The next day, news of Charles Barkley praising Kai Chen quickly reached NBA players' ears.
"From the current perspective, Kai Chen is indeed a very promising player."
LeBron James, the star player of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who led his team to victory in that day's game, stated in an interview: "Statistics never lie!"
"No matter what the outside world says, it's a fact that Kai Chen led Duke University to consecutive victories over Oklahoma University and Michigan State University!"
Not only James, but Kyrie Irving, who scored the most points and led his team to victory at Boston's North Shore Garden Arena, also expressed the same opinion.
"Kai Chen's talent displayed on the offensive end is historical."
As Kai Chen's senior, Kyrie Irving's praise was equally generous: "Kai Chen is helping Duke University pursue a championship defense, something I couldn't do before."
"If conditions allow, I hope to play alongside him on the NBA court in the future."
At the same time, in Golden State, Oracle Arena,
"If I were a team executive, I wouldn't be foolish enough to use a high-round draft pick on Kai Chen."
Draymond Green, a Golden State Warriors player who also won his game, expressed a different opinion in an interview:
"Kai Chen only played well in these two games, but we must remember he is a junior."
"He was a benchwarmer before this, and using a first-round pick on him would be a waste!"
Not only Draymond Green, but even team core player Durant participated in this discussion: "That's right, I strongly agree with Draymond."
"Kai Chen doesn't have the strength to play in the NBA at all; everything he has now is hyped up by the media."
"And I don't think Duke University will defend their championship in this tournament."
Just as Durant said.
After defeating Michigan State University, Duke University will face the winner of the Villanova University versus Arizona University match in the finals.
Even Duke University's supporters are worried about whether the team can defend its championship.
The reason is simple.
Arizona University and Villanova University have both shown extremely strong dominance in this year's tournament.
First is the traditional powerhouse—Villanova University.
As the number one seed in this tournament, they are widely recognized as the strongest team.
Their lineup, consisting of Brunson, DiVincenzo, Bridges, Pascal, and Spellman,
can be said to have swept the entire NCAA with their excellent performance this season, achieving a luxurious record of 36 wins and 4 losses.
And in March Madness, they led the league in scoring with an average net win of 17.7 points per game.
Now let's look at their opponent, Arizona University, which made it to the semifinals for the first time in history.
This year, under the leadership of "top draft prospect" Deandre Ayton, they almost showed a crushing momentum.
In the previous knockout rounds, they were invincible and never fell behind in score.
As the team's core, Deandre Ayton delivered terrifying statistics of 22.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks.
His outstanding performance also led Shaquille O'Neal to say directly: "This young man will break all my records in the future."
Although Ayton's only hard quality right now is his confidence,
at that time, he was still the undisputed top pick.
It can be said that no matter which of these two teams ultimately advances to the finals, it will bring immense pressure to Duke University.
Of course, many fans also believe that the semifinal between Villanova University and Arizona University is the real final of this year's NCAA Championship.
On March 30th.
the NCAA upper-bracket semifinal continued at Minnesota Bank Stadium.
The performance of "top draft prospect" Deandre Ayton became the focus of attention for sideline media and scouts.
However, the game did not proceed as fans and media had expected before the match.
Ayton was heavily guarded by Villanova University from the start and did not display the strength of a potential top pick.
Conversely, DiVincenzo's performance for Villanova University impressed the media and scouts even more.
This "Warriors championship member" delivered his best collegiate performance in this semifinal.
DiVincenzo, who scored 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, completely dominated Deandre Ayton on both ends of the court.
Ultimately, thanks to DiVincenzo's god-like performance, Villanova University eliminated Arizona University and advanced to the NCAA final.
"My college career is over; I will enter the NBA draft this year!"
After the game, Ayton directly shifted blame in an interview: "Although the team stopped short of the finals, I don't think it was my fault; my teammates didn't give me much support on the court."
"I will train hard in the coming time to prepare for the upcoming tryouts!"
"Also, I will prove at the upcoming draft that I am the best player in this class!"
After saying these words, Deandre Ayton directly ended the interview, leaving the media below looking bewildered.
Looking back at Ayton's entire career, perhaps the 2018 Draft was the highlight of his life.
In that year, he surpassed a series of talented players such as Dončić, Trae Young, Shai Alexander, Jaren Jackson Jr., Michael Porter, and Sexton to become the top pick in this draft.
Since then, Ayton, who entered the NBA as the top pick, has not lived up to his draft status, whether with the Phoenix Suns or now with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Although he hasn't put up eye-catching statistics on the court, off the court, Ayton has contributed many famous quotes that are worthy of being recorded in history.
"I will play with O'Neal's dominance!"
"My partnership with Booker will be the new era's OK combination!"
"No need to prove myself, I'm a max-contract player, and I will be a max-contract player in the future!"
"I bring dominance, my name is Dominant Ayton!"
If Ayton's on-court performance were as "impressive" as his off-court words, perhaps he really could play at an O'Neal level.