Summer leagues are characterized by short duration, like the Rockets’ Las Vegas Summer League only lasts ten days, but there are not many teams participating, there are always 24 teams.

Each team plays a total of three games in the regular season, and then ranks, and the teams with 1~8 places enter a single knockout round until the final championship is decided.

This is an extremely simplified version of the NBA regular season.

The Rockets have always performed well in the Summer League, and the Rockets team that Hao Shuai joined this time is also very strong, with new veteran Marcus Thorton, sophomore Nick Johnson and Clint Capela, as well as high-pick rookies such as Decker, Glenn Rice Jr. and Alan Williams who are close to the strength of the NBA.

This team can be said to have made a big difference in the summer league.

After about half a month of training with the Rockets, Hao Shuai got on a plane to Las Vegas under the leadership of coach Bickstaff.

Las Vegas is a world-famous gambling city where you can become rich overnight or become destitute in an instant, and it is described by many as the junction between heaven and hell.

It’s just that Hao Shuai and his teammates are not here to enjoy leisure time, but to make a final effort for their respective careers.

Hao Shuai is also training, but he is more adaptive training, after physical strengthening, technical movements that he could not complete before, can now be tried, such as dunks.

“Come, gather together.” Hao Shuai was holding up, and the team’s summer league head coach and Rockets assistant coach J.B. Bickstaff began to shout.

“Our first game against the Heat, it’s a team to be underestimated, they have old churros like Shabaz Napier and hot newcomers like Justis Winslow, it’s going to be a tough fight, and I hope you can come together and win this game.” Bixstaff came up and poured a mouthful of chicken soup.

“Another thing I would add is that the coaching staff doesn’t just use data to measure players, we want to see players show their all-round quality on the field, which you have to keep in mind.” Bixstaff then added, the implication of his words being clear that he didn’t want to see someone deliberately brush the data.

“Okay, Ball, you lead the team to start basic training.” After Bickstaff finished speaking, he greeted his assistant coach Paul Franklin, and then sat on the sidelines with a water glass and rested.

The head coach was watching from the sidelines, and the players were also working hard when they did basic training.

Bikstaff nodded constantly, holding a manual to record something from time to time.

“Okay, start the full confrontation training.” After waiting for about an hour of basic training, Bickstaff got up and waved to the players.

“Nick, Hao…” Bikestaff began directly to name the detachment.

Hao Shuai and Denzel Livingston, Glenn Rice Jr., Jaylen Johnson, and Alan Williams form the blue team.

Nick John, Marcus Thorton, Sam Decker, Christian Wood and Clint Capela make up the white team.

It is clear that this is the substitute and starting team for the summer league in Bickerstaff’s mind.

After the team was divided, the players from both sides made the simplest communication together, and then they started playing directly.

The white team attacks first.

Nick John took the ball to the front and then handed it to Marcus Thorton.

Marcus Thorton, who joined the NBA in 2010, averaged nearly 15 points per game in his rookie season, was a member of the All-Rookie Second Team, and was able to cut 20+ points per game in the Kings at his peak, and was a big killer on the offensive end.

Because of injuries, he has been in a state of displacement in recent years, and after returning from injury, he chose to join the Rockets on a base salary to re-prove himself, and the reason why he appeared in the summer league was purely because he needed to find form.

After Thorton received the ball, facing Livingston’s defense, a beautiful left and right hand changed direction, almost missed Livingston, and a jumper with a sharp stop.

“Ugh!”

Shoot steadily.

The white team took the lead.

The blue team’s offense, Livingston with the ball to advance to the front court, saw that there was a gap inside, a high hanging ball directly to Alan Williams on the inside, Williams started to dunk.

“Snap!”

Capela jumped up quickly, a racket out, the basketball was picked up by Thorton, Thorton took the ball and went directly to the front court to attack quickly, to the front court, facing Glenn Rice, Jr. who changed his defense, a change of direction, directly past him, followed by a sharp stop jumper.

“Ugh!”

The shot is also scored.

Thorton just clapped his hands after the throw, not showing much excitement.

At this time, the blue team members have a frustrated look on their faces, these people are infinitely close to the NBA, but Thorton’s understated scoring shows that they are still a long way from actually playing in the NBA.

Thorton was almost take-and-take, acting like Kobe on the training ground, scoring goals in five consecutive rounds, and the white team directly led the blue team 10-0.


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