Easy as Pie

Nick Young was obviously unaware that one of his devoted fans had switched her allegiance to the handsome guard from Stanford.

After returning to the half-court, he continued to reach out for the ball and kept playing one-on-one.

It must be admitted that this kid's offensive skills far exceeded Stanford's defensive level. He easily scored with a turnaround jump shot.

"This is not underestimating Stanford. But Nick Young is a potential NBA star. He can enter the professional league as a lottery pick at any time, as long as he's willing," Johnny Watson hyped up Nick Young on Time Warner TV, "He is undoubtedly the number one star in the Pacific Division."

"No!" Magic Johnson mentioned another name, "I think it's Brandon Roy from the University of Washington."

"But Brandon is already a senior, he has no potential whatsoever, and he also has a history of serious injuries. I bet with you, Nick Young will definitely become an NBA superstar in the future, and Brandon Roy, even if he enters the league, will disappear very soon."

Johnny Watson said confidently, "I don't believe in your scouting eye. You're likely just as bad as another MJ. Because you actually think Stanford's number 10 player is not bad and can play in the NBA. That's simply ridiculous. If he can play, my nephew who's in the fifth grade can also..."

However, just as he finished speaking... Swish!

On the court, Thompson hit another three-pointer.

The player who assisted him was none other than the supposedly weak Stanford player, number 10.

This guy cleverly escaped the defense by Scott with a screen. He penetrated to the free-throw line, and when USC's forward Jackson came to switch defense, he actually made a bold and clever pause, making people misjudge that he was going to pass to Scott underneath.

However, when all of USC's defense shifted towards the inside, his left hand seemed to casually toss the basketball backward, passing it to Thompson, who was running without the ball on the sideline, 45 degrees from the three-point line. The camera showed that this was a standard no-look pass.

"How did he do that?"

Johnny Watson asked instinctively.

"This is genius-level assist instinct. I can now judge that his court vision is definitely at the NBA level," Magic Johnson said, "Although there is still room for improvement in his passing technique, his tactical acumen is far superior to any player on the court. Especially Nick Young!"

As the greatest point guard in NBA history, Magic Johnson was an authority in this regard.

When he said that Bruce had the best court vision on the court, the commentator Johnny Watson didn't dare to argue. After all, he was just a paper basketball pundit, while Magic Johnson was the real deal, the number one point guard.

At the same time, the staff finally handed over Li Zhen's information to the commentary booth.

Magic Johnson took a look and subconsciously read it out loud.

"Li Zhen, Bruce Li. A super genius who entered Harvard University before the age of 17, the Ivy League's assist and steal king for two consecutive seasons. Transferred to Stanford University last season, averaging 5.1 minutes per game this season, averaging 1.1 points, 1.5 assists, 0.2 rebounds, and 0.5 turnovers."

"So he's a scholar, no wonder his basketball IQ is so high."

Magic Johnson exclaimed.

At this moment, Johnny Watson took the information and continued to read, "...three days ago, Stanford's head coach announced that he would not register him for the player roster next season. The reason he started in this game was because the core point guard, TJ Walton, was injured. The head coach has also given up on this season's competition and has gone to scout players."

Upon seeing this, Johnny suddenly realized, "No wonder he's playing so fiercely, turns out he's trying to seize the last opportunity."

As he said this, Magic furrowed his brow in disagreement, "That shouldn't be the case."

Although the game had only been going on for less than five minutes, Bruce's displayed tactical proficiency was at an NCAA level, especially his agility in fast breaks, which was on par with the NBA. Moreover, the Stanford basketball team wasn't a strong opponent, and with his skill level, even playing in the starting lineup was more than sufficient.

Magic was quite puzzled.

...

Meanwhile, the game on the court continued.

With the assistance of Li Zhen's "brilliant strokes," the Stanford Cardinals team surprisingly secured a solid lead and was even slowly expanding it.

Although... the University of Southern California was the stronger team. But tonight, their performance was abysmal.

Perhaps it was due to the lack of pre-game training, or maybe it was because Pruitt had taken two teammates out for revelry last night. In any case, the entire team, except for Nick Young, struggled to score, and even his efficiency was relatively low.

And the team's second key player, Pruitt, despite attempting three shots in a row, missed all three: without exception, they were all short.

He seemed to be lacking in strength.

On the other hand, on Stanford's side, with Li Zhen leading the team in a Phoenix-style fast-paced attack, the team repeatedly hit shots from beyond the three-point line, and Scott finally completed a powerful dunk in the sixth minute.

This excited him, pounding his chest with exhilaration.

He believed that this dunk of his was enough to impress the NBA scouts hiding in various corners of the arena.

However, tonight, the scouts were most interested in Li Zhen.

Although Li Zhen was knocked down twice in succession by Pruitt at the beginning of the game, showing that his physique was extremely slender and his ability to resist was extremely weak.

But when he had the ball and triggered a fast break, he was the most dazzling star on the court.

While the majority of scouts believed he couldn't make it to the NBA, his assist ability in fast transitions and surprisingly adept ball-handling left a deep impression on them.

Many couldn't help but sigh, "If only Li Zhen had a bit sturdier physique, I wouldn't hesitate to write his name on the recommendation form."

However, what these scouts didn't know was that Kevin George from San Antonio had already done so. He greatly admired Li Zhen and had decided to recommend him to the team. Moreover, he planned to request a videotape from the technical booth as soon as the game ended, then edit Li Zhen's footage into a highlight reel to present to the management.

He believed that there would definitely be someone interested in him.

He even believed that Popovich would like this fast, smart, and resilient point guard.

However, just as Kevin George was determined to recommend Bruce, Pruitt decided to change his previous strategy.

He didn't want to continue with jump shots; he believed that his indulgence last night had drained him.

Nevertheless, he still felt he had a significant advantage. After all, the person standing before him was nothing but a paper man.

Since he couldn't damn well get the basketball into the hoop, why not power through? Devouring this paper man in front of him with my strength would be a piece of cake!

Pruitt thought confidently, a sinister grin spreading across his face as he faced Bruce.

At the same time, a smile played on Li Zhen's lips. He had guessed what Pruitt was up to next.

And this, this was exactly what he had been anticipating.