Details of his tryout leaked, and rumors swirled: "Chinese player uses tech shortcuts," critics cried, pointing to his "unexplainable leap" from CBA benchwarmer to NBA prospect.
Lin Mo silenced his phone and showed up daily at the Zhuoguang Training Camp. The one-armed teen's hook shots kept drifting right; Lin Mo knelt to adjust his wrist. "When you're weak, use finesse. When people doubt you, let the ball answer."
The teen looked up. "Bro Lin, they say you play with a machine, but you notice when I stand half a foot off? That's not a machine."
Lin Mo froze. That afternoon, he joined the kids' scrimmage. Down 1 with seconds left, he passed to the teen in the corner. As defenders swarmed, the boy remembered Lin Mo's "eye fake" lesson—gazed at the rim, then fired a return pass. Lin Mo laid it in.
Cheers erupted. Lin Mo ruffled the teen's hair, smiling. Turns out, his focus had never gone unnoticed.