The biggest problem for shooting guards, actually, isn't their shooting percentage, but their consistency!
In the NBA, a 36% shooting percentage represents the average level for shooters, while 40% signifies a top-tier level!
In reality, the difference between the two is merely four percentage points! That means a difference of four shots out of 100, or 0.4 shots out of 10, a minuscule gap!
Therefore, in the eyes of the head coach, this difference in shooting percentage is far less important than a shooter's consistency.
Consistency means that with 10 shots per game, the number of made baskets remains between 3 and 5. Each game, they can provide stable offensive firepower for the team, ready to be deployed whenever the coach needs them! That's a consistent shooter.
Conversely, inconsistent players, even with 10 shots per game, might hit 7 shots when they're hot, but miss all 10 when they're cold… Their average shooting percentage over two games might still be 35%, but such shooters can easily give the head coach high blood pressure!
Games that could have been won are ultimately lost because of their misses, with the opponent coming back to win.
Of course, they might also carry the team alone and create miracles.
These types of players are what are commonly known as "streaky players"!
It's not that such players are bad, but it's difficult to use streaky players as core players, because they tend to sway the team's momentum… leading to instability…
As an experienced "coach-type" point guard, He Ximeng naturally knows which path he should take. Therefore, He Ximeng has always prioritized pursuing shooting consistency! He avoids mindless shots, forced shots, and wasteful shots as much as possible.
When there's a choice between shooting and not shooting, he chooses not to shoot!
When there's a choice between passing and not passing, he must pass!
To outsiders, this is a significant manifestation of He Ximeng's "unselfish" playing style.
In reality, He Ximeng is simply playing the most logical way according to his "coach-type" mindset, and that's all.
In this game, He Ximeng's shot selection was flawless; he still shot when opportunities arose, but the ball kept hitting iron, and nothing was going in… This wasn't an issue of selection, but of touch, or perhaps, luck.
No shooter can maintain an extremely high shooting percentage forever, and He Ximeng is no exception.
Consequently, with He Ximeng's three-point shooting off in this game, Duncan in the paint faced increased pressure.
Fortunately, at critical moments, He Ximeng's passing skills were still intact. By continuously passing to his teammates, He Ximeng found that Rusti, playing shooting guard, had a good touch today! Thus, as Louisville tightened their defense in the paint, focusing their defensive attention on Duncan, He Ximeng repeatedly used drives and passes to create opportunities for Rusti on the other side.
Rusti hadn't performed well in the previous few games, but he seized his chance in this one, ultimately scoring 18 points, second only to Duncan! This helped Wake Forest narrowly defeat Louisville!
He Ximeng's perimeter shooting was poor in this game, going 2 for 7 from three-point range, scoring 10 points, a personal single-game low since entering the NCAA. However, his assists reached 16, a personal single-game high since entering the NCAA!
With one stat high and one low, He Ximeng adjusted himself to achieve the goal of adjusting the team. Without having to battle in the paint, he successfully unleashed Rusti's potential, securing another victory!
Meanwhile, the results of games in several other conferences also came in.
Another team from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Georgia Tech led by Marbury, lost to Cincinnati and was eliminated in the Sweet Sixteen!
Georgetown University, led by Iverson, successfully advanced to the finals of the East Region. In the next round, they will face a powerhouse matchup against the University of Massachusetts led by Marcus Camby!
University of Connecticut, led by Ray Allen, defeated the University of Mississippi. In the next round, they will face a powerhouse matchup against the University of Cincinnati!
The winner will advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Championship!
Wake Forest University successfully advanced from the Sweet Sixteen to the Elite Eight!
Reaching the national top eight means advancing to the finals of the major regions!
Wake Forest's next opponent will be another strong team from the Midwest Region, the No. 1 seed, the University of Kentucky!
The winner will be crowned the king of the Midwest Region and advance to the Final Four!
Prior to this, He Ximeng's focus on the University of Kentucky had been primarily on their two key players, Tony Delk and Antoine Walker. Now, with the next game about to begin, while watching game film of Kentucky with Duncan, He Ximeng realized that the reason Kentucky won the championship in 1996 wasn't solely due to Tony Delk and Antoine Walker!
Their starting lineup alone had at least seven future NBA players!
Power Forward Antoine Walker, selected 6th overall in the first round of the 1996 draft.
Point Guard Tony Delk, selected 16th overall in the first round of the 1996 draft.
Center Mark Pope, selected 52nd overall in the second round of the 1996 draft.
Backup Power Forward Walter McCarty, selected 19th overall in the first round of the 1996 draft.
Small Forward Ron Mercer, selected 6th overall in the first round of the 1997 draft.
Shooting Guard Derek Anderson, selected 13th overall in the first round of the 1997 draft.
Backup Center Nazr Mohammed, selected 29th overall in the first round of the 1998 draft.
It's astonishing to discover this upon investigation!
Seven players, six future first-round picks, one future second-round pick.
Their talent is simply explosive!
With a good coach, this University of Kentucky squad could even contend with the worst teams in the NBA.
After carefully studying Kentucky's previous games, He Ximeng and Duncan exchanged bewildered glances.
"What do you think?" He Ximeng asked Duncan.
"Tough," Duncan replied, frowning.
"More than tough! This is an impossible mission… Kentucky is undoubtedly the strongest opponent we've faced so far… We both need to be prepared for a full game, and even for fighting two against five, or even two against seven…"
"That exaggerated?"
"Not at all! If we let our guard down even slightly, I estimate our teammates won't be able to handle it…"
In the original timeline, in 1996, Duncan single-handedly led his team to a narrow three-point victory over Texas and a one-point victory over Louisville, battling their way to the Elite Eight. Facing this terrifying Kentucky team, Wake Forest lost by 20 points… it was essentially a one-sided slaughter.
Duncan was subjected to a relentless barrage of defense in the paint from Mark Pope, Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, and Nazr Mohammed, leaving him isolated and helpless!
It was extremely difficult even to get the basketball to Duncan… Yet, even so, Duncan still scored a game-high 30 points with his exceptional individual skill, accounting for almost half of the team's total score…
Wake Forest lost, but Duncan's performance still stunned the entire nation! It also led NBA teams to eagerly speculate whether Duncan would be the first or second pick if he participated in the 1996 draft.
Now, with He Ximeng's arrival, Wake Forest might be able to avoid being completely dominated by Kentucky, but the difficulty of defeating their opponent remains exceptionally high.
He Ximeng pondered for a moment, then took out several blank papers and began drawing up strategies for Duncan.