Chapter 403: Battle for the Throne (6)
“This is the last chance.”
Even without Malone spelling it out, Oden understood it clearly.
Although Chen Yilun had restored his health, the time he had lost could never be recovered. A true center’s prime was short to begin with, and over the past two years traveling with the team, Oden had become painfully aware that his stamina was inevitably declining.
Worse still, the long period of treatment before he met Chen Yilun had left him dependent on certain medications. If not for Chen Yilun’s appearance, Oden might even have slipped into alcohol addiction back then.
So even though he was healthy again now, his potential had long since been wrung dry.
If nothing unexpected happened, this would be the last season in which Oden still possessed full competitive value.
“Let me see what you’ve got.”
Oden locked eyes with Davis, fighting spirit burning in his gaze.
“You’re nothing more than a prodigy from the old era.”
Sensing Oden’s intent, Davis—himself a favored son of the era—showed no fear at all. If anything, his own fighting spirit flared even brighter.
“You didn’t even fully cash in your talent, and you relied on some mysterious sorcery to force your way into an era that doesn’t belong to you!”
“I’m not afraid of you!”
As he spoke, Davis established position in the mid-range, caught the pass, and turned for a fadeaway jumper without the slightest hesitation.
Oden was ready and reached out to contest, but Davis adjusted his release angle, sending the ball up on a higher arc.
The ball drifted through the air, then dropped cleanly through the net.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
After the bucket, Davis couldn’t resist throwing a jab at Oden.
But Oden’s expression didn’t change at all. Deep in his eyes, there was even a faint glint of satisfaction.
Letting Oden tangle with Davis was one of Malone’s plans from the start.
As the Lakers’ theoretical offensive centerpiece, Davis was exactly the player Malone wanted to drag into a grinding battle with Oden, slowly draining his stamina through constant, seemingly incidental collisions.
Everyone knew Davis was incredibly strong—but stamina had never been his greatest strength.
After just a few possessions, the Lakers began to realize what was happening.
“Anthony, something’s not right. It looks like they’re trying to trade Oden straight up for you.”
James jogged over to Davis and spoke in a low voice.
“I see it too.”
Davis wiped the sweat from his face, his expression dark.
“But look at their setup—we’ve already fYilun into the trap.”
As he spoke, Davis tilted his chin toward the Kings’ bench. Durant was slowly standing up, ready to check into the game.
“That’s the Kings’ killing move.”
Once Durant entered, Oden immediately shifted roles, using his thick, sturdy frame to set screen after screen for him.
Watching Durant handle the ball on the court, Malone’s thoughts drifted back to the regular season.
“You really think this stuff works?”
In a conference room in Sacramento, Malone frowned as he looked at the report in his hands.
“I’ve read it. I don’t have any objections.”
Chen Yilun replied casually from across the table.
Nearby, the assistant coaches led by Ham had their heads pressed together, arguing heatedly.
“Don’t you hate this kind of ball-dominant style?”
Malone scratched his head, genuinely puzzled.
The reason they were all gathered was this very report—one that predicted the future shape of basketball.
As player skill levels kept rising, debates over what the next mainstream style would be had gone on for years.
It was already clear that the complex ball movement and pass-and-cut systems from a decade ago were slowly exiting the stage of history.
Tactics were becoming simpler and simpler. High-frequency, high-usage pick-and-roll isolation plays centered on key players were steadily taking over.
“What does it matter whether I like it or not? This is the direction history’s moving in.”
Chen Yilun spread his hands helplessly.
“Just look at other teams. Take the Warriors as the simplest example. They may have ushered in the small-ball era, but the core system Kerr built was really just an evolution of D’Antoni’s system. Nothing fundamentally new.”
“But look at how the Warriors play now. Those wide-ranging, lateral ball-movement sets they used to pride themselves on barely show up anymore. Instead, they rely on Green setting high screens at the top to free Curry for shots. That’s the trend.”
Chen Yilun dared to say this because that was exactly how basketball would be played going forward.
Put the ball almost entirely in the hands of the team’s core, compress the role of the interior little by little, and you create one stat-exploding superstar after another.
The biggest beneficiaries of this style were players like James and Curry—guys whose efficiency rose in direct proportion to their volume.
“It’s worth trying.”
Listening to Chen Yilun, Malone stroked his chin.
“And compared to other teams, we’ve got a unique advantage.”
“Jokić’s growth this season is really exciting. That kid’s carved out his own path.”
For reasons everyone understood, the Kings were very likely heading toward a rebuild after this season. But in both Chen Yilun’s and Malone’s minds, the top spot on the untouchable list would always belong to Jokić.
This chubby kid was practically born for this era of basketball—every part of his game fit perfectly.
What was even scarier was that, to this day, the league still couldn’t find a single true replacement for Jokić.
He was like a chubby magician. The moment he stepped on the court, everyone around him got more efficient—no exceptions.
“Then let’s try it.”
Malone closed the report in front of him.
“After all, there’s no other team in the league right now that can afford to keep experimenting like we can.”
...
...
“Durant drives into the paint, shakes Davis, and finishes at the rim!”
“Durant is absolutely unleashed tonight! The Kings are using the entire team to create a perfect scoring environment for him!”
“When Durant is completely freed up, he’s unstoppable!”
As the commentators exclaimed one after another, Durant cut through the Lakers’ defense like it wasn’t even there, scoring from everywhere on the floor.
James watched Durant on the court, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
“Stop staring, man.”
Davis, completely worn down tonight, walked over panting.
“This really is his era now.”
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser
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