As Jiang Lin stepped onto the court, Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni specifically came over to remind him not to do anything extra and just complete the tasks assigned to him.
Jiang Lin understood perfectly now, as his English proficiency had improved significantly. He instinctively replied, "OK!" No matter what the coach said, "OK" would suffice.
D'Antoni was under tremendous pressure. The whole world was eagerly watching this four-star Lakers team, and it was well known that coaching a team with Kobe was the toughest job. So he had put in a lot of effort, meticulously researching the roles of each player on the team.
When Jiang Lin first joined the team, his role was that of a traditional point guard: he wasn't involved in offense but had to stay with the opposing shooter on defense.
In the 2013 NBA season, the five positions were still clearly defined. Players like Westbrook, who could play multiple positions, were considered exceptional talents. Later, the small-ball lineup and switch-all defense became popular, where being versatile on the court was crucial.
Deploying Jiang Lin in the second quarter was a last resort for D'Antoni. Jiang Lin glanced at the bench and saw that the only other true point guard was Steve Blake. The starting lineup for the Lakers was perfect, except for the unfortunate injury to Nash at the beginning of the season.
Coupled with a poor start to the season, the Lakers quickly made adjustments, even using Lamar Odom as a starting point guard at one point. Ultimately, to fill the gap left by Nash's absence and to ensure someone could handle the ball in practice, the Lakers signed Jiang Lin, a free agent from China's CBA, to a 10-day short contract.
This is why Jiang Lin was able to play today. With Steve Blake starting as the point guard, Jiang Lin became the top backup option. When Blake rested, Jiang Lin had the opportunity to play.
Today was the last game of his contract period, so D'Antoni emphasized it was his last chance.
"Ten days? How thrilling..." Jiang Lin understood what the contract meant. No wonder someone called him a temp worker. A 10-day short contract was essentially a non-guaranteed contract.
It involved playing for the team for 10 days, covering 3-4 games. After that, you'd be cut, regardless of your performance. If you played exceptionally well, you might get another 10-day contract, but a team could only sign a player to two 10-day contracts per season. If they wanted to keep you after that, it had to be a guaranteed contract of at least one year.
"F*ck it, all this effort for nothing, doing it for the love of the game," Jiang Lin thought bitterly. This was truly a temp job that didn't even cover the cost of the plane ticket, yet it attracted a large number of Chinese fans. It was clear to anyone with a keen eye that signing a Chinese point guard was a strategy to make money, plain and simple.
With the Lakers spending so much money this season, they needed Chinese advertisers to invest.
"Sorry, since you called me here, don't expect me to leave." Jiang Lin felt a surge of determination. He hated feeling used. The Lakers clearly had no intention of developing him.
But!
Since he was here, he would make the most of it. The NBA was every basketball enthusiast's dream. He would not only stay in the NBA but also establish himself with his skills.
No matter what the arrangement was, tonight was his last chance to shine during his contract period. He had to make an impact!
The task given to him by the coaching staff was too basic: he was to be the ball handler to save Kobe's energy. He was responsible for safely bringing the ball to the front court and then handing it over to Kobe before moving to the corner.
On defense, his job was to stay with Heat's backup shooter Shane Battier, a familiar face to Chinese fans. He wasn't required to know any defensive strategies, just to stick to the player with the highest three-point shooting percentage on the Heat this season.
Normally, Jiang Lin wouldn't have minded because playing in the NBA was already an accomplishment. But now, brimming with confidence and having just received so many streetball superstar techniques, he couldn't wait to test them out on the court!
Jiang Lin returned to the court and initially moved to the corner to observe.
He was the point guard, Kobe was the shooting guard, Metta World Peace was the small forward, Lamar Odom was the power forward, and Jordan Hill was the center.
The score was 34:49, with the Lakers trailing by 15 points in the second quarter.
The competitive Kobe had told the coach he didn't want to be subbed out during the rotation, so he continued to lead the second unit and immediately called for the ball.
"Here we go, this isn't 2K, I'm actually playing in the NBA!" Jiang Lin rubbed his hands together and stomped on the floor.
Seeing the big black guy, Mario Chalmers, directly bodying up on him and the NBA superstars he could only see on screen or in 2K, Jiang Lin felt a rush of blood!
This was real NBA action!
He could compete directly with familiar NBA stars, and it was the 2013 season. At this time, Duncan, Manu, Dirk, Garnett, including Kobe and Ray Allen, were all still playing. This era of the NBA was the best, representing the last glory before the small-ball era.
With his two sets of memories combined, he was extremely familiar with the tactical characteristics of every player on the court!
Mario Chalmers, who was defending him, was an 8 cm shorter defensive point guard with a driving offensive style. Though later, Parker of the Spurs would outshine him, he was a starter for the Heat this season.
The Heat's core was LeBron James, supported by shooters like Rashard Lewis and Shane Battier, point guard Chalmers, and center Chris Andersen. To Jiang Lin, these players were full of nostalgic memories.
After getting the ball, Kobe didn't care about anyone else and directly attempted a fadeaway three-pointer. Clank! He missed.
LeBron James grabbed the rebound!
"Rusted iron, that's classic Kobe!"
Jiang Lin hurried back on defense, immediately finding his defensive assignment, Shane Battier. He closed the distance with a few quick steps, feeling very pleased with his body's performance, which was much better than in his previous life.
He directly spread his arms and half-fronted Battier, showing great attitude!
In his current life, Jiang Lin had an impressive resume: a full sports scholarship at Imperial Capital University, joining the CBA team in his freshman year.
With eight-pack abs and a body fat rate of 7%, his physical condition was top-tier in the CBA but considered below average among NBA guards.
During his CBA career, he averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, ranking among the top domestic guards. He was good at fast-breaks and driving, with a three-point shooting percentage of 43%. However, these stats meant little in the NBA, where the competition level was entirely different.
After his CBA contract ended this year, he focused on preparing for the NBA draft, only to go undrafted, with no team interested in him.
He waited for an opportunity until the Lakers offered him a short contract, which he earned through his outstanding speed and lockdown defense during tryouts.
"It wasn't easy!"
"I absolutely won't let my NBA journey end so simply!" Jiang Lin vowed determinedly.