Life as NBA Rookie (SlamDunk System)

After a pleasant Christmas break, Zack received an interview invitation from the school's news department. 

As Wake Forest's most talked-about person in the past six months, if you only look at campus popularity, even Chris Paul, the star player of the Demon Deacons, would have to tip his hat to Zack. 

From being the "disgrace of Wake Forest" to a campus inspirational legend, from an unknown freshman to an acclaimed sophomore nationwide, "Your story from the past six months, in my opinion, is enough to make a successful and critically acclaimed Hollywood feel-good movie," said Rachel Carlisle, the female host from the news department responsible for interviewing Zack, before the interview began. 

Rachel Carlisle, with a standard American sweet-girl face, bore a striking resemblance to the internet celebrity Livvy Dunne that Zack remembered. 

That day, during their casual chat before the official interview, the very talkative Rachel shared a lot of Wake Forest University gossip with Zack. 

For example, after being dumped by the football team captain, Hali Woodson, who had once publicly rejected Chris Ellis, had recently gotten back with "The Beast," her persistent admirer. 

"Your news department is really well-informed." 

It was only at this moment, recalling Ellis's obvious excitement before the holiday, that Zack realized Ellis's excitement was because Hali had reopened that "door" for him—a door to a place that was always busy with people coming and going. 

"Our information comes from insiders. Oh, by the way, Zack, did you know I have a secret about you?" Rachel said with a sweet smile. 

Zack looked curious. "What secret could you possibly have about me? It can't be my weight loss secret, can it?" 

After coughing twice, Rachel whispered, "Zack, a certain part of you is about 7 inches long, am I right?" 

At that moment, Zack was stunned. 

As everyone knows, 7 inches is approximately 18 centimeters. 

And if 18 centimeters is used as a unit of measurement for a man, it can usually only refer to... 

"How did you know that? I..." 

"Don't worry, don't worry. I know you've been busy training and haven't had a single date in the past six months. But you still use the restroom, right?" Rachel said, her mischievous eyes twinkling repeatedly. 

Looking at Rachel, Zack suddenly felt as if he were naked. 

Although he didn't know who had betrayed him, Zack swore he would find the mole. 

"Can you keep this information a secret for me?" Zack asked, growing increasingly uneasy. 

"You can rest assured. For information like this, out of professional integrity, I will keep it strictly confidential," Rachel declared righteously, puffing out her chest. 

"I suddenly regret agreeing to your interview," Zack sighed. 

Rachel looked puzzled. "You're a popular figure at school. Do you know how many people are looking forward to your interview? How could you regret it?" 

Fortunately, the rest of the interview went very smoothly. 

As the news department's chief host, Rachel not only had excellent speaking skills and clear logic, but she also showed great professionalism when discussing basketball-related topics, thanks to her passion for sports like basketball, gymnastics, swimming, and tennis. 

In addition, Zack also used this interview to complete the prerequisite for the quest "The Unextinguished Dream." 

"Charles Barkley, a former NBA Top 50 player, said on TNT's 'Christmas Special' that your playing style is very similar to his. What do you think about that?" 

"You know, I grew up watching Charles Barkley play. I know everything about him. He's incredibly strong, and I'm proud and honored to be his successor." 

After smoothly reciting his pre-prepared script, Zack automatically accepted the quest "The Unextinguished Dream." 

"Another question that fans are quite concerned about... As the first Wake Forest player in history to dare to provoke Duke fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium, why did you make that 'listening' gesture?" 

"Because hating Duke without reason is our excellent tradition. That day, Duke fans were insulting me and my teammates even before the game, so I thought to myself, 'I have to do something in this upcoming game.'" 

The interview concluded successfully. 

As she shook Zack's hand, Rachel, while marveling at how large his hand was, said, "Now it's personal time." 

Hearing this, Zack, who had been made uneasy by Rachel before the interview, quickly wiped his brow and asked, "What can I do for you?" 

