The Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach, Mike Dunleavy, was increasingly surprised and delighted by Kayce. The physical data alone had already astonished him, but after watching the shooting drills, he felt confident that Kayce could make a name for himself in the NBA.
"Swish!" It was the sound of a perfect swish, as Kayce was currently doing spot-up shooting.
"Incredible, Kayce doesn't look like a rookie at all. His fundamentals are too good; both his left and right hands are almost identical. The dribbling drills just now really left me stunned."
The Los Angeles Clippers' trainer was already discussing with Dunleavy. Most NBA players have a weaker off-hand, and it only gradually disappears after constantly refining their skills in the league.
For a 19-year-old college player like Kayce, such a performance was truly astonishing.
"Later, you guys will play a few more rounds of 1-on-1 and 3-on-3. I want to see more of Kayce's performance. Although I think he's already good enough, the process still needs to be completed."
Dunleavy began to instruct the trainer to observe Kayce more closely.
"Kayce, let's do a few rounds of 1-on-1. Don't be polite; I know you can beat me." The bearded trainer called out to Kayce.
"No problem, but I really won't go easy!" Kayce immediately responded with a smile.
"Come on, let's play to 6 points first. Mr. Dunleavy is really looking forward to your performance." The bearded trainer was eager to test Kayce.
"No problem, you go first, after all, this is your home court." Kayce directly passed the ball to the bearded trainer.
Although NBA team trainers might not have the physical condition for high-intensity games, they can still hold their own against players in one-on-one matchups.
But Kayce playing 1-on-1 was a bit unfair. The [Ankle Guard + Defensive Expert] badges basically made him immune to fakes, combined with his height, wingspan, and excellent athletic ability.
In short, unless a player's ability completely overwhelmed Kayce, most players would definitely be dominated by Kayce.
The bearded trainer felt this way at the moment. After a crossover dribble and continuous changes of direction, he still couldn't shake off Kayce's defense. In the end, he reluctantly took a step-back mid-range shot, which was wildly off-target after being contested.
DeAndre Jordan watched from the side, grimacing. He was being defended terribly.
The bearded trainer hadn't expected Kayce's defense to be so good; he was a bit embarrassed now.
"Nice job, buddy, your turn!" He quickly passed the ball, trying to cover up his awkwardness.
Kayce looked at the bearded trainer, who was a head shorter than him. After receiving the ball, he quickly went into a three threat. The opponent moved back, and he immediately pulled up for a shot.
"Swish!" No pressure, a perfect swish.
The bearded trainer continued to be embarrassed and quickly passed the ball again, "Good job, buddy, keep going!"
Kayce still used the three threat. This time, the bearded trainer directly stepped forward to contest, but this made it even easier for Kayce. He quickly put the ball down, accelerated dribbling with his left hand, and immediately took a step-back, fading away for a shot.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot went in easily.
The [Triple Threat Veteran], this new achievement badge, greatly boosted Kayce, compensating for some of his lack of explosiveness.
Dunleavy saw that the gap was too wide and quickly gave the bearded trainer an out.
"Let DeAndre Jordan defend. He also needs to practice defense today." The bearded trainer quickly called DeAndre Jordan over. He didn't want to be dominated by a rookie.
"No problem, Coach, I'll do a good job." DeAndre Jordan also wanted to test Kayce's skill level, after all, he specialized in defense.
Kayce received the ball and looked at DeAndre Jordan in front of him, thinking of the Jordan in his memory who was fed lobs by Paul until he made an All-NBA team.
The difference between them was quite significant. In Kayce's eyes, this rookie jump-man was just a large target.
Facing Jordan, Kayce immediately put the ball down, faked a simple crossover move to the left, feigning a drive. After shifting Jordan's center of gravity, he directly pulled the ball back between his legs and shot a jump shot from beyond the three-point line.
"Swish!" It was still a make. The [Mismatch Expert] achievement badge prevented Kayce's shot from being severely contested when facing bigger players.
Jordan's defensive positioning was problematic. He should have just covered Kayce, rather than choosing such an aggressive defense.
"Cool, that was a beautiful play!" Jordan thought Kayce's series of moves was very impressive.
