Chapter 97

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"Lin, congratulations, tonight's game was amazing. You showed us a completely different side, it's truly incredible."

After the game against the Pacers, Lin Han was intercepted by the team's general manager, Scott Layden. At this moment, the Jazz GM's expression was no less excited than that of the team's assistant coach, Phil Johnson. If Lin Han had previously proven with his shooting and scoring abilities that his draft position should have been much higher than 18th, then after this game, even if a team had used one of the top three picks to select Lin Han, no one would consider him a bust.

This year, the Jazz's selection of Lin Han in the draft was a huge win. Perhaps after this year, this Jazz GM might solidify his status in the NBA, becoming a well-known GM. Of course, the game against the Pacers changed more than just everyone's perception of Lin Han. For example, even before the game ended, McDonald's, which had been haggling with Lin Han's commercial contract agency team, finally confirmed that they would sign Lin Han for a record-breaking three-year, $3 million contract. This was after tax, meaning the pre-tax contract was almost $2 million per year. It's worth noting that even Michael Jordan's endorsement deal with McDonald's was not much more than this.

As a rookie, Lin Han's greed had surprised Scott Layden. To dare to double the offer without any room for negotiation, it now seemed that Lin Han indeed had the ability and confidence to back it up.

Of course, when the Jazz GM told Lin Han that McDonald's had agreed to his contract demands, Lin Han was also very excited. He was now broke, the $600,000 after-tax salary the Jazz had given him for the year was long gone. Now, Aly, his virtual assistant, was already complaining about the lack of points, unable to buy new clothes or go on shopping sprees. Lin Han was also in a tough spot. Unlike other NBA players who became overnight millionaires and whose relatives and friends also benefited, Lin Han, despite his high NBA salary, still needed his older sister's support. Each time he returned home, he saw his second sister's unfriendly gaze and suspicious looks, making him feel guilty. Even his younger sister had secretly asked him if he had a girlfriend, clearly encouraged by his second sister, who was essentially asking, "Where's the money? Where's the money you promised for shopping?"

Of course, Lin Han's older sister didn't care about his money, but she couldn't resist the pitiful, pleading looks from his second sister and younger sister. So, Lin Han had been finding excuses recently, like not having received his salary yet or spending it all on treating his teammates. It was rare for an NBA player to be in such a predicament. Sometimes, when Lin Han entered the system space and saw that Aly's clothes were all different, he felt despair at this world of "spendthrifts." According to Aly, there was also an entertainment space in the system, which contained even more expensive items, but Lin Han's points were far from enough to buy anything there.

However, the signing with McDonald's gave Lin Han more financial freedom and less worry. After the Jazz's 14-game winning streak, Lin Han now had 14 victory points. After using 6 points for the "McGrady's Step-Back" and 2 points for "Charge Forward," he still had 6 victory points. If Lin Han could earn another 3,000 points, he could gain 6 free attribute points. In the store, 1 free attribute point cost 1 victory point and 500 points, and 10 points could be exchanged for one ounce of gold, which was worth $400 in the U.S. This meant 1 free attribute point required 1 victory point and $20,000, which was not cheap at all.

Lin Han had long been dissatisfied with his endurance attribute. With only 10 points, he always felt constrained on the court. If his endurance had been higher in this game, he wouldn't have needed to run with Miller; he could have just kept attacking and worn Miller out.

The signing with McDonald's was simple since all the terms had been agreed upon. Lin Han only needed to sign his name on the contract. McDonald's was very sincere, and after the signing, they immediately transferred the first year's payment of $700,000 to Lin Han's account. Originally, it was $1 million, but $300,000 was a share for the Jazz management. Lin Han had said that 10% of the contract would be a reward for their help. Since they had helped him secure a three-year, $3 million contract, they would receive a $300,000 share. Although Lin Han was greedy with money, he was not a miser when it came to those who had helped him.

...

"We lost again? Yes, we damn well lost again. Playoffs? I'm not sure if we can make it this year, but we will work hard for it. Are there any problems within the team? No, I can clearly tell you that our team has no problems. I know what you're going to ask. Coach Larry Brown is an excellent coach with his own basketball philosophy and style. He needs to integrate his philosophy and style into the team, which will take some time to adapt, but I believe once we adapt, we will return to the path of victory."

"Lin Han? He is an outstanding opponent. This game taught me a lot. I apologize for my previous comments about him. He deserves the award for the best player of the month, and his future will be great."

"Does he resemble Jordan? I think asking this question is an insult to him. Lin is Lin, and Jordan is Jordan. They are completely different. Lin is a very fair player. I know Mr. Charles has some opinions about Lin, but I have my own views."

The day after Lin Han signed with McDonald's, following the Jazz's home win against the Pacers, the intense running battle between Lin Han and Miller during the game became a major topic in the U.S. media. Especially Miller, who was known for his rebellious nature, gave Lin Han very high praise after the game, which surprised the media. After all, this Pacers guard was someone who didn't even look up to Jordan, much like how Barkley always criticized Lin Han in interviews, and Miller often criticized Jordan. No one expected Miller to take a liking to Lin Han, the "second coming of Jordan," and it seemed they might become close friends.

Is it true that players with similar basketball styles attract each other when they meet? However, Lin Han was not just a pure off-the-ball player. He had many skills, and his spectacular dunk against the Pacers had driven fans across the U.S. wild.

"I think Lin should participate in this year's Slam Dunk Contest. His jumping ability is amazing. His rhythm during breaks is unlike any other NBA player, full of speed and power. When he slammed the ball with one hand, even watching on TV, I could feel the impact. He was like a beast, a crazy beast. I love such dunks!"

