NBA: Warrior godfather.

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After the interview, Liam returned to the locker room. The Warriors players were also packing their belongings and getting on the bus outside the stadium. They were heading to Memphis tonight to face the Grizzlies tomorrow night.

Only a few people remained in the locker room, including Curry and Butler. The two were slowly packing up their things at their seats, looking a bit frustrated.

Liam approached Curry and said,

"Stephen, are you tired?"

"I'm fine, not too tired, but I feel like I can't exert my energy," Curry said in a dull voice.

"And you, Jimmy?" Liam turned to look at Butler.

Butler first shook his head and then slowly nodded with hesitation.

"I don't know, but just like Stephen, I clearly have the strength, but I can't use it. My legs feel like they're tied with sandbags, and my arms feel like I'm lifting weights... but I'm obviously not tired during practice."

Liam chuckled softly and said,

"You've hit the rookie wall. Don't worry, you'll improve after some time."

"Rookie wall? I heard Dell talk about it. He also said yesterday that I hit the rookie wall... But, boss, is there really a rookie wall?" Butler paused and waited for Liam's response.

"Well..." Liam thought for a moment, looked left and right, and saw that Ron Adams hadn't left yet. His eyes lit up, and he waved him over. "Ron, come here, Stephen and Jimmy have some questions to ask you."

Ron Adams put on a pair of light sneakers. Hearing this, he set his leather shoes in his bag and left them aside. He approached with a friendly smile.

"I overheard your conversation... The rookie wall does exist. Otherwise, Stephen, you wouldn't be unable to hit those threes, and Jimmy, you wouldn't be playing like you're dragging the legs of an old man. With all those fouls, you can't even make an open triple. To be honest, I feel like I'm moving faster than you, haha."

At Ron Adams' teasing, Butler smiled a bit uncomfortably. Today, he had defended Ginóbili several times. Not only was he cleanly beaten by the Argentine monster, but he also had several fouls that allowed Ginóbili to score a very uncomfortable 24 points in a single game, completely suppressed.

"Of course, as I said, your bad condition is the result of hitting the rookie wall. I've spent decades in this league and have seen too many cases like this. Whether they are high- or low-ranking rookies, everyone hits the rookie wall. This is not absolute, there are also people who haven't hit it. For example, Jordan averaged 28+6+6 in his rookie season, but that's just a special case," Ron Adams said slowly.

"But we played just like before, and we didn't feel any discomfort during practice. Why did we hit the rookie wall?" Curry asked, confused.

Ron Adams smiled.

"Don't forget, how many games did you play in a college season? Even from the start of the season to March Madness, there were only about 40 games. But what about the NBA? There are 82 games in the regular season. You and Jimmy performed very well before the All-Star Game, but you were still full of energy at that time, and now your bodies are starting to feel tired."

"And the competition is just one aspect. The NCAA regular season is played in a league composed of nearby universities, with short travel times, and March Madness also has fixed competition venues. However, in the NBA, we have to travel back and forth across the United States, and we even have back-to-back games. After the game, we have to get on a plane overnight without sufficient rest, and then we have to play again the next day... This is exhausting for the body."

"For veterans like Tyson, they have rich experience and reasonable physical management to handle this situation, but for rookies like you, long-distance travel and fatigue, combined with the repetition day after day during competition, make it easy for people to fall into a sense of burnout, which is a type of exhaustion that exists both mentally and physically. We have to maintain practices between games, and there's pressure from the media... Of course, I have to admit that with Ronan's efforts, the public opinion environment the Warriors are facing is the best among all the teams I've worked with before, but these factors accumulate over time, and one day they will explode, putting you in a very bad situation."

Ron Adams spoke slowly, and both Curry and Butler understood what he meant. They felt he was speaking from the bottom of his heart and nodded repeatedly.

"This is just one aspect. It should also be considered based on the specific situation. You two are important members of the team, especially Stephen. You are the core of the Warriors. You have to digest a lot of ball-handling rights in each game, and Jimmy also has to guard the opponent's best scoring perimeter player, the top rookie this year, and naturally, that's the most exhausting role. Wesley is also a rookie, but he only plays about 20 minutes per game and has limited responsibilities on the court, so he hasn't encountered the rookie wall. However, your matchups are different, and that increases your physical consumption," Ron Adams added.

Curry said with a wry smile,

"Ron, I think you're right. Normally, I don't feel much, but as soon as I step onto the court, it feels like my body suddenly rusts. I suddenly couldn't play. I would have hit that three-pointer before, but now I can't make it, my passes became sloppy, and I developed a slight sense of dislike for the game... So how do I break through this annoying rookie wall? We're about to fall out of the playoffs. We can't let this happen!"

Butler also echoed,

"Yeah, I can't stand my poor performance on the court."

Ron Adams smiled, shook his head, and said,

"Sorry, there's nothing I can do."

The two looked a little disappointed, but then Ron Adams said:

"Actually, in recent years, the number of rookies who've hit the wall has been slowly decreasing. It's rare that you two hit it together... Of course, this isn't because you didn't play well, but because you both played so well. Stephen, before the All-Star break, you averaged 25.8 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game—these are superstar stats! Just like Nash, you're the engine of the team's tactics and the number one scorer. Compared to other rookies in your class, your usage rate is way too high. To be honest, I'm surprised you've been able to maintain this performance for more than 50 games."

"And even after hitting the wall, you're still keeping 19 points per game. That's very rare. You know, the competition for playoff spots in the Western Conference is fierce this year. The Warriors have always been in the playoffs. You're the other side's thorn. You're facing superstar-level defensive treatment and still scoring a lot of points. This is completely different from Evans' 20+5+5. The Kings are just a lottery team. No one plans tactics against them."

