Chapter Sixty-Two: No More Than Two Pairs

“Michael, are you joking?”
Frank Vogel’s expression remained unchanged by Wu Rui’s words. With his head lowered, he flipped through the stat sheet, a smile on his face. “Russell has the most elite vertical leap among point guards, and his anticipation for rebound positioning is very keen.”

“I’ll jump higher than him!” Wu Rui interrupted as soon as Vogel finished speaking. “Mr. Frank, isn’t Russell Westbrook our opponent?”

“If he’s our opponent, I’ll make sure he doesn’t get double digits in rebounds!” Wu Rui declared indignantly. “Even if he scores thirty points, racks up twenty assists, at least in rebounds, he’ll never break into double figures!”

“Michael, are you serious?”

Frank Vogel shifted his gaze from the stat sheet to Wu Rui’s face.

“Of course, coach, I mean it!”

“Okay, let’s hope you really can do it.”

Vogel said no more, returning to his stat sheet. “Michael, get to your training.”

“Coach…” Wu Rui felt something was off, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what. Scratching his head, he returned to his spot and began his shooting drills for the day.

Elsewhere, though Vogel appeared to be absorbed in data analysis, inwardly he was delighted. Sometimes, a person’s eyes reveal everything. Seeing the fire in Wu Rui’s gaze, Vogel knew his plan had succeeded.

As a coach, he didn’t care if Westbrook was a stat-padder—he wasn’t his player. Vogel’s only concern was whether Westbrook’s style would affect his own team, perhaps inspiring those who could do a little bit of everything but excel at nothing to chase stats, or provoking those who despise such habits into a surge of anger!

That anger might awaken their abilities. For the team, that could only be a blessing.

For Vogel, his aim was to ignite Wu Rui’s fighting spirit. He wanted to see an energetic newcomer. Now, it seemed Wu Rui had taken the bait. Vogel smiled faintly, already pondering how to arrange Wu Rui’s minutes in the next game at Amway Arena.

Of course, what Vogel was planning was unknown to Wu Rui, who was sweating through his shooting drills, having missed another mid-range attempt, still striving to score more in the upcoming game.

“Orlando Magic, a team that rarely draws much attention, has attracted a surge of interest this season, thanks in no small part to Michael Wu, their Chinese-American rookie!”

Inside Orlando’s Amway Arena, TNT’s star host Kenny Smith sat at the commentary desk. On either side of him sat two legendary analysts—Charles “The Flying Pig” Barkley and Shaquille “The Big Diesel” O’Neal.

“That’s right, I’ve watched all his dunk highlights!” Shaquille O’Neal was first to pick up Kenny Smith’s words. “Honestly, he’s the most airborne Chinese-American player I’ve ever seen!”

Clearly, the Big Diesel’s admiration for Wu Rui was overflowing.

But on the other side of Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley was far less impressed. “Shaq, you’ve spent more than thirty seconds introducing Michael Wu. That’s breaking the rules.”

“I think we should talk more about the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder’s recent performance,” Barkley said, opening his stat sheet. “This team started the season with six wins and one loss, but now they’re on a two-game losing streak, which has certainly put their leader under the spotlight.”

“Enough, Charles! We’ve discussed Russell’s issues countless times!” O’Neal retorted. “I don’t want the fans to think this is a replay!”

As the two titans sparred at the commentary desk, the courtside reporters, savvy as ever, immediately sought out Westbrook for their pregame interview. After some polite exchanges, the first question was about Wu Rui.

“Russell, Orlando Magic’s rookie Michael Wu has been trending on social media lately. How much do you know about him?” the reporter asked, then added, “Or, is there anything you’d like to say to this newcomer?”

Westbrook nodded out of courtesy but then asked blankly, “Who?”

“Michael Wu, Orlando’s second-round pick this year.”

“Second-round pick?” Westbrook paused for a moment. “Sorry, I spend all my time in the gym. I haven’t kept up with these hyped rookies.”

“Except for Ben Simmons,” he added. “You know, he’s a gifted guy. I regret his injury.”

“Okay, but you should know, there’s a heated debate right now in the commentary booth about you and Michael Wu. Maybe you should take some time to learn about this rookie.”

“No, no, I’d rather judge him accurately on the court.” Westbrook declined the reporter’s suggestion. “Performance on the court tells you everything.”

Westbrook’s response made it clear he had no interest in Wu Rui and didn’t want to know more, while also nipping the reporter’s attempt to bait him in the bud.

The TNT sideline reporter could only fall back on routine questions: how the team would adjust after two straight losses, or what strategies they had for the Magic.

Westbrook answered flawlessly, as versatile as his performance on the court.

Getting nowhere with Westbrook, the reporter turned to the Magic, becoming the first foreign journalist to interview Wu Rui before the game.

“Michael, it’s great to have you here,” the reporter greeted him with a trademark smile. “Tonight you’re facing the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that’s drawn conservative attention this season.”

“Their leader, Russell Westbrook, has been outstanding, averaging a triple-double and becoming many people’s top pick for MVP…”

“Yes, that’s right. Russell is an exceptionally talented player,” Wu Rui cut off the reporter’s praise, unable to listen any longer. “He might leave even more astonishing stats in Orlando tonight—explosive scoring, tons of assists—but there’s one thing I can guarantee.”

“He’ll get, at most, a double-double!”