Chapter Fifteen: Go Warm Up! (Please Vote for Recommendations!)

"Swish!"

At Amway Arena, DeMarcus Cousins, the Sacramento Kings' franchise star, faced his defender and pulled up for a jump shot. The basketball traced a flawless arc through the air before settling securely into the net.

"DeMarcus! DeMarcus! DeMarcus!"

Cousins’ mid-range shot ignited the Kings fans scattered throughout the Amway Arena, those clad in his jersey erupting in excitement.

"I’ve always said, only Rudy Gay and DeMarcus have the right to go one-on-one on the Kings. Everyone else is just there to pass!"

From the commentary booth, the ESPN announcer lavished praise on Cousins’ offensive choice, believing that apart from these two, the rest of the Kings roster was simply dreadful.

"He scores so effortlessly, it's as if he's just practicing!"

On the bench, Wu Rui watched Cousins closely, intending to study his technique, and couldn’t help but marvel.

In the previous game, observing Joel Embiid, at least there were some technical moves like footwork in the paint. But Cousins, without any elaborate moves, simply shot the ball!

It takes extraordinary confidence to attack like that!

While Wu Rui was still musing on Cousins’ self-assurance, on the court, Rudy Gay—the Kings’ other reliable forward—disrupted the Magic’s offense.

Frustrated after posting a 30-plus double-double and still losing the previous game, Rudy Gay intercepted the ball mid-air, his gaze locked solely on Cousins.

"Whoosh!"

Gay hurled a cross-court pass, sending the ball to Cousins outside the three-point line. Cousins glanced at the rim and, without hesitation, launched a three-pointer.

"Whoa, he's shooting a three!"

Seeing Cousins pull up for the three so decisively, Wu Rui, sitting on the bench, unconsciously leapt to his feet. But as Coach Frank Vogel turned with a deathly glare, Wu Rui sheepishly sank back into his seat.

Even seated, Wu Rui’s heart was still racing. Cousins, a heavyset center, chose to attempt a three-pointer on the fast break—and what’s more, banked it in!

In his previous life, Wu Rui knew Cousins as a hot-tempered player, practically the embodiment of technical fouls in the league. Truthfully, Wu Rui found him fascinating.

Yet, from the fragments of memory that lingered, Wu Rui remembered Cousins' three-point ability as barely passing.

Of course, for a big man, shooting threes is hardly essential. But now, Cousins was so confident in his own three-point shot!

"It’s clear DeMarcus has poured a lot of sweat into his three-point shooting,"

As Wu Rui’s thoughts spun, Magic head coach Vogel had somehow appeared beside him, making a casual remark before barking orders at the players on the court.

At that moment, with Cousins firing on all cylinders offensively and Rudy Gay providing steady support, the Kings were riding a wave of momentum. Cousins alone, through a mix of field goals and free throws, racked up twelve points!

On the Magic's side, so much effort went into defending Cousins that their core big men, Nikola Vucevic and Serge Ibaka, struggled to contribute offensively. Only a few sparkling shots from Evan Fournier kept the score close.

"Bzzt!"

With Cousins scoring at will, muscling through Vucevic for another basket, Vogel called a timely timeout with four minutes left in the first quarter.

"Look at your defense! You’ve let a team with the lowest average points per game come within reach of thirty in a single quarter!"

As soon as the players returned to the bench, Vogel pointed at the scoreboard overhead and unleashed a fierce reprimand.

The Magic trailed at home, 17:26—down by nine. Neither their offensive nor defensive performance satisfied Vogel. Glancing at the sweat-drenched Vucevic, Vogel decisively substituted Biyombo for him.

It wasn’t just Vucevic; Vogel also benched Aaron Gordon, whose performance had been lackluster thus far, and brought in Jeff Green, the summer’s key reinforcement.

On the Magic’s side, tactical changes were underway. Meanwhile, Kings coach Dave Joerger was not idle. He pulled Cousins—who had racked up fourteen points and five rebounds in the first quarter—to rest and preserve his energy, replacing him with the team’s promising young big, Willie Cauley-Stein.

Last season’s sixth overall pick, Cauley-Stein had spent the summer honing his skills, eager to make his mark in the new campaign.

"DeMarcus, conserve your energy—the team needs your firepower at more critical moments,"

On the Kings’ bench, Coach Joerger reassured his star, then nodded toward Willie Cauley-Stein. "Take this time to see how much your teammates have improved for you."

Though starting power forward Kosta Koufos remained on the floor, everyone could see that Willie Cauley-Stein was the future, destined to anchor the paint alongside Cousins as a formidable twin tower.

Cauley-Stein quickly justified Joerger’s faith, immediately disrupting Biyombo's attempt at the rim and securing the defensive rebound.

The Kings seized the opportunity and pressed their attack. Rudy Gay, still on the court, naturally became the focal point. Against Aaron Gordon, Gay might have been wary of his youth and athleticism, but with Jeff Green defending him, Gay showed no mercy—backing him down with brute force into the paint.

No need for elaborate moves—just a spin and a powerful layup attempt!

"Bang!"

Sadly, the ball was rejected by the rim. Yet Gay’s offensive effort was far from over. With Cauley-Stein boxing out the Magic’s interior defenders, no one could rotate in time. Gay leaped again, snatching the offensive rebound over Jeff Green’s head.

He went up for another shot—again, just missing.

Undeterred, Gay jumped yet again, wresting another offensive board and, with a deft tip-in, finally scored.

"Jeff Green! What are you doing out there!"

On the sidelines, watching Green get humiliated again and again by Gay, Frank Vogel’s face turned crimson with fury as he shouted in frustration. Then, suddenly remembering something, he spun toward the bench.

"Michael, get ready to warm up!"