After participating in the Olympics, Zeng Xingyang continued with special training.
On October 5th, the Nuggets training camp started, and Zeng Xingyang drove his newly purchased Ferrari back to the Pepsi Center in Denver.
The first thing Zeng Xingyang did upon joining the training camp was not training but dealing with the media.
"Click, click, click!!"
Countless flashlights surrounded him.
Today’s Zeng Xingyang is entirely different from last season’s Zeng Xingyang.
In his rookie training camp, Zeng Xingyang was already in the spotlight, dressed in ordinary sportswear, with a face that looked somewhat bewildered and a bit naive.
But in this season’s training camp, Zeng Xingyang’s aura was fully charged, with a sports car, luxury gold jewelry, and sunglasses, but the most crucial was his confident and composed demeanor.
All this was not unfamiliar to Zeng Xingyang.
Moreover, there were more Chinese journalists, making Denver’s media scene resemble that of Los Angeles a bit.
Not only was Zeng Xingyang present, but Jokic and Butler also arrived; it was the first time the three were together. Follow current novels on novel⟡fire.net
The Nuggets had many personnel changes in the offseason, with Butler being the most high-profile arrival.
Butler joining the Nuggets was as shocking as Durant joining the Warriors.
This trade made everyone believe that the Nuggets had a chance to challenge the Warriors in the West.
"Click, click, click!"
Zeng Xingyang, Butler, and Jokic had a group chat privately and had converse many times.
But this meeting, Butler came with a flamboyant hairstyle, soft long hair partially covering his face, similar to the style Zeng Xingyang saw at the Heat’s press conference in another life.
This gave off a slightly charming vibe, lacking a bit of dominance.
This directly led to Jokic and Zeng Xingyang bursting into laughter.
There was no helping it, the moment they saw Butler, they wanted to laugh...
Not just them, but also the reporters; everyone’s first reaction upon seeing Butler was to laugh.
After finally regaining control of the situation, the three sat at the interview table. A reporter asked Butler why he opted for such a hairstyle.
Butler shrugged and replied, "Feel free to laugh, it reflects my mood right now. I’m delighted to join a competitive team."
When talking about the championship, Butler said, "I will let everyone know, the new season is ours, the championship is our only goal."
Speaking about Durant joining the Warriors, Butler said, "I don’t worry about that shit, now it’s their turn to worry about us. We have Zeng and Nikola, we’ll beat them again."
In the past, Zeng Xingyang, not knowing Butler well, was easily misled by rumors.
The media often reported that Butler didn’t follow team rules, disobeyed management, had a temper, and other "locker room cancer" traits.
After getting to know Butler a bit, and combining it with his knowledge of the future, Zeng Xingyang realized that Butler was just not the media’s darling.
Butler’s tough personality came from his extreme desire to win.
For instance, during his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he once demolished the first team using the bench, bluntly stating, "You can’t win without me," essentially wanting to push his teammates to be more competitive. In the 76ers, he voluntarily reduced his shooting for defense and coordination, yet left because management chose Harris over extending his contract.
These actions were more out of dissatisfaction with the team’s lax atmosphere rather than sheer "toxicity."
Butler was abandoned as a child, which gave him early insights into the "law of the jungle," and Butler believes the same applies in the NBA.
If teammates are not strong enough, he’ll step up to lead the team forcefully. Of course, this toughness might unsettle executives and the media.
With the Bulls, Butler wasn’t seen as a top superstar. The public thought he lacked leadership qualities, wasn’t talented enough to be the team’s long-term central figure, so the Bulls traded him to the Nuggets.
But Zeng Xingyang knew well that Butler had the potential to become a qualified leader.
Like during his time with the Heat, Butler proved his leading ability. He led the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals three times and to the Finals twice in five years, including the 2023 "black eight miracle." Despite the Heat’s roster mainly consisting of second-round and undrafted players, he used defensive intensity, clutch performance, and teamwork to take the team beyond expectations.
His all-around performance and playoff explosiveness have convinced many of his critics.
Overall, Zeng Xingyang’s assessment of Butler is this: his tough character and candid words may stir controversy, but his commitment to victory, defensive pressure, and clutch performances make him one of the most underrated leaders on the postseason stage. External misunderstandings often stem from a one-sided interpretation of his motives, overlooking his actual contributions and professional attitude toward the team.
On the whole, Zeng Xingyang admired Butler and, when reporters asked about Butler joining, he said,
"You know, Butler is one of the best players in this league. Jimmy, Nikola, and I talked a lot over the summer, and we believe we can find the best way to coexist and have a fantastic season."
A "YOU-KNOW" start made reporters feel like they had heard these words before.
The pre-game interview concluded smoothly.
Returning to the locker room, Zeng Xingyang saw a completely new look.
Compared to last season, there were many new players this season.
As the current leader of the Nuggets, once Zeng Xingyang entered, Siakam, Dejounte Murray, Brogdon, Zubac, and others stood up to greet him.
Zeng Xingyang went over to high-five and hug every newcomer.
The main task of the Nuggets training camp was to integrate the team.
With so many newcomers, the whole system needed to adapt to each other.
Mike Malone distributed the tactical playbooks prepared by the coaches to all the players.
The Nuggets currently have three main offensive strategies.
One is having Jokic as the "organizing center" role.
Jokic has grown into one of the most all-around centers in the league, combining low-post facilitation, high-post organization, and long-pass fast break capability.
Jokic is now the offensive initiator of the Nuggets, linking the team with precise passes, whether it’s for cuts, outside threes, or pick-and-roll dives, he creates opportunities through his vision.
The second is having Zeng Xingyang as the "isolation scorer" role.
Zeng Xingyang is already one of the league’s top scorers; he has an incredibly rich arsenal of offensive weapons, and is highly effective whether launching personal shots or facilitating teammates, with other Nuggets players creating mispositioning opportunities for Zeng Xingyang.
The third is the Nuggets’ trump card, Zeng-Jokic pick-and-roll.
The two combine flexibility and threat, Jokic can roll to finish, pop out for a shot, or pass to an open teammate.
Zeng Xingyang’s shooting range and penetration ability further enrich the tactical choices.