"Nothing special, just wanted to exchange phone numbers. Because I'm really interested in your 7 inches – don't misunderstand, it's purely curiosity," Rachel said earnestly, looking up at Zack with a sweet smile. 

At that moment, Zack largely understood why America built so many highways. 

Because on this soil, "speeding" knows no gender. 

Back in his dorm, with a strangely excited heart, Zack opened the "Summit" System in his mind. 

Since Zack had already controlled his weight to 124.8 kg in January, and he had automatically accepted the quest "The Unextinguished Dream" today, he knew that at this moment, he could activate the "Summit" System. 

"Detected a change in the activation conditions for the 'Summit' System. Ding! Host's activation condition for the 'Summit' System has been changed to successfully controlling weight to under 125 kg. Ding! Host is now able to activate the 'Summit' System. Would you like to activate it?" 

"Activate!" 

For this moment, over the past seven months, only heaven knew how much hardship and pain Zack had endured. 

Recalling the past, Zack now felt as though all his suffering had led to sweetness, and he even felt tears welling up in his eyes. 

"'Summit' System activated. To reach the summit, why fear the unscalable cliff? The 'Summit' System is at your service, updating host data." 

"Host: Zack. Age: 20 years old. Height: 206 cm [208 cm]. Weight: 124.8 kg. Wingspan: 225 cm [228 cm]." 

"Updating host's current ability values [potential values]. Note: The host's current ability values [potential values] are merely a visualized ability chart calculated by this system through big data. When calculating the host's current ability values [potential values], this system will not include the host's static talents. Therefore, some ability values that are heavily augmented by the host's static talents may appear lower than the actual calculated result. Note two: To make the calculation results more realistic, some ability values [potential values] are primarily based on the host's training performance and actual game performance. Reference case: If player A demonstrates an 80-point passing ability in training, but due to long-term inability to play or lack of tactical emphasis from the team, there's a high probability that they will perform below 80 points in passing during a game. Therefore, the system will combine these two aspects to calculate a more realistic result for the host. [Click here for more reference cases] Note three: The host's current ability values [potential values] provided by the system will be updated in real-time based on various objective factors such as the host's in-game state and pre-game mood. Reference case: Suppose the host has an 80-point jumping ability value, but due to host's poor condition from pre-game intoxication, the system will recalculate a visualized jumping ability value for the host based on their current state during the actual game. [Click here for more reference cases] 

Host's current ability values [potential values] are as follows: Finishing at the rim: 69 [89], Mid-range shot: 62 [81], Three-point shot: 58 [75], Dribbling: 60 [73]. Lateral quickness: 60 [75], Help defense: 70 [85], Passing: 58 [80], Vision: 61 [81]. Man-to-man defense: 68 [78], Blocking: 71 [80], Stealing: 55 [72], Speed: 71 [78]. Offensive rebounding: 70 [87], Jumping: 70 [88], Strength: 80 [95], Agility: 67 [78]. Defensive rebounding: 68 [84], Reaction: 78 [94], Observation: 70 [88], Anticipation: 70 [89]. Post-up moves: 59 [80], Fadeaway: 54 [77], Dribble pull-up: 60 [75], Fancy moves: 45 [70]." (Note ①) 

After spending nearly half an hour carefully examining the visualized ability chart the system calculated for him, even though Zack had been mentally prepared from the past two months of games, he still found it a bit hard to accept that his fundamental skills were hovering around or below the passing mark. 

Clearly, Zack's ability to perform so comprehensively on the court previously relied mainly on Coach Prosser's tactical boosts and his formidable dynamic and static talents. 

In the 03/04 season, apart from Emeka Okafor from Connecticut, there weren't many dominant big men in the NCAA. So with his dynamic and static talents, Zack naturally stood out. 

"It looks like the 'Air Charles' badge won't be easy to get," Zack thought to himself after noticing the current ability values of the ten attributes required for the "Unextinguished Dream" quest. 

As a bug-level badge that could increase his knee endurance far beyond normal levels and reduce the attribute loss caused by his weight, Zack felt he absolutely had to acquire this badge before making a name for himself in the NBA. 

