Sixty-One: Another Lottery Rookie Beaten

The absence of Rudy Gay gave Lionel Hollins the illusion that the Grizzlies' offense seemed more fluid.

That's right, Gay is the Grizzlies' player with the most points per game, the team's most comprehensive star, and the player with the most lore at crucial moments.

But in the same way, Rudy Gay's occasional hot-headed performance will break the Grizzlies' established tactics. Turn the team offense into a solo fight.

Gay has always been a love-hate point for Hollins, and on the one hand, he needs Gay's individual ability, that singles strength. On the other hand, Guy is often out of control.

Today, when Link replaced Gay in the starting lineup, Hollins felt that the game was extremely smooth.

The black and white bears have exerted their power, and there will be no loopholes in the team's defense. Whether Rudy Gay was good or bad for the Grizzlies, Hollins mused.

But soon, Hollins came to his senses. Rudy Gay is the star of the team, but he can't decide whether it is good or bad. Look at how vigorous the farce between Deron and Sloan is, and you will know how precarious the position of the head coach on a team is.

Even a meritorious coach like Sloan can't compete with the team's leading star. At the moment, Hollins should consider not whether Gay is suitable for the Grizzlies, but to make good use of the players that the management gives him.

Hollins knew very well that Randolph and Gasol wouldn't have gotten so many singles chances if it wasn't for Link's containment from beyond the arc. In the second half, if Sloan finally decides to use the 3 to double-team inside players. Well, let's hope Link doesn't screw it all up.

"Link."

"I'm here, coach."

"Stay vigilant." Hollins only said that to Link, but he believed Link would understand.

Because that guy is so smart.

※※※

Link wants to score 20 points today, which is his long-established goal. In a few days, the Grizzlies should decide whether he will go or stay. Whether to go back to the G League or sign until the end of the season depends on Link's performance these days.

He doesn't know how much chance he has to stay now, but he knows that if there is a game with 20+ points, it will increase his chances of staying a lot.

After stepping onto the court, Link found that the Jazz were still using Hayward to match him. He was gearing up, and in the first half of the game, both sides were testing each other. Now is the time to start fighting, even if it is the first ceremony before the soldier.

"The Jazz are 13 points behind, and their interior defense needs to take the main responsibility. Zach and Gasol have scored nearly 30 points together. What tactics will Coach Sloan use to limit the performance of the black and white bears?"

At the beginning of the game, Steve Kerr made the key point of this section.

The internal battle will be the key to determining the outcome of this game. It's a bit like a game in the 90's, by the way.

"Even though the Jazz trailed by 13 points, they weren't without a bright spot in the first half. Like Hayward, after he came out. Link only got 2 points. He's already taken care of the Grizzlies at the 3. Trouble, if it keeps up, the Grizzlies' offense will be limited sooner or later by being overly monolithic."

Beside Cole, Reggie Miller spoke highly of Hayward. Cole didn't say anything, just smiled. Hayward defended Link? It's just an illusion.

The Jazz's first offense, Hayward wanted to take the lead. He suddenly cut in, received a pass from Delong, and was ready to layup.

But Link's defense is very aggressive, and he is constantly giving Hayward physical confrontation. Hayward was thin in his rookie season and was nowhere near as capable as he was in his prime.

Under Link's defense, Hayward's layup was unstable, and the first attack failed like this.

It's actually very unfair to put a veteran with more than a dozen years of NBA game experience against a bunch of first-year players.

But Link's identity is also a rookie. So, he did justice in injustice.

Link is not afraid of Hayward's attack, and how strong he is in the future is beyond Link's control. But now, Hayward is averaging less than five points per game in his rookie season. A player of this level can't beat Grant Hill.

Link took off the rebound himself, handed the ball to Conley and rushed forward.

At the same time, Gasol and Randolph both fell. It seems that the Grizzlies still want to play hard inside.

Link continued to help the two big men stand in the bottom corner, but this time, he found that Hayward was not close to him, but took a few steps towards the inside.

Link swallowed, knowing that his chance had finally come. The Jazz finally couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to use the 3rd position to double-team the insider!

But now whether he can seize the opportunity to score, we will see if Conley can see the situation here.

Conley slowed down when he got to the 3-point line. He kept his eyes on the inside, raised the basketball, and seemed to be hoisting it into the restricted area.

But at the moment when the basketball was released, Conley flicked his wrist and quickly passed the ball to the bottom right corner!

"Thank you, brother!" Link secretly rejoiced in his heart, Conley's judgment on the offensive situation was very accurate.

Hayward didn't expect Conley to give the ball to the 0 because he nearly disappeared in the second quarter. Throughout the second quarter, Link's role on the offensive end seemed to be to stand in the bottom corner. But as soon as the second half came up, the Grizzlies actually hit Link.

Before Hayward could react, Link drove the ball past him. Hayward hurried to keep up, while the Jazz defense also habitually shrink.

Halfway through, Link suddenly stopped suddenly, then turned back halfway, took off with one foot, leaned back slightly, and made a rollover jumper!

If you thought a 3-and-D player could score 52 points in the G League, you'd be wrong. Link's offense is rich, and he's always been more than a 3-and-D player.

