In the face of the interview, Yang Rui made it clear: "Blake (Griffin), Chris (Paul), and Tyson (Chandler) will not participate in the preseason, they need to rest, and I will also consider increasing rotation and reducing the playing time of the core during the regular season." ”

The reporter asked: "Will the star's playing time too little affect the excitement of the game?" ”

"No, I promise the Clippers will win offense this season, we have a lot of new people on the team to develop, I'm going to give them plenty of opportunities to perform, they improve, and it's easier for the team to win in the playoffs. I've had this experience before, injuries are the biggest enemy in defending the title, and if Yao Ming hadn't been injured in '08, I think the Lakers would have won five consecutive championships. ”

The newcomers were very happy to hear Yang Rui's words, and they all wanted to be reused, instead of guarding the water dispenser all the time.

Curry has been the sixth man for the past two years, playing less than 30 minutes, and he won't say anything. The only people who have some ideas are probably Paul and Griffin, and if they only play about 30 minutes, it will be difficult to get the MVP.

No matter what the stars think, Yang Rui will not help them with MVPs, and in a few years, he will lose his forward-looking vision, and before that, he must develop more outstanding players to lay a good foundation for the future of the Clippers.

When the training camp opened, Yang Rui arranged for the players to run tactics, and the veterans led the newcomers to help them run in, which saved a lot of effort and strengthened the communication within the team.

In just one day, all the newcomers knew what they should do in the team, and there was a clear division of labor.

The Clippers' tactics are not complicated, mainly relying on the middle and side cover to find misplaced offensive opportunities, and other teams will play the same, the Clippers have good playmaking ability at guard and forward, and have stable three-point shooting points. To put it bluntly, the Clippers rely on the depth of the roster to defeat the opponent and give full play to the star ability.

The rookie task is simple, Green and Thackeray practice defense and passing, and outside players practice catching and shooting three-pointers.

After the start of the preseason, Yang Rui did not let the three cores play as promised, and Curry did not play much time, giving newcomers a chance to perform. The purpose of the coaching staff is to look at the quality of the newcomers and then decide how much playing time to give in the regular season.

Three newcomers, even Draymond Green are not immediate, and there are no outstanding performances in the summer league.

Green's shooting is very bad, and he still relies on his body on the defensive end, and the advantage is that he is willing to work hard and has a good attitude. They will definitely focus on training in the new season, and they have signed four-year contracts, but there is no pressure.

Farid is a little better in the middle than last season, and has a certain accuracy in the middle, and the coaching staff feels they can give him more time.

Without Chandler and Paul, the Clippers lacked a pivot in defense and offense, and played a bit of a mess, with only a 2-5 record, including two losses to the Lakers.

Yang Rui does not pay attention to the wins and losses of the preseason, and only exercises. He put Thackeray alongside Farid and Draymond Green with Parsons, or Green and Farid to test their performance on both ends of the floor.

Thackeray's performance was eye-catching, although he was terrible offensively, he was highly focused and a little slow on defense, and he had no problem resisting Howard and Pau Gasol.

Thackeray works harder than anyone else in training, putting his heart and soul into his role in the gym, on the court, and even before training, working his strategy and mid-range shooting, but unfortunately he is inconsistent.

He is very smart, as soon as he arrives in the team, he pleases the veterans and stars, asks if there is anything he needs help with, is willing to buy things for his teammates, sends water and towels, and quickly integrates into the team, everyone thinks this is a great little brother.

Thackeray's sleek way of doing things, Yang Rui was not disgusted, but had the intention of cultivating him. Such people are much happier to get along with than to face people with low emotional intelligence.

After the preseason, Yang Rui specially mentioned Thackeray. "Take the time to study Yao Ming's way of playing, blocking and dismantling in the middle, outside the three-point line, receiving the ball at two points in the high position and shooting or strategy, you won't get too many opportunities to play this season, but as long as you practice shooting, it is entirely possible to be reused in the future, and you don't have to worry about being laid off, the 4-year contract is what I asked you for."

"Yes, Coach." Thackeray replied aloud.

As a 60-rookie, it is worth being happy to be able to sign a four-year contract, even if it is just a base salary. Thackeray is currently the only person in NBA history who has received this treatment.

The Kings' Isaiah Thomas also signed a four-year contract, but things have changed, and he's not the last rookie anymore.

Draymond Green is the most concerned about Yang Rui, not only for his improvement, but also for the safety of the players. If he gets excited to chase his teammates while defending, it is likely to cause a conflict and affect the harmony of the locker room.

Green has a high passion for defense, and in addition to practicing shooting according to Yang Rui's arrangement, he likes to discuss defense with his veteran players, not only asking Chandler for interior defense, but also asking for Tony Allen and Battier blocking and dismantling secrets.

After the preseason, Yang Rui also talked to him alone.

"Drey, what are your goals for the future?"

"Be the best defensive player, All-Star." Draymond replied. He didn't laugh at all, his expression was very serious, even a little religious.

Yang Rui smiled, it is not an accident that people can succeed, it is not terrible to have a low rank, the key lies in the mentality and character of the player.

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder, people who have goals and pursuits, will be more likely to succeed than people who can get by, live lazily, and lack ambition. Many people with super physical fitness can't play in the NBA, it's all caused by their personality.

There are similarities between the two Greens on the team, they both see their shortcomings, they know where they want to go, and they are extremely focused on the court and develop in the direction of 3-and-D players, which is the right path.

Yang Rui said: "During the team training game, I will arrange for you to defend players in different positions, exercise your defense, find more Griffin and them to fight each other, and if you can defend to the level of Ben Wallace, I will give you a domineering nickname." ”

"Really?" Green was flattered.

Back then, Carter got the nickname "half-man and half-god", Yang Rui rarely gave people nicknames, and they were boutiques together.

Yang Rui nodded solemnly. "In Chinese Kung Fu, defensive skills are given the title of 'lock', and as the level increases, they can be divided into iron ropes, copper locks, silver locks, ......" (Kung Fu is not divided into such points, but "The Fence Woman and the Dog" is like this.) ）

Green didn't know that Yang Rui was joking, and listened very seriously.

Yang Rui continued: "If your defense becomes the best in the league, you will get the title of tightrope. (Robot dinosaurs have evolved in rural China!) ）

Green pondered for a moment and asked seriously, "Why isn't the silver lock a golden lock?" I think this nickname sounds better. ”

Yang Rui sprayed directly. "Hahaha, if there is an interview with a Chinese reporter, you say that your nickname is Jin Suo, you will definitely attract a large number of fans, you should work hard towards this goal."

"Right? I think it's good too. Of course, Green didn't know what was going on here, as long as he called out his nickname, Stadameyer's nickname wouldn't be the best.

Yang Rui coughed and said earnestly: "Practice defense well, as long as you get this ultimate title, you can withstand the impact of those strong players like big black bulls in the penalty area, maybe...... In the future, there will be heart-shaped stones that Chinese fans will give you to grind by hand...... In short, I am optimistic about you, and you are good. ”

Green looked longing, and a legend was about to begin.