It's true that Kobe was selective about who he personally trained with or mentored.
This made Lin Feng even more determined. He continued his jump shots with unwavering focus, each one finding the bottom of the net.
After sinking all 100 three-pointers without a single penalty free throw, Lin Feng was in a phenomenal groove that morning. With the basketball in his hands, the hoop seemed impossibly large.
"Yes, you are a qualified shooter," Kobe praised with a smile. Then he added, "Keep practicing your shots. At seven o'clock, we'll go get breakfast, then come back here to rest before strength training."
"Okay, Boss." Lin Feng was impressed by Kobe's relentless dedication to training. Even after breakfast, he headed to the weight room.
During his time in the NBDL, Lin Feng had rarely engaged in weight training. It wasn't out of laziness, but because it often led to muscle strain, negatively impacting his subsequent performance.
After all, the natural physical capabilities of people of East Asian descent often differ from those of African and even European descent.
However, things were different now. Raymond Lam possessed the enhanced physicality of Sakuragi Hanamichi.
He wasn't exaggerating when he thought his current physical attributes might even rival Kobe's.
The two trained at Staples Center until seven in the morning. Kobe then treated Lin Feng to a simple breakfast: steak, milk, and two poached eggs.
These were the essential nutrients for athletes to replenish energy and protein. As a renowned training fanatic, Kobe placed great importance on proper nutrition.
As a top-tier athlete, Kobe would never indulge in junk food.
Following breakfast, they moved to the strength training room for weightlifting.
It wasn't until nine o'clock in the morning that Lin Feng and Kobe concluded their workout.
At that point, Lin Feng inquired, "Boss, aren't your former teammates coming to the training camp during the off-season?"
"There will be a training camp. They'll be here soon."
Just as Kobe finished speaking, the sound of footsteps echoed outside the training hall.
Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Aaron McKie, Kwame Brown, Smush Parker, and head coach Phil Jackson all entered the gym.
They were accustomed to seeing Kobe training alone upon their arrival and weren't surprised by it.
What did surprise them was the presence of a short Asian player alongside Kobe today.
Who is this guy?
He looked vaguely familiar, perhaps someone they had seen featured on ESPN?
"Kobe, who is he?" Fisher asked. Among the teammates, his relationship with Kobe was the longest, dating back to their first stint together in 1996.
From 2004 to 2006, Fisher had briefly left the Lakers for two seasons.
Finding limited success with the Utah Jazz, Fisher had decided to return to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the upcoming 2006-07 season, Fisher would once again don the purple and gold jersey.
Hearing Fisher's question, Kobe replied, "He used to be on our affiliate team, the D-Fenders. His name is Lin Feng. He's from China, Yao's country. I think he's good, so I brought him in."
"Oh, I see. What position does he play?" Old Fish Fisher observed Lin Feng, his experienced eye immediately identifying him as a point guard.
As a fellow point guard, he couldn't help but wonder if Lin Feng's arrival would threaten his starting role.
Kobe bounced the basketball twice and said calmly, "He plays the same position as you, both point guards, but initially, he'll be your backup."
"I'm perfectly fine with that arrangement," Fisher replied with a smile.
Lin Feng looked at Fisher, a player who lacked the exceptional athleticism or blinding speed of an Allen Iverson.
However, Fisher's commendable qualities were his high basketball IQ and remarkable composure under pressure.
His iconic 0.4-second game-winning shot against the San Antonio Spurs was a testament to his clutch ability.
Despite not being the most physically dominant player, Fisher was a fan favorite, with many acknowledging that his five championship rings were not simply a matter of luck.
Indeed, whenever Kobe struggled or other teammates were off their game, Fisher often stepped up to make crucial plays.
His three-point shooting could shift the team's momentum, and in critical moments, Fisher was a player his teammates could trust.
"Okay, let's begin practice," head coach Phil Jackson announced, signaling for everyone to quiet down and prepare.
"Kobe, the new guy needs to be taught how to execute the triangle offense. He needs to familiarize himself with our positioning and system so he can be comfortable on the court."
Head coach Phil Jackson, known as the Zen Master, had a basketball philosophy distinct from many coaches.
In his previous coaching career, he had won 11 championship rings, largely attributed to the effectiveness of the triangle offense.
A comprehensive explanation of the triangle offense would take considerable time.
In essence, it's a read-and-react offensive system.
This tactic requires exceptionally skilled players with dominant one-on-one abilities, such as Kobe and Michael Jordan.
Without such players, the triangle offense could be ineffective and predictable.
The triangle offense is complex because it's not a set of pre-determined plays dictated by the coaching staff.
The offensive structure constantly evolves based on the players' movements and the defense's reactions.
For instance, Mike D'Antoni's "seven seconds or less" offense typically revolved around Steve Nash.
Nash would initiate the offense, utilizing high and low post pick-and-rolls with the interior players before pushing the ball quickly down the court.
His seamless collaboration with Amar'e Stoudemire spearheaded their explosive offensive attack in the Western Conference.
Another example is Jerry Sloan's masterful use of the pick-and-roll, a tactic that brought the Utah Jazz significant success.
Pick-and-rolls at various positions aimed to create mismatches, allowing interior players to exploit smaller defenders on the perimeter.
Alternatively, perimeter players would use their speed to evade larger interior defenders for one-on-one drives to the basket.
The pick-and-roll primarily served to generate open shooting opportunities or exploit defensive mismatches.
Both of these tactics are relatively straightforward compared to the Zen Master's triangle offense, which lacks a fixed structure.
It's fluid and constantly adapting, demanding strong on-the-spot decision-making from the players.
While running the offense, players would continuously form triangle formations to pressure the defense. Once the ball was in Kobe's hands, he would invariably draw a double-team.
In such situations, teammates positioned on the weak side of the court would have scoring opportunities.
Consequently, defenders guarding Kobe couldn't afford to get too close.
Furthermore, setting a screen for Kobe often created excellent opportunities for teammates to cut to the basket.
Off-ball movement by teammates aimed to create more favorable one-on-one situations for Kobe.
This was the fundamental concept of the triangle offense: everything was designed to maximize the effectiveness of that superstar player.
This explained why the triangle offense was primarily suited for players like Kobe and Jordan.
Their exceptional one-on-one skills were essential. Pseudo-superstars lacking strong isolation abilities would struggle to adapt to the Zen Master's intricate system.
Phil Jackson explained that familiarizing Lin Feng with the triangle offense system as quickly as possible would allow Lin Feng to operate effectively on the weak side, constantly forming triangle configurations with Kobe.
This would threaten the defense and provide Kobe with better shooting opportunities.
Kobe nodded, walked over to Lin Feng, and began to carefully explain the basic principles of the triangle offense.