The ball was passed again. Kayce still simply put the ball down. After a between-the-legs dribble, he suddenly faked a pump fake, which completely shook Jordan off, then he finished with a simple underhand layup.
"That's enough, Kayce, a perfect performance. Let's play a few more sets of 3-on-3, and the tryout will be pretty much over." Dunleavy saw that Jordan was also easily beaten and immediately called Kayce for the next round.
"No problem, I'm ready anytime." Kayce readily agreed.
In the 3-on-3, Kayce barely attacked. The Los Angeles Clippers' trainers couldn't put much defensive pressure on him. After a few simple drives, and then feeding Jordan a few lobs after switching teams, the tryout ended.
Dunleavy's eyes were already gleaming at this point.
"Perfect performance, come on Kayce, I'll show you around the team's training facility, and then we'll try the food at our restaurant."
After Kayce left in the afternoon, Dunleavy immediately found the team's general manager; he absolutely had to sign Kayce!
"Watching you play live feels completely different. Those Los Angeles Clippers trainers were no match for you. I felt Dunleavy's eyes were already gleaming!"
Chapman said with some pleasure.
"The trainers' physical qualities are a bit weaker. Actually, I was holding back. The unfortunate thing is that Dunleavy doesn't have the final say in the draft. Even if they had the first pick, they probably still wouldn't choose me, after all, the owner's opinion is the most important."
"That's their loss. I've set the time for you to go to Oklahoma City. We can leave the day after tomorrow." Chapman offered a compliment.
"No problem, Russell is there too, I can see my good brother." Kayce said casually.
On May 2nd, Kayce arrived in Oklahoma City. This city left a good impression on Kayce. Russell Westbrook and his girlfriend Nina came to pick him up and take him to the training facility.
"Wow, Nina, you actually chose Russell, that makes me so sad." Kayce saw Nina and immediately said jokingly.
Nina first rolled her eyes at Kayce, then immediately said, "Russell is a devoted man. Why didn't Britney come with you?"
"She's busy catching up on music credits recently. She was playing too wildly a while ago." Kayce quickly replied. This person was also one of Britney's close friends, so he couldn't speak carelessly in front of her, otherwise, he would definitely suffer the consequences.
"Get in the car, Kayce, I can't wait to see your tryout. Many people from the team are here today, and Kevin has been waiting for you to come." Russell was impatient and pulled Kayce, wanting to get in the car and leave.
"No need to rush. This is my agent, Chapman. All your Taylor Swift signed albums were obtained through his connections." Kayce introduced Chapman to him.
"My God, I've wanted to meet you for a long time! I love those albums so much. I think Taylor Swift is the best female singer." Russell immediately shifted his attention.
"Haha, if you want albums, autographs, or concert tickets in the future, just come to me. I guarantee you'll be satisfied." Chapman was a shrewd person and naturally began to cater to his preferences. The two quickly started chatting.
"Alright, gentlemen, it's time for us to go! Russell, go drive now!" Nina looked at her boyfriend, who looked like a star-struck fan, feeling a bit speechless.
Along the way, Russell and Chapman chatted happily, only remembering their original purpose when they arrived at the Thunder training facility.
"Kayce, there might be 1-on-1 in the tryout later. Kevin will probably play, so you need to pay attention. He's very good at 1-on-1!" Russell immediately reminded Kayce.
"Thanks for the reminder, I'll be careful!" Kayce patted Russell on the shoulder, indicating that he understood.
Team culture sounds a bit mysterious, but Kayce thought the Thunder's team culture was much better than the Los Angeles Clipper's at the moment. After all, both were tanking and fishing, but there were many players at the Thunder training facility.
"Hey, Bro, it's great to see you here!" Kayce greeted Durant and Jeff Green after entering.
"Kayce, you should have come earlier. We could have trained together. I guarantee the trainers here are all fantastic!" Durant said enthusiastically.
Jeff Green quietly joked around on the side, and many players also looked towards Kayce.
"Alright, boys, let's let Kayce warm up first, and then we can catch up slowly!"
Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks immediately called everyone together. It was clear that the players really liked this Head Coach.
"Feeling good, the team is full of energy. I need to perform well later!" Kayce thought to himself.