One Year Left to Play

Chapter 395 - 117: The Youngest Player of the Month in History!

But when it was passed over, it was directly translated word for word, and they used verbs instead of names!

He doesn’t exactly like the nickname Cool-guy, but he doesn’t dislike it either.

The nickname Brother Ritian... that’s too much!

However, upon entering the locker room, seeing in the cabinet the Monthly Best Player Trophy and the second Monthly Best Rookie Trophy, the first Weekly Best Player Trophy sent by the league after arriving at EnergySolutions Arena today...

An average of 24.9 points per game, Zhang Hao saw his average stats were like this, after scoring a career-high 45 points against the Bulls, followed by three games of 30+ points.

He didn’t even notice that in December he had an average of 28.2 points over 15 games!

But thinking about how this month he had 6 games of 30+ points, and two of those were 40+...

"To win the Monthly Best Player, surely the league is looking out for me... That old Jewish guy must want to use me to open up our country’s market, so he decided to increase the stakes, and just when my performance last month was so incredible even I couldn’t believe it, they go along with it... Then this award is rightfully mine.

Though I guess he hasn’t been very successful in pushing the international market."

"Didn’t expect to be tied with the Big Bird... mine should be a bit bigger."

As a basketball player, from winning the Weekly Best Player yesterday and becoming a hot favorite for last month’s Monthly Best Player, to now actually winning the Monthly Best Player, he’s completely shocked, thrilled beyond belief, happy beyond belief, ecstatic beyond belief... The Monthly Best Player award of this era is really gold!

When he saw the task prompt yesterday and the news stating that his performance this month was so explosive comparable to Larry Bird’s rookie February performance, he realized he had a chance to win...

Finally, after the press conference, he gradually calmed down.

But seeing the rewards, he got excited again!

"Special contract player Zhang Hao wins the NBA Weekly Best Player award, congratulations to the host for earning a 14-day life reward."

"Special contract player Zhang Hao wins the NBA Monthly Best Player award, congratulations to the host for earning a 60-day life reward."

"Remaining life: 577 days, usable life: 576 days."

"Monthly Best equals 60 Celestial Mandates. If I can win it twice in one season... And when they divide it between the East and West, the probability is even greater. Winning it three times in a season, the regular season’s daily life consumption is covered! The month I win Monthly Best Player, I must at least win at least 1 Weekly Best Player... Unfortunately, I was only in the top 3 average performance in December for a single month, winning a Monthly Best, with a Weekly Best only in the Christmas week with 3 wins and 0 losses, two games with 30+ points."

I wonder if when they divide East and West, if the value will decrease, will the rewards be halved? Apparently, Weekly Best will also be divided into East and West...

Too bad the Monthly Best Rookie has no rewards, maybe this award is limited to rookie level, the honor is generally lower... Also true, sometimes the best rookie from a weak draft year isn’t even as important as a Weekly Best Player award."

Zhang Hao counted on his fingers: "I’ve already won 4 NBA trophies: one Weekly Best, two Monthly Best Rookie, one Monthly Best Player, just one more to fill up one hand... All-Star... seems to be a ring, MVP is the trophy... Eh? Rookie Game MVP trophy? This seems a bit tough, I play off the ball..."

After Zhang Hao’s wild thoughts, he refocused.

"Can’t be too proud, can’t be complacent, it’s already mid-season, what if I hit a wall... Can’t hit a wall! Must train hard, play steadily, to continue this momentum and break into the All-Star starting lineup!"

Thinking about the All-Star starters, Zhang Hao felt a bit melancholy.

Originally, whether or not he made it into the All-Stars, he was only concerned if there was a reward for being selected, but now, there’s a task.

If it doesn’t trigger, it’s fine, if it triggers and doesn’t complete, it hurts to think about it!

"Beyond Boundaries Rookie:

Goal: Contract player Zhang Hao must be selected for the 1996 San Antonio All-Star weekend main game starting lineup.

Reward: Depending on the vote ranking, reward with lottery draws or drawing opportunities."

"Whether it’s lottery draws or drawing opportunities, they’re very useful to me. What if I manage to draw a Medal Upgrade Card or something..."

...

...

The youngest Monthly Best Player in history...

Forget about others, even his teammates feel it’s exaggerated!

Lakers players don’t feel Zhang Hao’s "progress" so distinctly, unlike the Brooklyn Nets players felt initially.

Because Zhang Hao came with the title of "straight trade for Divac + Jones" to the Lakers, at the time Jason Williams was completely overlooked, treated like an afterthought to balance salaries.

Even though most Lakers players didn’t think much of this trade, feeling their team got ripped off, they at least acknowledged Zhang Hao had certain capability. Later, when Zhang Hao quickly scored 40 points against Grant Hill, teammates instinctively believed Zhang Hao ought to be of the same rookie caliber as Grant Hill.

However, they never imagined Zhang Hao would win the Monthly Best Player like Larry Bird did in his rookie season.

Larry Bird, who made the All-NBA First Team as a historic rookie in his debut season!

When warming up in the afternoon, Zhang Hao always felt someone was talking behind him.

It wasn’t a hallucination; he even heard the voices!

It’s his teammates, who typically only come to warm up one hour to at most one and a half hours before the game starts, today came to watch him right from when he started warming up.

"We need to learn more from Aix, he has his reasons for being so great, with the game still three hours away, he’s already here shooting to warm up, no wonder he gets so heated like a microwave in the game..."