There's still seven or eight days until the McDonald's All-Star weekend. Zhang Hao wasn't idle; on the next day, April 17th, when the gym was free again, he continued practicing his mid-range shot and training the muscle groups that help enhance it.
The visible progress is incredibly motivating!
Training is so monotonous. If it were the future him, he wouldn't be able to persist, but the current him is already accustomed to this lifestyle. Moreover, he experiences a speed of progress he's never had before, and instead of finding training tedious, he thoroughly enjoys it. Gradually, he calmed down from that excessively excited emotional state.
Several more days passed; Zhang Hao slowly got used to his current life... at least as long as there wasn't something specifically bothersome or inconvenient, he gradually adapted.
He got used to reading the newspaper and eating milk sandwiches in the morning, fast food for lunch, and salads for dinner... This lifestyle familiarity is partly due to the memory of this era, so he managed to adjust quickly overall.
Zhang Hao calms himself to train well and no longer worries about being overlooked by universities during early admissions. Seeing this, Pierce breathed a sigh of relief and stopped overthinking things, knowing he couldn't really help in that regard.
A few days ago, he discussed with Zhang Hao whether he should tell the University of Kansas to admit Zhang Hao along with him; otherwise, he wouldn't attend University of Kansas. Zhang Hao retorted, "Already being a bully as soon as I enter college? How will I ever make it to the NBA then?"
Hearing this, Pierce wasn't angry but rather settled down; he's not foolish, just hasn't experienced enough yet. He's not the future Team Pi; the current him is the leader of a small group at school, but he's smart, understanding Zhang Hao's meaning, and this touched Pierce deeply.
The reason Pierce had this thought is because early admission is truly important. Almost every athlete who receives a full scholarship from an NCAA Division I school is a prodigious high school talent admitted early. Those who only confirm their admissions in the summer rarely receive full scholarships.
Zhang Hao wasn't depressed about this matter, and Pierce didn't bring it up again.
Aside from Pierce, the Inglewood High School basketball team's head coach Scott Collins also kept an eye on Zhang Hao. He remained very satisfied with this high school prodigy he'd brought back from China, and lately, he was busy trying to help Zhang Hao get into a Division I school team and secure a full scholarship. However, getting someone to play in an NCAA Division I team is feasible; scholarships, on the other hand... truthfully speaking, as a college student playing in NCAA, if not for Division I teams' full scholarships, what's the difference from other colleges?
They're all there to hone technical skills, learn tactics and discipline, and play amateur basketball among college students, 99% of whom won't make it to the NBA. Of course, Division I teams get more attention compared to non-Division I teams; occasionally, you might encounter top-tier college players, which is less likely with non-Division I teams that get less attention, yet they also have students who make it to the NBA and it's not an insignificant number. In the end, it comes down to scholarships, bottom line - it's about money.
These past few days, Scott Collins also learned that Zhang Hao not only planned to participate in McDonald's dunk contest but also in the Adidas Training Camp. He hoped Zhang Hao could use this opportunity to gain recognition from coaches of NCAA Division I schools... even without this, he had a second plan. But that also depended on Zhang Hao's effort and ability, at least needing something that could impress a certain person who looks just like him.
However, Zhang Hao's recent progress... is astonishingly fast!
Every two or three days, Scott Collins could visibly see Zhang Hao's improvement in shooting; his hit rate during training with 50 shots clearly increased!
...
Time flew by, and April 24th arrived, the day to check in at the designated McDonald's hotel.
Upon waking up in the morning, Zhang Hao saw that fleeting subtitle.
396 days left to live...
If he could achieve a perfect score in the upcoming dunk contest, he could extend his life by another 30 days.
With a thought, the subtitle appeared again.
"Specially signed player Zhang Hao ability evaluation: 63
Physical stats: Speed 90, Strength 73, Jumping 93, Agility 96, Endurance 90...
Shooting: Three-point 47, Mid-range 84, Layup 84...
Skills: Dribbling 54, Passing 43, Catch-and-shoot 85..."
"Mid-range ability value 84..."
He's hit a bottleneck again! However, in just eight short days, the mid-range improved from 79 to 84, this speed is simply astounding! Now, in his mid-range shot training, he can consistently ensure over 40 hits out of every 50 shots; sometimes, when his touch feels great, he might hit all 50 shots, the sensation is incredibly satisfying!
Moreover, his strength and layup and even three-point slightly improved. Zhang Hao felt that when his mid-range progressed to the limit of this Growth Card, which is 90 mid-range ability value, his strength and layup would certainly improve once more!
On the Bulls side, Jordan, having returned for half a season recently, displayed a playing style completely different from the previous three-peat period - an unparalleled mid-range prowess! Although it's evident that Jordan's form is quite unstable from over a year of not playing in the NBA, that seamless mid-range skill has already emerged.
In this current era, possessing an excellent mid-range ability will undoubtedly gain increasing attention following Jordan's legendary performance over the next three seasons. Zhang Hao's goal is to elevate his mid-range to the top level before the Adidas Training Camp, although just at the edge of top-level, top-level is top-level!