"This is the best rookie performance I've seen this year. Of course, this Lin is even more delightful than the one who scored 62 or 68 points or performed miracles. His scoring is more valuable to the team, not just individual brilliance. He also proved why he is one of the best rookies this year. His success is not just about his shooting; he has shown his athletic talent again."

Even the basketball experts who were initially very skeptical of Lin Han began to praise him after the Jazz-Pacers game. Lin Han's previous lack of athletic talent and his tendency to take toxic shots were embarrassing for them. This game, however, showed Lin Han's strong athletic ability and off-the-ball movement on offense, as well as his ability to closely defend Miller, though with limited effectiveness. This indicated that Lin Han was not just a defensive liability. All of this was what a top player should demonstrate. As long as Lin Han didn't continue to be an outlier, they could give him some praise, though they never considered whether Lin Han wanted it.

Of course, one game changed many things. Lin Han's status had shifted, his commercial value had increased, and his position as a top rookie seemed more secure.

However, what made Lin Han frustrated was that Jerry Sloan was now even tougher on him. When Lin Han arrived at the team's training facility early in the morning, he found himself surrounded by a group of people with malicious intent, including the team's assistant coach, Phil Johnson, the strength and conditioning coach, and the defensive coach. They all looked at Lin Han with sharp, malicious eyes.

Lin Han had thought he wouldn't have to play tactics, work well with teammates, or defend, making him one of the most relaxed players on the Jazz. Sloan never required him to defend or play tactics, only to focus on his individual play. Now, everyone in the Jazz organization knew that Lin Han had been pretending to be incompetent, just to avoid exerting himself and conserve his strength. This made Jerry Sloan furious.

"Ha, Lin, you deserve it!"

"Ha, yes, Karl is right. You deserve it, kid. A professional player hiding his abilities to the extent you did is quite rare. You deserve to be taught a lesson by Jerry!"

Faced with Jerry Sloan's "torture," Lin Han had hoped to seek help from his "mentor," John Stockton, but these guys all stayed far away, watching Lin Han's "suffering" with amusement. This made Lin Han very angry.

"Hmph, you'll remember this. I'll get my revenge."

Finally, seeing Jerry Sloan's murderous gaze, Lin Han began the most inhumane training day of his NBA career.

...

"Exhausted."

After the Jazz's training ended, Lin Han carried a large bag of items home. Once home, he threw the sack containing dozens of pounds of gold onto the floor and collapsed on the bed. Since being modified by the system, he now had immense strength, making carrying the gold quite easy. What exhausted him was not the weight of the gold but the intense training. First, he practiced team tactics, then individual defense, and finally, he had to attend a tactics class with assistant coach Phil Johnson. Additionally, Sloan assigned him many personal training tasks, including passing drills, in addition to his already strong shooting practice. Clearly, Sloan wanted to see if Lin Han was still hiding more skills. It was clear that Lin Han's future would be dark.

"This is actually good for you. While the system can quickly give you many attributes, it takes time to adapt to the changes in your body. Moreover, the attributes given by the system are not fixed. If you slack off in real life, be careful, your attribute values might drop. However, your endurance is indeed a big problem."

After Lin Han complained, Aly disagreed, enjoying seeing him suffer. Watching him be tortured by Sloan gave her a strange sense of pleasure.

Of course, after Aly's reminder, Lin Han, who had been exhausted, quickly sat up. He had just bought $400,000 worth of gold to increase his endurance, which was quickly converted into 10,000 points.

To make his endurance attribute look better, Lin Han spent 6 victory points and 3,000 points, adding all 6 free attribute points to his endurance. His endurance, originally 10, became 16. If only considering endurance, it was already higher than his other physical attributes, which were all 15.

"Awesome."

When Lin Han's endurance increased, his previously exhausted body immediately felt much lighter. He was surprised by how immediate the effect was.

"Aly, is my endurance now top-tier in the NBA?"

Lin Han, feeling refreshed, proudly asked Aly, but after his question, Aly gave him a disdainful look, making him feel embarrassed.

"Only 16 points of endurance? That's top-tier? Do you know that 12 players on the Jazz have higher endurance than you? Malone and Stockton both have 20 points of endurance. Moreover, what determines a player's stamina on the court is not just endurance but also skills that complement endurance."

"Skills that complement endurance?!"

Lin Han was stunned after Aly's explanation.

"It's actually simple. Endurance represents raw stamina, like a player's original energy. How a player uses this energy more efficiently is the skill. Some skills not only make energy use more efficient but also make it inexhaustible. If a player like you has no complementary endurance skills, even if your endurance reaches 20, it's equivalent to a player with 15 endurance but a bronze-level endurance skill. In fact, most NBA players know how to use their stamina more reasonably and effectively, meaning most players have endurance skills. So, even if you added 6 points to your endurance, you're still at the bottom of the NBA."

"Can NBA players have inexhaustible stamina on the court? How is that possible? And Malone and Stockton's endurance is maxed out. What level are their endurance skills?"

At this point, Lin Han was only left with shock. He knew very well what having infinite stamina meant. Lin Han could continuously shoot three-pointers, constantly charge forward, and play however he wanted without worrying about the balance between offense and defense. In a sense, endurance and stamina were more important than any other skills.

"Didn't I mention before that there have been five purple skills in NBA history? One you already know is Jordan's step-back jump shot. Among these five purple skills, one is related to endurance: Wilt Chamberlain's infinite stamina, which is a special purple skill."

"As for Malone and Stockton, both have purple-gold endurance skills, ranking among the top 15 in NBA history, which is very rare."

After Aly's explanation, Lin Han was stunned and felt like he had been tricked again.