This way, He Ximeng helped Kobe fight Scott during the day, further solidifying his fundamentals, steadily improving his organizational skills, defensive abilities, and shooting skills, and familiarizing himself with Coach Del Harris's tactical settings and command habits…
In the evenings, he would occasionally talk with Kayla, engaging in communication of soul and body…
The days were physically demanding, but pure, simple, and happy, filled with hope for the future…
Hope in life is the driving force for continuous effort…
Head Coach Del Harris clearly saw the internal struggles between rookies and veterans within the team, but being an old hand with a proven record, he did not intervene! Instead, he watched these competitions with great interest!
As long as it did not lead to serious consequences, appropriate competition could lead to an improvement in the players' abilities! Especially for rookie players, it could motivate them to train hard, not be distracted by the glitz and glamour of the outside world, and focus their attention as much as possible on the court…
The NBA has never been a charity for the kind-hearted; it is a jungle of the fittest! Only players who continuously strive and grow stronger can survive in this brutal league, carve out a place for themselves, and ultimately become king-like figures, adored by millions of fans!
The level of competition on the Lakers' bench at this moment was merely an appetizer for Del Harris, who had been in the league for over thirty years!
If Kobe and He Ximeng couldn't even defeat an aging Scott, then their future achievements in the league would not be very high…
That's just how it is!
However, Del Harris was very pleased to see that the rookie faction, led by Kobe and He Ximeng, had successfully gained the upper hand on the bench.
Scott's attempt to rely on his seniority was not effective with the Lakers…
As the training camp ended, the team's core players finished their vacations and gradually returned. Campbell, Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Ceballos… those with lesser clout returned earlier, while those with greater clout returned later…
In any case, by the time He Ximeng and Kobe, led by James Worthy, set off for the Southern California Summer Professional League, O'Neal had not yet returned…
This year's Summer League team, selected by Head Coach Del Harris, was centered around the rookie faction that supported Kobe, including He Ximeng, Chevees Nett, Chris Kociyak, and Corey Blount, a total of five players. Additionally, several promising players from the Lakers' Development League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, were included: David Pope, Derek Batty, Randall Nally, Frank Ken, and William Mudar, bringing the total to 10 players.
The coaching staff was led by Assistant Coach James Worthy.
The Lakers planned to play four games. Three of these games were against the Pistons, Warriors, and Suns. One game was particularly special: against the Chinese Men's Basketball Team!
Yes, in preparation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the Chinese Men's Basketball Team came to the United States in advance and planned to participate in that year's Summer League as a warm-up before the major competition!
On the roster of the Chinese Men's Basketball Team, He Ximeng saw a string of familiar names: Liu Yudong, Wang Zhizhi, Hu Weidong, Sun Jun, Gong Xiaobin, Zheng Wu, Li Nan, Wu Naiqun, Wu Qinglong, Li Xiaoyong, Shan Tao, Battelle…
Good heavens, this Chinese team is quite young! All rising stars in Chinese basketball. Coach Gong Luming truly has courage!
It's a shame Yao didn't come.
The Lakers' first game was against the Pistons! The Pistons' core was second-year rookie, power forward Ratliff, and this year's rookie, Jerome Williams!
However, neither Ratliff nor Jerome Williams were particularly strong scorers; they were both more adept at defense.
But facing Kobe, who favored the mid-range jumper, and He Ximeng, who favored the three-pointer, for the Lakers, the Pistons' system was essentially rendered useless, unable to withstand the offensive onslaught of these two scorers…
On offense, James Worthy, following He Ximeng's suggestion, adopted a tight defense, concentrating all efforts around the paint to directly cut off passing lanes to the Pistons' two big men inside, forcing the Pistons' non-core perimeter players to shoot. This alone disrupted the Pistons' offensive rhythm, causing serious problems with their ball movement and shot selection…
Ultimately, Kobe's first game for the Lakers was a stunning all-around performance of 27 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, much to the delight of Lakers fans!
He Ximeng willingly played the role of Kobe's subordinate, contributing 5 assists to Kobe's total of 8 assists, while also knocking down 6 three-pointers… His final stats were 22 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block!
"Little Flying Man Brothers" dominated this game!
After the game, the Los Angeles media ran with this headline!
When He Ximeng played at Wake Forest University and partnered with Duncan, because Duncan was known as "Mr. Fundamentals," their combination was called "Fundamentals Brothers."
Now, at the Lakers, partnering with Kobe, who is currently known as "The Little Flying Man," He Ximeng has been forced into the role of "Little Flying Man Brother"…
This is the sorrow of being a supporting player!
Fortunately, He Ximeng isn't too concerned with these superficial titles. His habit of playing the underdog allows him to happily let Kobe attract the media's attention while he quietly reaps the rewards behind Kobe…
He Ximeng's only wish is when this "Little Flying Man Brother" can evolve into "Black Mamba Brother"?
The Black Mamba is definitely cooler than the Little Flying Man…
After defeating the Pistons, the Lakers' second opponent was the Chinese Men's Basketball Team!
Before the game started, He Ximeng walked directly to the Chinese team's bench and first apologized to Head Coach Gong Luming!
Indeed, Head Coach Gong Luming, through He Fengting, had invited He Ximeng to join the national team and play for his country, but He Ximeng politely declined!
The reason was that He Ximeng was busy with tryouts for various teams when the national team was assembling!
He Ximeng tactfully stated: he was willing to serve his country, but felt his current strength and ability were insufficient, fearing he would fall short of the nation's expectations… He promised that once his abilities improved, he would certainly answer the call and return to serve his country in the future…
Gong Luming did not force the issue. After all, He Ximeng had only gained some notoriety in the NCAA at the time, and the NCAA's popularity in China was not very high… In the eyes of most Chinese people, it was merely the Chinese version of college basketball, not as professional as the youth training system…
As a result, in the blink of an eye, He Ximeng used the NCAA as a springboard to become an official player for the Los Angeles Lakers, a change so rapid it made the coaching staff of the Chinese Men's Basketball Team regret their decision immensely…