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Chapter 89: The Summer League End
🕑 Added 2025-04-27 13:05:04 +0000 UTCIn a restaurant in Las Vegas, Lin Yi was busy stuffing his face with steak while trying to cheer Steph up.
"Bro, don’t overthink it. You and Pat? Different leagues. You are gonna be the greatest shooter," Lin said, talking with his mouth half full.
Steph poked at his food, with no appetite at all.
"But... if I can’t even cook a defender like that one-on-one, how the hell am I supposed to make it in the NBA?"
Lin almost laughed.
"Man, you’re Stephen Curry, not Kobe Bryant. Heads-up one-on-one isn't your game, and honestly, even Kobe made mistakes in it too. You think playing like Kobe is gonna fit you?"
Lin knew Steph had a hard time settling into the league in his past.
It wasn’t until the Logo Man showed up in the Warriors' front office that Steph started to break out.
"Listen," Lin said, leaning in a little, "your superpower is that you can ball with or without the rock. Run pick-and-rolls, move off the ball, hunt for shots—don't force it. Right now, your new shooting form hasn’t locked in yet, so it's normal you’re clanking a few."
Steph sighed.
"Also," Lin added, "hit the gym hard this summer. Core strength. You get stronger, you won’t get bullied one-on-one anymore. And yo, watch how vets draw fouls too. You’re skinny, but if you bait contact right, refs'll start bailing you out in the paint."
Steph stared at Lin like he was listening to a sage.
"Okay... okay. I got you. Damn, Lin... why are you good at this stuff?"
He was honestly a little jealous—not just ‘cause Lin got drafted by New York (Steph’s dream city), but because whenever Lin was on the court, everything just... felt easier.
What Steph didn’t realize?
Lin Yi thought Steph was the real cheat code.
A dude with unlimited range, perfect shooting mechanics, and no dead zones? That’s rare even in the NBA.
Lin actually wanted Steph to play more off-ball, not just to avoid clashing with Monta Ellis... but to save his ankles too.
Too much iso and too many reckless drives were how Steph kept getting hurt early on.
Before Kerr showed up, Steph’s finishing around the rim was kinda meh—hovering around 58-60%.
But when Kerr reined things in, got him more clean looks, and spaced the floor?
Boom.
Steph shot 68-70% at the rim while winning MVPs and breaking the league.
Lin grinned, seeing how seriously Steph was listening now.
"And bro, about shooting—first half of games? Chill. Move, pass, and take good shots when they come. Third quarter?"
Lin tapped the table for emphasis.
"That’s when you kill 'em."
Steph looked confused.
"Third quarter?"
"Yeah, man. Start slow. First half, defenses are locked in, full energy. You force stuff early, you’re just making it harder.
But the second half? Their legs get heavy, focus drops... that's when you start cooking. You wait for them to slip—then bury 'em."
Steph’s eyes lit up.
"Damn... that makes a lotta sense."
Lin smugly said.
"Of course it does. I’m a genius."
Steph laughed, but then frowned again.
"But you said I should take six or more threes a game. What if Coach doesn’t let me?"
Lin almost choked on his food.
"Bruh, your coach is Don Nelson! The guy INVENTED crazy offense. If anything, he’s gonna love you chucking threes. Honestly, in the future? If you ain't launching at least 10 threes a game, something's wrong."
Back when Steph first entered the league, he didn’t shoot enough threes, partly 'cause his shot was slower and he hesitated too much. Lin Yi wanted him firing without fear.
Not only would it make him more efficient—it’d keep him from getting injured by driving into bigs all the time.
Less banging in the paint = longer career.
He didn't want to see his friend have a shorter career than him, now that the future was full of uncertainties.
After all that advice, Steph finally smiled and relaxed.
Lin could tell the gears were turning in his head—he was starting to believe.
Because Steph wasn’t some Kobe clone.
He was a unicorn.
Efficiency was his destiny.
...
A few days later, in Lin Yi’s second Summer League game, the Knicks absolutely bullied the Cavs, winning 96-59.
The Cavs’ Summer squad was weak.
Lin Yi didn’t even need to go hard—he chilled most of the second half.
Meanwhile, everyone playing with Lin was feasting.
Pat Ewing exploded for 33 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds.
Earl Barron gobbled up 26 points and 15 boards.
And Lin Yi?
Light work: 14 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks.
Shot 100% from the field again.
In two Summer League games, Lin hadn’t missed a shot yet.
D’Antoni, getting the game reports back in New York, couldn’t stop smiling.
This wasn’t just a No.1 pick—this was a cheat code who came with an instruction manual.
The Knicks were hyped.
Lin Yi, though, already felt the Summer League was too easy.
So he hopped on a flight back to New York for private training.
The next big date?
July 24th.
The six-man crew (Lin, Blake, Harden, DeRozan, Flynn, and Curry) would be gathering in L.A. at Griffin’s private gym for a hardcore training camp.
Meanwhile, the NBA offseason chaos was just heating up.
Cavs traded for an old Shaq to help LeBron... but Lin Yi knew that was doomed.
Magic snagged Vince Carter to help Dwight chase a ring.
The Knicks made salary dumps, grabbing Darko Milicic from the Grizzlies.
The Timberwolves hoarded too many guards and pointlessly flipped Ty Lawson to Denver.
The Suns grabbed Channing Frye.
Spurs signed Theo Ratliff for their retirement club.
Clippers dumped Zach Randolph after drafting Blake Griffin.
Around the league, everyone was scrambling.
Lin Yi?
He just smiled, feeling like he was ahead of the curve.
The real grind was about to begin.
