This is the normal performance for most rookies when they debut, as they start to adapt to the NBA's rhythm and environment.
Very few players can dominate their first game.
Gan Guoyang substituted Little O'Neal, and the two bumped fists.
Even though when Little O'Neal was on the court, Gan Guoyang had been correcting him from the sidelines.
But as he came off, Gan Guoyang still encouraged him, "You did well."
After Little O'Neal left the court, Kobe shot him an envious look and asked, "How does it feel to play in a game?"
Little O'Neal replied, "Initially, I felt a bit thirsty, but after a while, it got better."
Saying this, Little O'Neal drank water in big gulps, realizing the regular season is indeed different from the preseason.
Little O'Neal was not satisfied with his own performance of course.
It wasn't that he didn't score or had poor stats, but that the Trail Blazers' lead started to wane while he was on the court.
