Chapter 17 Advice

Tang Tian's outburst was so sudden that Yi Jianlian and the fan were both stunned.

"You fu..." The fan just opened his mouth.

"Bang!"

Tang Tian smashed the ball directly into the stands. The fan was so frightened that he almost became impotent on the spot.

Tang Tian really threw it!

Seeing Tang Tian making a move to climb up, the fan quickly turned around and slipped away.

Fans were just ordinary people. If they really fought with professional players, they would only get beaten.

"Thanks." Yi Jianlian said with some gratitude at this time.

"Let's grab some late-night snack together later."

Tang Tian said. It really wasn't easy for Chinese people to play in the NBA.

Yi Jianlian nodded.

After going back to the locker room for a shower and saying hello to Green, Tang Tian went to the underground garage.

Yi Jianlian was now the number one basketball player in China, and he had been playing in the NBA for four or five years, so his financial situation was very good.

He drove a Porsche Cayenne to the home game. After picking up Tang Tian, he drove out of the basement.

"There's a pretty good Chinese restaurant here. It has several cuisines."

Yi Jianlian had been here for a few months and was considered half a local.

Tang Tian nodded. Speaking of which, he had been eating mostly Western food since his transmigration. Meeting a fellow countryman abroad was a rare opportunity to have a Chinese meal together.

Yi Jianlian was from Guangdong and could eat anything. Tang Tian could also eat anything, so the two of them ordered quickly.

After ordering, they chatted about some trivial things in life. Yi Jianlian seemed relatively shy, but he was actually okay once he started talking.

One could feel that his shyness in the NBA was largely due to the language barrier.

"Are you still learning English?" Tang Tian asked.

"Yeah, but I'm not very good at it. I can understand, but I can't really speak it." Yi Jianlian said with a wry smile.

The players cultivated by CBA clubs from a young age spent all their time in training gyms, so they didn't have much time to study, and their learning abilities were naturally relatively poor.

This was probably one of the reasons why most of them were introverted. Because they didn't have much contact with the outside world, they knew that the more they said, the more likely they were to make mistakes, so they remained silent.

"With language, you still have to speak more. You can call your translator more often, or you can spend money to hire someone to live with you.

Don't underestimate language. It's very important for you to adapt to the NBA."

Tang Tian shared some of his experiences with Yi Jianlian.

Yi Jianlian glanced at Tang Tian in surprise. Tang Tian was only 19 years old, but why did he speak like his father?

But what he said did make sense, so he nodded.

The food had already arrived at this time, and the two ate and chatted.

As they talked more, Yi Jianlian became more relaxed. He took the initiative to ask Tang Tian about some things in the NCAA.

There was a hint of envy and longing in his eyes when he heard Tang Tian talk about those things.

"A'Lian, I have a suggestion." After chatting for a long time, the relationship between the two became much closer, and Tang Tian's address also became more affectionate.

Yi Jianlian nodded and put down his chopsticks, listening carefully. He now had a basic trust in Tang Tian.

"I think if you want to continue to survive in the NBA, it's best to change your style of play. Have you heard of a term called 'one special skill'?"

Yi Jianlian nodded.

"Your current style of play includes mid-range shots, second chance opportunities in the paint, low-post offense, and even a small hook shot.

These skills are very useful in domestic and international competitions, but they aren't outstanding in the NBA."

"I'm working hard to improve my training."

Yi Jianlian said. He had been doing extra training every day since he entered the league and was very disciplined.

"Yes, I know you work hard, but because people have limited energy, your improvement will be slow because there's so much you need to train.

But if you put all your energy into one skill, you can be specialized and refined. That's what I mean by having 'one special skill' to survive in the NBA."

Tang Tian put it very well. Yi Jianlian's style of play was core-oriented, but none of his skills could kill anyone in the NBA.

He couldn't be a core player or a role player, which was the main reason why he couldn't survive in the NBA in the end.

This was more important than language barriers or shyness.

Yi Jianlian nodded thoughtfully. No one had ever told him this before, and he hadn't really thought about these things.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but big men who can shoot threes are very popular now.

Remember Yao? Okur used to shoot him a lot back in the day.

There's also Ryan Anderson from the Magic. He's good at shooting threes, so he can start for the Magic.

And Rashard Lewis. He mainly shot threes when he got older, but he could still stay in the league."

Tang Tian continued.

Guys like Garnett and Nowitzki were too unrealistic for Yi Jianlian. Okur, Anderson, and Lewis should be Yi Jianlian's real models.

"So my suggestion is that you can develop in their direction. Put other skills aside for now and just practice threes.

Practice your threes until they're accurate, and increase your release speed.

Think about it, isn't an open three worth one more point than a long two? Won't your teammates be willing to pass you the ball if you make it? Because they can get assists!"

Yi Jianlian nodded thoughtfully after listening.

"Also, you can lose some weight appropriately. This can increase your flexibility so that you won't be easily passed on defense when switching.

You don't have to worry about the problem of decreased physical contact when losing weight. You're playing the four, not the five anyway."

Tang Tian continued.

His suggestion for Yi Jianlian was to become a 3&D player. The league hadn't entered the small-ball era yet, and 3&D power forwards were very popular.

He had chosen to lose weight and gain muscle because he wasn't tall enough, but Yi Jianlian was.

And Yi Jianlian's greatest talent was his flexibility. As a 2.10+ meter big man, he could run and jump.

Tang Tian had increased his speed and agility by losing weight. Although Yi Jianlian hadn't done it systematically, the changes would be the same.

Yi Jianlian's flexibility was already high enough, so if he added more to that, it would be a big advantage even in the NBA.

An Yi Jianlian with accurate three-point shooting, competent defense, and faster speed and reactions was the one who could survive in the league.

And when the small-ball era arrives, this type of player will become even more popular.

"I'll try it." Yi Jianlian nodded.

Normally, it's difficult to persuade someone with just a few words.

But he wasn't getting playing time with the Mavericks right now, and the domestic side kept urging him to go back, so he felt very confused.

He didn't know what he should do or how he should do it. He really felt like a "walking corpse."

He didn't know if Tang Tian's suggestion was good or bad, but when people are confused, they are more willing to try new things than usual.

After all, the worst-case scenario was just not being able to play in the NBA next year.