Upon hearing Connelly’s question, Zeng Xingyang recalled the Nuggets’ championship year when Brown and Jeff Green in the second lineup played brilliantly.
Brown hasn’t entered the league yet, so finding a replacement is enough. Last night, Lou Williams’ figure lingered in Zeng Xingyang’s mind.
In my impression, Lou Williams has recently reached the true peak of his career with the Lakers and Clippers, becoming a key player.
Lou Williams even led the Clippers in a major comeback victory against the Warriors, which left many media and fans stunned.
This guy should have no problem replacing Brown’s firepower.
Jeff Green doesn’t seem to be doing well on the Grizzlies currently.
Jeff Green’s development in the league was affected after his heart surgery, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been marginalized so quickly.
This guy definitely still has the strength to play in normal rotations.
Both Lou Williams and Jeff Green have one thing in common: they play basketball smartly.
Zeng Xingyang increasingly realizes how comfortable it is to collaborate with players who play smartly on the court.
Often, he doesn’t need to say a word, as smart teammates will know what he wants to do.
Smart players make decisions on the court that are most beneficial to the team, which in itself is a talent.
"Lou Williams, Jeff Green, you can keep an eye on these two."
Upon hearing these names, Connelly immediately remembered them, saying, "Hmm, I know them both, I’ll first look into how to operate."
Connelly didn’t make any evasive comments like considering but immediately judged these two fit the team’s positioning.
Connelly trusted Zeng Xingyang because Zeng Xingyang had always demonstrated very mature performance.
His mentality was completely different compared to other rookies, almost as if he and Connelly were peers.
Connelly could confidently discuss many matters with Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang never doubted Connelly’s professional ability.
He simply had future insight to know which players would perform well and suit the Nuggets, while Connelly had the solid ability to know how to build the system.
Jokic, Murray, Little Porter, Gordon, Pope all proved his ability to select, train, and operate with no issues.
Of course, the team breaking up surrounding Jokic after winning the championship was more due to the Nuggets being a small market. Once the rookie bonus period was over, everyone wanted big contracts, forcing many of his operations.
Overall, his abilities were fine.
Then Zeng Xingyang hung up the phone.
After consecutively defeating the Warriors and the Lakers, the Nuggets returned to the Denver Pepsi Center to face the Orlando Magic at home on December 8.
In the East, the Orlando Magic’s strength is considered decent, achieving an 11-9 record, which, if maintained until season’s end, would qualify them for the playoffs in the East.
However, arriving at the Denver Plateau, home of the Nuggets, the Nuggets won the game 105-99 against the Magic.
The Magic showed discomfort playing away, missing some open threes and allowing the Nuggets to turn around with counterattacks, building an advantage.
Fournier, Vucevic, Oladipo, Gordon, and others had unstable three-point shots—sometimes on, sometimes off—not very reliable.
The Nuggets’ defense kept shrinking without major punishment.
The Nuggets’ starters played similarly to previous games; it was Barton leaving that caused some issues with the second lineup.
The second lineup couldn’t find a clear offensive point, leading to a small climax by the opponents.
Luckily, Mike Malone timely substituted Jokic in, smoothing the second lineup’s offense.
Mike Malone increasingly realized how valuable Jokic was; no matter what lineup he was paired with, Jokic could ensure a certain baseline, preventing the team from disorder.
In this match, Zeng Xingyang scored 24 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, while Jokic achieved near triple-double stats with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Both performances were still very stable.
Zeng Xingyang is suitable for team offense breakthroughs, Jokic fits maintaining system formation.
With more games, both Mike Malone and the Nuggets management grew clearer on their capabilities.
The determination to supplement the lineup surrounding these two grew stronger.
After defeating the Magic, the Nuggets achieved a 3-game winning streak.
As new player Pope was about to arrive, Nurkic returned as well.
Despite averaging just 7 points and 6 rebounds last season, Nurkic’s 2.13-meter height and 127-kilogram weight make him look like a standard traditional center.
Nurkic’s average 17 minutes in his first year with such stats suggests a good potential.
His fundamental skills are solid, even having some mid to long-range shooting ability.
If not for Jokic’s surprising rise and his early season injury, he’d undoubtedly be the starting center this season.
Mike Malone is recently researching dual-center tactics, exploring if Nurkic and Jokic’s partnership can succeed.
On December 9, at a luxurious five-star hotel in Denver.
Anta’s domestic market leader, Zhang Yang, along with several executives met with Zeng Xingyang’s agent team.
The sneaker endorsement contract negotiations had reached the final stage.
Zeng Xingyang had a fondness for Anta, often wearing the brand while practicing ball in the past.