His soft voice and meticulous comfort made Curry feel much better. The frustration on his face gradually disappeared, and he regained his energy, now with a bit of pride.

He was an optimist—nothing could bring him down, not even the painful summer of his sophomore year and the dark days of repeated rejections before college. A rookie wall couldn't stop him. After Ron Adams explained it, Curry understood. It wasn't his fault, and he immediately regained his fighting spirit.

"Stephen, Ron has made it very clear. Play hard and don't worry about other things. No matter how many threes you miss, you've got to keep shooting. A month is a long time. As long as you get through a few more games, I believe you can get back to form. Jimmy, you too, don't worry, we have a record advantage over the Thunder, and the playoff situation is favorable for us," Liam said.

Curry and Butler agreed, looking much more relaxed. After packing their things, they left the locker room.

Ron Adams turned around and placed his leather shoes into a small travel bag, along with a copy of New Hampshire by American poet Robert Frost that he always carried with him.

Liam had nothing to carry. His computer and suitcase were in Jonathan's hands, but he naturally took Ron Adams' travel bag, and the two left the locker room together.

Ron Adams was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said,

"Ronan, I'm not too old to carry things."

"Don't you get it? I'll do it myself, saving you the cost of hiring an assistant. This is how I manage the team," Liam smiled.

"Haha, first of all, I shouldn't even have an assistant."

"Who said that? Jonathan? Are you willing to help Ron get something?" Liam called out to Jonathan, who was waiting outside the door.

"Ah? Oh, I... can do it." Jonathan looked at the suitcase Liam was dragging with his right hand, feeling the weight of the heavy notebook behind him, and answered with a bit of tearful humor.

"Don't want to? Ron is a defensive master. He won't let you work for nothing, right, Ron?" Liam chuckled.

Seeing Liam wink at him, Ron Adams smiled.

"Of course, I need someone to help me carry things and organize videos..."

Jonathan immediately stepped forward, grabbed the travel bag from Liam's hands, and nodded repeatedly,

"Mr. Adams, I don't have any other hobbies, I just like helping others. Mainly I want to help you, and

I don't have any other intentions."

"Haha, alright. From now on, you can help me organize the videos I watch according to my opinions and give them to Ronan. Do you have time?" Ron Adams looked at Jonathan with a smile.

The diligence of this young man had spread throughout the Warriors. Everyone knew that the young assistant to the boss was particularly obsessed with basketball. He even discussed defensive tactics with Ronny Turiaf... Ron Adams could see it. He was very willing to give this young man a chance.

"No problem, I have plenty of time!" Jonathan gritted his teeth and agreed.

In the worst case, he would need to stay up an hour later at night. Six hours, no, five hours of sleep was enough. There would be a nap when playing away games—there was plenty of time to sleep, and that was enough for rest.

He was very excited at that moment. Helping Ron Adams organize videos was the best way to learn defensive tactics from him. Losing one or two hours of sleep didn't matter much to him.

As the three of them walked out of the AT&T Center, Ron Adams suddenly asked,

"Ronan, do you have so much confidence in Stephen and Jimmy? Many people say that Stephen has shown his true colors. He's just a lucky shooter. Now his true level is showing."

"Do you believe that too?" Liam looked at him.

Jonathan, following behind, silently slowed down and distanced himself from the two.

He knew there were some words he could hear and others he couldn't.

Ron Adams shook his head and said,

"Of course not, I have confidence in him... But do you really think he can get back to his first-half form like you said? You know, that was almost at superstar level."

"Why not? He's reached that height, why can't he come back?" Liam chuckled and asked.

Ron Adams hesitated for a moment and said slowly,

"But Stephen is a shooter. Threes account for 40.7% of his points. Nearly half of his points come from beyond the three-point line. Although I'm not very good with offensive matters, there has never been a superstar in NBA history who plays like Stephen. He relies too much on the three, and in critical moments... In my humble opinion, threes might not be that reliable."

He expressed his opinion as tactfully as possible, paused, and then added,

"Ronan, no team has ever won a championship by relying on threes. If your goal is to win the championship... I think Jimmy is more worthy of coaching. He's very tough defensively and has great offensive potential. I'm not criticizing Steph, but you've seen it too, Nash. He's won the MVP again, but hasn't even reached the finals. Even if Stephen reaches Nash's level, how far can he take the Warriors? And there's a high chance he won't reach Nash's level. With Nash, the only advantage is the three."

After Ron Adams finished speaking, he looked at Liam sincerely.

He knew how much Liam loved Curry and how popular Curry was among the Warriors, but he liked the Warriors team a lot and planned to spend his future career as an assistant coach here. Knowing Liam's goals, he made this suggestion.

In his view, shooting alone couldn't win a championship. The more than 60 years of NBA history had fully proven this, and it was the consensus of almost everyone.

Liam listened to Ron Adams with a smile. He didn't respond immediately. The two walked a short distance side by side, and they could already see the Warriors' bus getting ready to board.

Curry followed them and was about to approach but suddenly stopped, turned around, and got out of the car. He signed autographs for a few fans with a smile, patted a child's head, and played with him for a while. After playing a little game, he yawned and got back in the car.

Liam slowed down and watched the scene in front of him. After Curry got into the car, he suddenly said,

"Ron, I understand what you mean and what you think, but what I want to tell you is... Stephen is different. He'll achieve things you didn't expect. He'll show you the charm of the three-pointer... The most important thing is, trust me, we've won two NCAA championships together, and we'll win one, two, three, four, or even more NBA championships!"

End of this chapter

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