled to keep up with the intensity of NBA competition. Without sufficient physical strength, his height and wingspan were just superficial advantages. So, the coach gave up on including Li in the regular rotation.

In tomorrow night’s China-themed game against the Rockets, the coach planned to give Li a few minutes on the court just for show—purely for commercial reasons. Since the Lakers had no realistic chance at the championship, the goal was to generate ticket revenue and create buzz; the coach did not expect Li to make any real impact.

During training, Li got to see players he’d only watched on TV before: Kobe, Odom, Walton, Bynum, Vujacic, and others. His relationships with them were average—just like ordinary colleagues. When Kobe saw Li shooting well today, he joked, “Li, looks like you had a good lunch.” Usually, Li seemed underpowered, as if he hadn’t eaten enough.

Kobe was very tough on teammates during practice, and Li had endured plenty of trash talk from him. Li replied, “Of course, I’ll have an extra meal tomorrow, so pass me the ball more during the game.” Kobe raised an eyebrow, sensing something different in Li today; normally, Li seemed afraid to speak to him, but now he appeared fearless.

“Fine, but only if you can make shots. Otherwise, I won’t pass you a single ball.” Kobe glanced at Li before returning to his own practice.

Actually, this season Kobe wasn’t unwilling to pass; often, there was simply no one worth passing to on the court. Besides him, only Odom averaged double-digit scoring. The other teammates struggled to convert open shots and handled one-on-one situations worse than Kobe himself.

They were all trash! Kobe looked down on many players on this Lakers team, believing most lacked NBA-level skill—including Li.

“Hmph, just worry about whether you’ll pass,” Li muttered. He knew Kobe too well. In his past life, Li had some admiration for Kobe, but now, with his current memories merged, as a teammate, he felt little fondness. Kobe seemed disliked by most teammates, especially the weaker ones, who were often bullied.

The next morning, Li’s thigh muscles felt a bit sore. The previous day’s training had been intense, but the game was in the evening, and today’s practice was light, allowing for recovery—no big deal.

[After a day of hard training, you gained +1 ball-handling attribute.]

[Daily Task: Watch tonight’s opponent’s game footage and scout report; upon completion, receive 1 stamina potion.]

[Stamina Potion: Use to restore 20% stamina.]

Li heard the system prompt and checked his stats. Sure enough, his ball-handling had increased from 47 to 48 points. This kind of timely feedback was encouraging, motivating him to keep training.

People tend to be lazy, but once they clearly understand how to improve, they become diligent. Li was an ordinary man—not necessarily stronger-willed or more hard-working than many NBA players—but knowing which skills to train to get better sparked tremendous willpower within him.

Thinking of the reward, Li eagerly began studying the Rockets’ scout reports and video footage at home. Before games, team staff usually sent these materials for players to review. For important matches, the coach would organize special meetings to analyze.

This season, the Rockets held a 16-8 record, ranking fifth in the Western Conference—better than the Lakers. The Rockets had showcased a stellar season from their “Yao-McGrady duo.” Yao Ming had reached his career peak with averages of 25 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game; McGrady, free from injury, delivered 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.

Their dual core offense ensured ample firepower. Van Gundy’s defensive system ranked among the league’s best, allowing only 92.9 points per game (6th in the league) and 42.3 rebounds (5th). The interior-exterior defensive pairing of Yao Ming and Battier effectively contained opponents’ key players.

However, the Rockets also exposed some weaknesses. They heavily relied on Yao and McGrady’s isolation plays, averaging only 17.3 assists per game (22nd in the league). Their team offense lacked smoothness, with a three-point shooting percentage of just 34.7% (18th). They were very dependent on the volatility of outside shooting.

Their bench depth seemed mediocre, with no reliable scoring options. Veterans like Wells, Juwan Howard, and Mutombo mainly held the fort on the sidelines.

“If I get to play tonight, I’ll probably guard Alston or John Lucas III,” Li thought, flipping through the scout reports and recalling what he knew about them.

Alston was well-known—streetball king with flashy dribbling and passing. This season, he averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 3 rebounds, showing mid-range and three-point shooting ability, though his efficiency was mediocre, with a field goal percentage of only 36%, below average for a guard.

John Lucas III stood 1.8 meters tall, had good ball-handling and accurate shooting. He averaged 3.3 points, 0.8 assists, and 0.7 rebounds in 8 minutes per game—less playing time than Li but slightly better circumstances.

Besides those two, Li might also match up against McGrady, as sometimes the Rockets deployed McGrady as the primary ball-handler. That matchup would be much more challenging.

[Daily Task completed; reward received: 1 stamina potion.]

At 2:30 PM, Li finished studying the footage and scout reports, successfully earning a stamina potion. He quickly headed out to the Staples Center. Traffic in Los Angeles was heavy, and hailing a cab was difficult; it took over ten minutes just to get one. Watching footage had delayed him, so he was the last player to arrive in the locker room—late.

The others were already warming up under the coach’s lead. Daniel shot Li a sharp glare, clearly displeased, and said, “Li, I told Phil you were ready for the game, and here you are, late—I should just watch you get cut from the team.”

“No, coach, let me explain...” Li began.

“I finished watching the game footage late, then couldn’t get a cab, plus traffic...” Li tried to justify.

“So many excuses. Everyone else arrived on time. You think I’m buying your nonsense?” Daniel sneered at him.

“That’s because they all have cars...” Li said helplessly.

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Daniel didn’t press further. “As an NBA player, your salary is enough to buy a car. You need to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

“Okay, it won’t happen next time,” Li promised. In his previous life, poor and frugal, fearing instability and doubting his future with the Lakers, he hadn’t bought a car.

“Go on, Phil told me you’ll have some playing time tonight. Get warmed up,” Daniel said.

“Alright, thank you, coach!” Li said excitedly.