After the Thunder and Utah Jazz game, CCTV studio hosts Yu Jia and Zhang Weiping were still discussing Kayce.
"Zhang, what do you think of the Thunder's positioning of Kayce on the team?" Yu Jia posed the question again.
"I think the Thunder's arrangement is very bold, because it's rare for a forward to play as a primary ball-handler in the NBA. This requires a lot from the player. Currently, James of the Cavaliers is doing the best."
"But the Thunder is a bit different because they have a very strong offensive guard, Westbrook, with that physique, he can just drive in and dunk!"
"When the Thunder plays in transition, Westbrook still initiates, but once they settle into a half-court offense, Kayce starts to organize the plays. From this game, the effect was very good, and the bench also played very well."
"Thank you, Zhang, for your comments. Let's look forward to Kayce's performance in the new season. Next, we will have a lucky draw to give away an authentic Thunder jersey to one lucky viewer."
"I'll say 'start,' and Zhang, you say 'stop.'" Yu Jia began to explain the drawing process.
"Start."
"Stop." Zhang's words were astonishingly fast.
This made the host uncomfortable. You called it too quickly!
On the Hupu Forum, fans were enthusiastically discussing the game. Fans who saw Kayce play for the first time almost screamed, "He's too cool!"
"An Asian forward, look at that Crossover, look at that passing vision, look at that explosive first step, incredible!"
"I thought Sun Yue was the ceiling for our guards, but after watching the game, I was stunned. He's too damn cool, that fadeaway jumper is too smooth. Hurry and upload the video, his movements are so fluid."
"Haven't you noticed how entertaining the Thunder are? Durant, at his height, dribbles so well? Westbrook's athleticism is explosive, his dunks are just insane."
"Who watched the Thunder's games last season? I remember this team always tanking."
"They were the Seattle SuperSonics before, only moved to Oklahoma City last year. Anyway, I plan to watch the Thunder's games this new season. Kayce plays really cool!"
"Actually, Kayce is very handsome. He's from UCLA, and his third-overall rookie contract is like three or four million a year. He's only 19 years old now. What was I doing at 19?"
"Although it's a preseason game, this performance is still too impressive. It feels like getting 18 points would be easy. Which platform can I watch the Thunder's games? Quickly help a brother out."
No matter how much news one reads, it's not as intuitive as watching a game in person. Kobe and James fans stopped arguing. Although a few still had doubts, most fans' expectations weren't that high; just getting into the rotation and playing was enough.
Kayce didn't notice that he was being hyped up across the ocean. He continued to live at his own pace: morning run, breakfast, driving to the arena.
Currently, his personal training team hasn't joined him with the team yet. It's not good for a rookie to be too high-profile, as there will always be jealous people.
As soon as Kayce parked his car, he saw Durant walking towards him, seriously suspecting that he was blocking him in the parking lot.
"Kayce, you should get a better car. Although the Dodge Challenger is cool, you earn so much money, you should know how to enjoy it. Last night's Twitter was awesome!"
Durant gained another wave of followers last night, which made him happy this morning.
"Personal preference. I don't live far from the arena, so this is just a means of transport. Kevin, read less Twitter. I noticed you argued with haters again last night."
Kayce shrugged. Durant cared too much about what others thought; he hadn't adapted to being a star player yet.
"Last night, I registered four alt accounts and directly cursed those haters into silence, haha! Don't worry, from now on, I'll only use alt accounts to teach them a lesson."
When this was brought up, Durant immediately became excited.
"Goodness, I'll call you the strongest keyboard warrior in the NBA." Kayce was completely helpless and could only silently complain in his heart.
Today was the Thunder's routine practice, mainly focusing on tactical drills. Coach Brooks had been devising a bunch of tactics since Kayce joined the team. He believed the team would definitely be completely new in the new season.
"Very good, Kevin. Sometimes you can also set screens for Kayce. Both of you have excellent ball-handling skills and can break through defenses against big men. Pay attention to this during the game."
"Russell, transition offense must be fast. Seize transition opportunities. Once we settle into a half-court offense, when Kayce has the ball, pay attention to back cuts. If you have an open shot, you must shoot decisively."
The morning practice ended, and Coach Brooks was explaining tactics to the team's core players. This was different from previous seasons; the Thunder began to emphasize tactical discipline.
At lunch, Russell was a bit troubled. His shooting still had some issues, and he currently wasn't good at outside three-pointers.
"Kayce, do you have any good ways to improve my shooting? Kevin just says to shoot more, but I practice every day, and the effect isn't great."
Russell became even more frustrated when he brought up shooting. He was excellent at lifting weights, but shooting sometimes depended on feel.
"I think you could find a shooting coach and also work on your body coordination. Maybe you've lifted too many weights." Kayce didn't have many good solutions; sometimes, this was a matter of talent.
Russell's shooting was actually quite good, but there was one fatal flaw: inconsistency. When he had the hot hand, 8-for-10 was easy. Once his shot was off, 2-for-11 was also normal.
Good shooting must have consistency. 0-for-5 in the first half, 5-for-5 in the second half, 50% field goal percentage for the game—that's acceptable. But being brilliant one game and terrible the next, at critical moments, that's truly deadly.
Denver is at a high altitude, and playing there can affect physical stamina. Kayce didn't care; the B-grade energy drinks in his Dream Space were a godsend for replenishing energy. On the court, he just had to go all out.
The atmosphere at the Denver Nuggets' home court was particularly good. The fans here were very enthusiastic. Last year, the team reached the Western Conference Finals. Although they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2, the fans saw hope.
The Nuggets' star player, Carmelo Anthony, was extremely popular locally. His strong performance in the Western Conference Finals made fans look forward to the team making further progress and winning a championship in the new season.
During pre-game warm-ups, Durant saw Anthony's popularity and couldn't help but show envy. Is this what a league superstar is like?
"Russell, when will we have such high popularity?" Durant squeezed another lemon.
"We were tanking last year and just moved to Oklahoma City, so it's normal that we're not as popular as the Nuggets." Russell always had a good mindset; he just played basketball and didn't overthink things.
"I think we should set a small goal first: make it to the Western Conference Finals. Then Oklahoma City fans will definitely fall in love with the team." Kayce also added a comment.
"Haha, another small goal? Kayce, I like this small goal! Don't worry, we'll definitely help you get Rookie of the Year this season, so those guys at TNT won't keep making fun of you!"
Durant said with a laugh. He found Kayce's small goal very interesting.
"Thanks, Bro, I'm confident I'll win an award too!" Kayce responded while shooting. His small goals were all sincere; the Western Conference Finals wouldn't be too far away.
The game was about to begin. Coach Brooks gave the players his final instructions, and Kayce stepped forward to fist-bump his starting teammates.
The Denver commentators also began to shout loudly,
"The game begins! Nene successfully tipped the ball to us! Go, boys!"