On the court, Stephen Curry pulled back on a dribble, shook free, and knocked down a three.
Swish!
The baby face gave Lin Yi a cheeky smile after the shot.
Oh, it is on.
Lin Yi thought while returning a smile of his own.
Lin grabbed Pat Ewing Jr. by the jersey and pulled him aside. "Pat, listen—when you're on Steph, get real low, stay glued to him. Don't let him get comfy. If he wants to take a tough shot, fine. Just make sure it's a tough one, alright?"
Pat nodded seriously.
Yep, a true bromance right here.
Lin Yi knew Steph better than Steph knew himself at this point. His handle wasn't elite yet, his playmaking was still kinda raw. What Lin told Pat? Straight from the Matthew Dellavedova playbook—smother Steph, force him into tough shots, bet against him having a crazy hot hand.
Teams like the 2015 Cavs and even the Rockets a few years later did this too. The problem was, future Steph beca unguardable. But this Steph? Still had gaps to exploit.
Lin Yi had watched the Warriors' Sumr League tape too. Their coach wasn't big on pick-and-rolls yet, and Steph mostly looked for shots, not playmaking chances.
And Lin Yi had played against Steph every day back at Davidson. He knew every one of Curry's tricks—and he wasn't scared.
Over on the Knicks side, thanks to Lin Yi's calm organizing, everything felt easy.In the Sumr League, it's usually every man for himself—guys gunning for contracts. But the Knicks' coach, Dan, made it clear: as long as Lin was on the floor, play off him.
So they had a system. anwhile, the Warriors looked like a bunch of guys standing around waiting for Steph to do sothing.
Still, Lin Yi wasn't trying to set Steph up. Honestly, he wanted to teach him a lesson through the ga: No matter how good you are, you can't one-on-five your way through the NBA.
Sure enough, Steph jacked up six threes in a row… and hit just two.3-for-8 overall. Average.
anwhile, Lin Yi had quietly racked up 8 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks before halfti.
Lin Yi knew his role, too. D'Antoni planned to build the offense around him next season, so Lin wasn't out here chasing stats. Instead, he operated more from the high post, making smart plays. No need to go full LeBron rookie year and burn out.
Lin Yi wasn't dumb. He had seen how the future played out—and he planned to work smarter, not harder.
Steph, though? He was disappointed.
He had the green light today, but he only had nine points by halfti. When he peeked at the stat sheet, he had to rub his eyes.
Pat Ewing Jr.—Pat Ewing's kid, not even a full-ti NBA guy—had already dropped 11 points and 3 assists on him?
Brutal.
Steph made up his mind. Second half, I'm finding my rhythm. Gonna light them up.
On the Knicks bench, Coach Dan was grinning. Especially at Pat Ewing Jr., Dude had played great defense, hit so shots, ran pick-and-rolls nicely with Lin Yi—he was making himself noticed.
Low-key? Pat was cooking Steph on both ends.
From a pure numbers perspective, you'd think Pat Ewing Jr. had locked up a star player.
And the Knicks needed guards and wings badly. Dan figured if Pat kept this up, he might just earn himself a training camp invite—or even a minimum contract.
Lin Yi? He knew Steph's defense had holes too. He was already planning to help Steph this sumr, to polish up his defensive instincts. The problem was, getting picked second overall placed more pressure on Steph than he rembered and tried to handle the ball more. Lin Yi worried that without soone like Jerry West joining the Warriors soon, Steph and Monta Ellis would clash—and it wouldn't end well for Steph.
Since they were friends, Lin Yi was determined to help him avoid those pitfalls.
Back on the court, the second half started.
Pat Ewing Jr. stayed locked in on defense. Steph tried driving a few tis, but every ti he got past Pat, Lin Yi was already waiting at the rim like a grim reaper.
And that's when it hit Steph: Holy crap. Lin ain't on my team?
Lin Yi's help defense felt LeBron-level—cutting off angles, contesting everything. Just his presence alone raised the Knicks' whole defensive level by a tier.
Second half? Steph was ice-cold, although he heated up towards the end.
By the end of the ga, his stat line looked kinda average :28 shots, only 11 makes.6-of-15 from three.28 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds.
On the Knicks' side, Earl Barron ate well. Thanks to Lin Yi feeding him, he dropped 20 points and 14 rebounds on 8-of-9 shooting.
Barron couldn't stop thanking Lin after the ga. Lin Yi had even boxed out sotis and let him grab the rebounds.
No need for Lin to pad stats. He was just there to adapt, build chemistry, and get ready for the real season.
Lin's numbers?6-of-6 shooting, 2-of-3 from three, 4-of-4 free throws.18 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals.
Super clean. Exactly what scouts wanted to see.
Pat Ewing Jr.?5-of-11 from three, 4-of-7 from two, 2-of-2 free throws.25 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds.
Looking at the box score, you'd think so random dude had locked up the No. 2 pick.
But Lin Yi knew better.
Steph had a lot of potential to unleash.
Even if Steph had a crazy hot shooting day, poor decision-making and stubborn shot selection would still drag him down.
After the ga, Pat Ewing Jr. ca over to thank Lin again.
Lin Yi gave it to him straight: "This sumr, man, work on top-of-the-key threes and corner threes. Focus on quick catch-and-shoot after pick-and-rolls. Forget fancy dribble drives. You're not built for that, and cut down so weight and move to the no.2."
Pat nodded like a sponge.
"And on defense," Lin continued, "watch Bruce Bowen film. Learn how he pesters scorers without fouling. Force drivers toward your help, stay low against bigger guards, and annoy shooters so they never feel comfy."
Pat felt a deep gratitude. Lin Yi had basically handed him the survival manual for making the Knicks roster.
After that, Lin Yi found Steph in the hallway. The dude looked down.
Lin Yi clapped him on the shoulder, laughing. "Relax, man. Bad gas happen. Especially when you're trying to do everything alone."
Steph sighed. And worse? He rembered he'd have to share a backcourt with Monta Ellis next season...
Suddenly, everything felt a little darker.
...
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