The next morning, Zoran was back in the facility by 7:45 a.m.
No cameras. No welcome parade. Just the soft hum of fluorescent lights in the practice gym and the sound of his sneakers on hardwood.
He wasn't chasing praise. He was chasing certainty.
The system pinged quietly as he ran shooting drills alone:
[SYSTEM BOOST ACTIVATED: Shooting Accuracy +2 | Duration: 3 hours]
[SUGGESTED DRILL: Elbow Catch-and-Shoot | Efficiency Score: 94%]
He wiped sweat off his brow and moved through reps like they were breathing exercises. Everything was rhythm. Elbow square. Shoulders low. Snap the wrist. Land soft.
Basketball was math. And he was here to solve for X.
Later that morning, Kidd ran a light team film session. They broke down clips from the Pelicans game—transition misreads, defensive collapses, and late closeouts.
"Zoran," Kidd said, pausing the tape. "This rotation right here, why'd you pull off Herb?"
Zoran leaned forward. "Because CJ was two dribbles away from the paint. Gafford had already stepped out to contest the corner. If Herb shoots, it's a long three under pressure. If CJ gets inside, it's two points or a foul."
Silence.
"Correct," Kidd said, moving on. "Everyone, learn to think like that."
Zoran didn't react. He just took a quiet note in his phone.
At lunch, he sat alone.
Not because he was excluded. But because the noise still distracted him.
Dinwiddie passed by on the way to the hot food line and tapped his tray. "You get bonus pay for being the smartest dude in the room?"
Zoran glanced up. "Just trying to make it to next week."
Dinwiddie smirked. "Keep playing like you did last night, and you'll be here next season."
The Mavericks' medical report came in later that day:
Anthony Davis — Out
Gafford — Out
P.J. Washington — Doubtful
That meant Zoran was likely getting big minutes again.
No headlines. No buzz.
But slowly, things were changing.
That evening, while reviewing more film, his system glowed faintly in the corner of his vision:
[SYSTEM NOTE: You've been scanned in three separate scouting videos across two teams.]
[Interest Level: Low to Moderate | Primary Metric: Off-ball Impact]
He blinked once.
They were watching.
Not just the Mavericks. Other teams. Other coaches.
He still had five days left on his contract. But the window was wider now than it had been before.
And he wasn't going to waste a second of it.