Chapter Eighty-One: Influence and Change

"Another training method?" Vogel looked at Wu Rui with interest. "If possible, I'd prefer you master this set first."

"Time is indeed limited, and I know you're eager, but you must also remember that human energy is finite. Even though you're young, overextending yourself will backfire in the end."

The fact that Wu Rui could think of combining two training regimens truly surprised Vogel; it showed just how much Wu Rui wanted to improve. Still, Vogel knew well the perils of trying to do too much at once.

He thought it best not to rush the process.

On the other hand, Wu Rui, who had been so keen to impress, was left deflated by Vogel's refusal. He understood, too, that haste makes waste. Unfortunately, he was simply too weak at the moment—a day or two of effort wouldn't bring a sudden leap in his skills, nor would it allow him to contribute much to the team.

That very night, after returning from Indianapolis to Orlando, Wu Rui found himself thinking about those web novels he'd read in his previous life, where the protagonist always received some kind of system after traveling through time. How he wished he could have an ability like that—a system of his own.

But even as the plane touched down, no such system appeared for him. Resigned, Wu Rui could only search online for training videos and, after considering his own situation, devise a few regimens that seemed useful.

Before dawn, Wu Rui threw himself into the gym, setting aside his usual shooting drills for the time being and trying out each of the new exercises he'd come up with the night before.

He had been feeling proud after earning the head coach's approval, but Vogel's words brought him back to reality. Since the coach had spoken, he had no choice but to comply.

He would focus on the basics—shooting and ball-handling—and save the rest for later. After all, he'd only been given this second chance for half a month. There was still plenty of time ahead.

While Wu Rui devoted himself to training, Vogel had no such luxury. After starting the season with three straight losses, followed by three wins, the team had slipped into a win-one, lose-one rhythm. Their record stood at five wins and six losses—respectable, but not the mark of a truly stable team.

On top of that, the team had just lost on the road. Frank Vogel felt that some adjustments might be needed.

On November 16, U.S. time, in their familiar home at Orlando's Amway Center, the crowd turnout was far from full. Nevertheless, the two TNT commentators courtside were as passionate as ever.

"Tonight, the Orlando Magic are back at home after suffering a defeat in Indiana," one commentator recapped. "To be honest, in that last game, the Magic were just a step away from victory. They led all the way through the first half of the third quarter!"

"That's right," the other commentator chimed in, "but that's the difference in talent. The Pacers have Paul George, and the Magic don't. In fact, a fan messaged me recently: 'Could Michael Wu be the Magic's Paul George?'"

"I think that question was clearly answered in the last game," the first replied. "Paul George scored at will against Michael Wu, while Michael looked like a child who had just learned to play—he barely touched the ball!"

Their words were blunt, but they accurately reflected the previous game's reality. Compared to true stars, Wu Rui was obviously powerless.

Because of his poor performance, Wu Rui had even vanished from the trending searches among players. In competitive sports, only true ability counts; those who lack it are ultimately swept aside.

The last game’s impact was immediate—it even affected tonight’s contest between the Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans.

On paper, the Magic's opponent was not especially strong. Despite boasting the highly regarded superstar power forward Anthony Davis, the Pelicans had started the season 2–9, far below everyone's expectations.

To make matters worse for the Pelicans, Davis, who had put up 25 points and 16 rebounds against the Celtics in the previous game, was out injured for this matchup with the Magic. Before tipoff, both media and fans agreed this would be a one-sided affair.

The game’s progression seemed to confirm their predictions. Without Davis, the Pelicans’ intensity dropped noticeably. In the first quarter, as both teams were still finding their rhythm, the Pelicans managed to keep pace, trailing the Magic by just two points, 21–19.

But at the start of the second quarter, the lack of a team anchor began to show its effects. The Magic scored 31 points in the quarter, while the Pelicans mustered only 21—a ten-point difference in a single period!

At halftime, the Pelicans were down by twelve.

In the second half, the Magic played with even greater composure. The Pelicans had no answer. Although Terrence Jones, starting in place of the injured Davis, had some impressive individual plays at the start of the fourth quarter, it was far from enough.

In the end, the Orlando Magic, as expected, defeated the visiting New Orleans Pelicans 89–82, dropping the Pelicans to 2–10 and drawing even themselves at 6–6.

Nikola Vucevic delivered an efficient 10 points and 14 rebounds, Serge Ibaka contributed 16 points and 8 rebounds, and the Magic had six players score in double figures!

Everything about this game seemed routine—except for one detail: Wu Rui, who had occasionally seen playing time before, didn’t step onto the court for even a single minute.

“Coach Frank, first of all, congratulations on the home win. How does it feel to get your record back to .500?” a reporter asked Vogel in the postgame interview.

“It feels fantastic, but this isn’t our ultimate goal. The players will keep pushing toward that,” Vogel replied, sticking to the script.

The reporter nodded slightly. “Coach, everyone knows your second-round rookie pick this summer, Michael Wu, has been under the spotlight lately. Why didn’t he play tonight?”

“Was his absence related to the last game against Paul George?” the reporter asked, holding out the microphone as the camera zoomed in on Vogel’s face.