After all, in the injury-prone NBA, to achieve fame, one must find ways to reduce the probability of injuries. If he hadn't seen this quest before, it would be one thing, but since Zack had already accepted it, and he could actively reduce the chance of injury, he couldn't ignore it. 

Furthermore, after carefully analyzing his current attributes, Zack gradually outlined his path to success in the NBA. 

First, Zack asked himself a question: If he were to enter the NBA immediately after this season, what kind of resources and draft position would he likely get? 

"Based on ESPN's current draft rankings for me, if I declare after my sophomore year, I'd probably be picked with a late first-round pick. Historically, the 2004 NBA Draft will have many talented high schoolers, so even if I perform exceptionally well in March Madness, I might still get pushed beyond the 20th pick in the first round by players who skip college." 

"As for resources, being a player is out of the question for now. The NBA does cater to the market, but that's only if you have the ability. NBA hasn't been merciful to them just because they were players." 

"So, assuming I'm indeed drafted with a late first-round pick, once I enter the NBA, I might have to adjust my playing style and rely on my talent to start as a role player. After all, the NBA doesn't have the patience to wait for me to grow. And in some ways, the 'Summit' System is indeed very rigorous. Because if I want to become a primary ball-handler in the future, in addition to serious training off the court, I also need a lot of ball possession in games for practical experience." 

After his self-inquiry, Zack, who was always cautious yet daring, quickly came to a conclusion. 

Instead of declaring for the draft after this season, his optimal choice was undoubtedly to play one more year in college before declaring. (Note ②) 

Admittedly, playing one more year would make Zack one year older, and in the eyes of NBA scouts, his untapped potential would decrease. 

However, based on the physical talent Zack had already shown, he had already impressed NBA scouts. 

After all, even if his physical attributes didn't grow further, he was already, in a strict sense, an NBA player. 

It was his technique, his fundamentals, and his understanding of basketball tactics that needed to undergo a transformation in the precious year to come. 

Just as ESPN's scout report in January stated: "If Zack chooses to play one more year in college and shows us progress in various techniques and fundamentals next year, then he could absolutely contend for a lottery pick, or even a top-10 pick, in the 2005 NBA Draft." 

In the NBA, spending one more year honing fundamental skills in college isn't always a bad thing. 

For example, in the future, every year of Curry's college career played a crucial role in his later success. 

Another example is Harden, who refined his skills for an extra year in college. 

Or his own senior, who even trained to a max-level before entering the league. 

In short, compared to the unpredictable risk of declaring after this season, Zack, knowing that the world doesn't revolve around him, felt that Coach Prosser's careful guidance and the ample training time available in college basketball would allow him to steadily take this crucial step before making a name for himself in the NBA. 

Besides, the "Air Charles" badge was already considered a certainty for Zack. Based on the remaining time, Zack wasn't confident at all that he could complete the ten attribute challenges of the "Unextinguished Dream" quest before the end of his sophomore year. 

Therefore, at this moment, Zack made up his mind. 

That day, after successfully activating the "Summit" System and having a clear goal, Zack, full of aspirations for his future, immediately rushed to the training gym and immersed himself in continuous training. 

Meanwhile... 

Wake Forest in January welcomed an old friend due to the team's excellent record this year. 

Outside Wake Forest's campus gates, when Tim Duncan looked up at his alma mater, after a moment of surprise and then reflection, amidst the astonished murmurs of the surrounding underclassmen, he clapped his forehead and uttered a hilarious remark: 

"How do you get to the training gym again?" 

Note ①: As you know, even when writing system novels, I don't like to pad the text with long lists of attributes, so this is the last time Zack's detailed attributes will appear in the main text. If needed in the future, I will list Zack's specific attributes in a free standalone chapter or in the author's notes. 

Note ②: I know that writing an extra year in college might make some readers worry about the college arc being extended, but please trust me on this. In my novels, games always serve the plot, and I won't write an extra game if it's not needed.