"YEAH!!"
Stephen Curry shook his head with a smug grin. "Finally! I found a game where I can beat you, Lin. Hahaha! Looks like dinner's on you tonight."
Since Lin Yi had moved into the 4001 dorm, Curry had been staying on campus more and more, despite Davidson College being only a 30-minute drive from his home in North Carolina.
Lin Yi regretted ever teaching Curry how to play Dou Dizhu. The guy was just too good at it. Maybe it was the shooting precision carrying over?
Anthony Beasley, who had been dragged into the game to make up numbers, sighed. Wait a second... wasn't Lin the landlord just now?
That meant—
"Hold up! I won too!" Beasley and Curry locked eyes, then burst into laughter.
Two days had passed since the Oklahoma game, but Beasley still remembered the buzz around Griffin and Curry afterward. Scouts, reporters—everyone swarmed them. Yet some scouts, a particular journalist, Javier, had zeroed in on Lin Yi instead, rushing straight to Coach McKillop for information.
"Coach, what can you tell us about Lin Yi?" Javier had asked.
McKillop, an honest guy, told it straight: "Two months ago, Lin was under 175 cm."
That statement alone made some scouts lose interest. After all, extreme growth spurts were often a red flag—giantism was a career killer. But McKillop wasn't done.
"North Carolina's top doctors confirmed he's not a giant. His bone age test shows he's projected to reach 216 cm."
Boom. That number alone had scouts scrambling for their notepads.
"Wait, what?! 216 cm?!"
Lin's vertical leap was average, sure, but with that kind of height and wingspan? Raw athleticism wasn't everything for a big man, especially if Lin ended up pushing three meters tall. And then there was his agility—his guard-like movement with the ball had scouts buzzing.
Big men who could dribble well usually slowed down when attacking, but Lin? He could push the ball like a forward, breaking the mold entirely.
Scouting reports started to roll in:
Unique inside player, worth watching.
Soft touch, three-point range, fluid movement.
Elite footwork and ball handling for his height, but needs more games to prove consistency.
High-level passing and court vision.
Lacks strength for NBA-level physicality.
Relies too much on length for defense, and needs to refine positioning and technique.
A Chinese prospect with significant upside.
Still, no one knew who to compare him to. In the end, the best they could do was slap on a temporary label: "Asian Kevin Durant."
Meanwhile, some media outlets weren't convinced. The biggest question—was Lin Yi's growth normal or a sign of giantism? NBA teams weren't about to risk a pick on someone whose body might betray him before his career even started.
.........
"How long have you been playing basketball?" Javier asked.
"Since I was a kid, but I used to be a guard," Lin answered.
Javier's journalist instincts kicked in. "So you're completely new to playing center?"
"Yeah, I'm still learning."
That threw Javier. If Lin was telling the truth, then his footwork, defense, and interior skills were even more impressive—he'd only been playing as a big man for a little over a month?!
After some routine questions, Javier left with a feeling in his gut—this kid was a dark horse. If Lin Yi kept improving, the 2009 NBA Draft might have a surprise contender.
Blake Griffin had dominated Lin on paper—stronger, more athletic, and physically overwhelming. But Lin had something that would translate to the NBA. This was just the beginning.
Javier shared his thoughts with Lin, who just chuckled. "2009 won't just be a good draft. It's gonna be the best since 2003."
Javier smiled and thanked him for the interview. Every rookie wanted to compare their class to the legendary '03 draft. "We'll see."
At the time, nobody was hyping up the 2009 class. The NBA world was too focused on the Lakers vs. Celtics rivalry. But history had a funny way of proving people wrong.
Blake Griffin. James Harden. Stephen Curry. DeMar DeRozan. Ricky Rubio. Jrue Holiday…
No one saw it coming, but this so-called weak draft would produce future MVPs, champions, and franchise players. And the league? It was in a transition period. Dynasties were fading, creating the perfect storm for young talent to rise.
..............
"Four twos! I win again!" Curry whooped as he threw down his cards.
Lin Yi groaned. That made it a full week of losing dinners.
"Man, listen. I'm about to tell Ayesha I'm saving up for our dates!" Curry grinned.
Lin Yi facepalmed. "Dude, how the hell do you keep getting these cards? I shuffle them myself! Beasley dealt them! This makes no sense!"
That night, while browsing online, Curry suddenly spun around in excitement. "Lin! New York is interested in me!"
"The Knicks?" Lin raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah! They're sending scouts to follow me for the rest of the season. They want me next year!"
Lin raised a brow. "What about Golden State?"
Curry scoffed. "Hell no. I want the Big Apple, man. My dad told me about Golden State—it's a city split in two. One side's a shopping district, the other's a crime zone. Plus, the Warriors already have Monta Ellis. People say he's even more of a ball hog than Marbury! No way I'm going there."
Lin chuckled and muttered to himself. "Well, fate's a funny thing…"