Play obediently according to the coach's arrangement first, and only after gaining playing time and trust will you have the freedom to play. Link knew this, and now, it was time for proper freedom.

Hayward was ill-prepared for Link's turnaround jumper. This extremely difficult shot is generally used by super scorers such as Kobe and Anthony at will. An undrafted pick? He never guessed that Link had this hand.

So Hayward's interference wasn't in place at all. Link shot easily, watching the basketball fall into the net, and a strong sense of accomplishment suddenly surged in his heart.

"Going in, the Jazz's defense is focusing on this and the other. They were going to defend the penalty area, but they were hit hard by Link from the mid-range. It's 15 points, the Jazz have to be careful."

Cole clapped his hands and praised, is that Chinese boy finally going to shoot?

One offense and one defense, Link defeated Hayward. Hayward is a little annoyed. He is a team player. In a one-on-one comparison, he is hardly outstanding in this period.

But now, all eyes are on him and Link, which is very unfavorable for Hayward.

"Come on, prove that your pick is justified." After scoring the goal, Link did not forget to stimulate Hayward with trash talk. He didn't have any grudge against Hayward, but Link knew that the more impatient the opponent, the easier it would be for him on the defensive end.

Grant Hill was a good gentleman, yes, but Link was not.

However, Hayward's temper is really good, and he is not angry at all to be shown off in front of the undrafted draft. This time, Hayward did not actively look for opportunities. He still opened up space for others, even if he couldn't get the ball, he had no regrets.

Link shook his head, no wonder this guy only averaged 5 points per game in his rookie season. In the NBA, being too temperamental isn't necessarily a good thing. You look like you don't want anything, and do you still expect your teammates to pass the ball to you?

This time, Millsap succeeded in the shot, bringing the difference back to 13 points. But it didn't help, because 20 seconds later, Link scored again.

This time, Link and his teammates played a complicated off-ball tactic. Link needs to give Mayo an off-ball screen first, use Mayo to attract attention, and then take advantage of Randolph's off-ball screen to get a chance.

This is the first time Link has played such a complex play in the Grizzlies, because Hollins is afraid Link will not be able to adapt. As everyone knows, the first time he played this tactic, Link's movement accuracy surprised Hollins.

The only uncertainty about this tactic is that, as a bait for transfer and attracting defense, Mayo will take his own shot when his brain is hot.

Fortunately, this time Mayo didn't make a mess. After attracting the defense, he handed the ball to Link according to the arrangement. Link took the ball and shot decisively without hesitation or adjustment.

Three-point shooting, the more hesitant, the more inaccurate. Shooting is sometimes a kind of muscle memory, hesitating, but the action is incoherent.

In Hayward's desperate eyes, Link's three-pointer hit steadily. He scored 5 points in a row, and his personal score has reached 12 points!

"Jumper, jumper, jumper, Link was making jumpers all night today. And what about the Jazz? Are they going to watch Link shoot the game to death?" Reggie Miller was anxious, he didn't forget that he was in What was said before the start of the second half of the game.

He said Hayward restrained Link to death, but now that Miller is aware of the risk of being slapped in the face.

But that's not to blame for Miller. It's really unreasonable that an undrafted 9th pick can't fight back.

"What are you waiting for? Come on, or I'm going to beat you." Link continued to talk trash, Deron and Millsap saw that their hands were already up, and he needed to stimulate Hayward to share those two people the right to take action.

"What is that guy doing?" Hollins frowned as he looked at Link who was chattering on the court.

"It's like spouting trash talk." Assistant coach Elston Turner replied.

"haha," hollins nodded, "it looks like he was born to be a grizzlies player."

Link's trash talk worked, because this time the Jazz attacked, Hayward actually chose to break with the ball. No matter how good-tempered a person is, in a competitive arena like the NBA, he will also have emotions. What's more, the current Hayward is still a first-year rookie, and his heart is far less mature than Link.

But unfortunately, when Hayward took the first step, he had already fallen into the defensive trap.

Link deliberately led Hayward to the inside line, Gasol's oriole was behind, and Hayward's eyes were staring with a big blow.

Sloan stood up, ready to curse. But on second thought, he sat back again. The team is already 16 points behind, what's the use of him yelling again? I still think about how to adjust it later.

"Hayward was completely deceived, he was always led by Link's nose. Conley received the basketball and advanced quickly, he gave the ball to Link, and Link's layup was very solid. Scored, 14 points, Lin Ke scored the 14th point of the game. And the Grizzlies also fell behind by 18 points because of Link's performance! Coach Sloan called the game for the second time today because of the No. 0 rookie. It's like winning in the paint. It's just a pity that Link has brought more offensive options to the Grizzlies."

Link looked at the big screen. He was now only 6 points away from scoring 20 points. There is still a little more than a quarter and a half left in the game, and it is not difficult to score 20 points.

Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, a man watching football at home also remembered Link's name for the first time.

This man did not expect that his most proud disciple would be defeated in front of this undrafted talent.

Brad Stevens touched his chin. The potential of this undrafted pick may be better than everyone expected.