Coach Malone stood on the sideline, frowning as he watched the players scrimmaging. Rookie LaVine had been steady but unspectacular—his biggest weakness, the pull-up jumper off the dribble from the perimeter, had improved somewhat over the summer, but still wasn't reliable enough to be a consistent weapon. For now, his main value was spacing the floor, moving into open spots for threes, and attacking the rim.
"LaVine should start the season on the bench. His ball-handling and perimeter threat can be the spark for our second unit," said Chen Yilun, appearing at Malone's side without anyone noticing.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same," Malone nodded. With CJ now in the lineup, trying to shoehorn LaVine into the starters could be counterproductive. After some testing, the CJ–Ben pairing on the perimeter seemed to work best.
"I've got a small idea," Chen Yilun said again.
"Go ahead."
"What if Rudy Gay played power forward this season?"
"Power forward?" Malone was surprised. "He's only 2.03 meters. Can he handle that?" He was about to object when the idea clicked. "Wait—you're talking about running a run-and-gun offense or a four-out, one-in system?"
The run-and-gun style was introduced by Don Nelson and later evolved into the "7 Seconds or Less" offense—getting a shot up within seven seconds to exploit defensive gaps before the opponent could set. It had its glory days in the NBA, most famously with the electrifying 2007 Phoenix Suns.
The four-out, one-in system was popularized by the Orlando Magic, with prime Dwight Howard anchoring the paint and four shooters spread out to create space. Opponents either got dominated inside by Howard or buried by their perimeter shooting—pick your poison.
But for the current Kings, neither approach was ideal. Run-and-gun demanded elite conditioning, and their franchise cornerstone, Cousins, had size and skill but not quick lateral movement—he'd be gassed by halftime.
And four-out, one-in? That was giving Cousins too much credit. He didn't have Howard's dominance under the rim.
"No, no, that's not it." Seeing Malone's misunderstanding, Chen Yilun explained, "Gay's athleticism makes him perfectly capable of playing the four. He even spent a lot of time there last season."
"If he plays power forward, he can stretch the floor for Cousins. And against slower, heavier bigs, Gay can put the ball on the floor and attack one-on-one."
Malone's eyes lit up. "Right—and he's actually more dangerous on the perimeter than inside. Keep him outside and he'll draw extra defenders, opening shots for our perimeter guys!"
A tactical concept began to form in Malone's mind. "That could work. Then we could put a tall, shooting-oriented small forward at the three—not exactly four-out, one-in. With Gay and CJ both on the perimeter, we'd have enough shot creation out there, and Gay could still drop inside to help Cousins defend. That way we protect the paint, too!"
The more Malone thought about it, the more excited he got. Chen Yilun always seemed to hand him the perfect solution exactly when he needed it. If he didn't have to keep up his head coach's composure, Malone might have hugged him right there.
...
The offseason ended, and the Kings adjusted their starting lineup:
Point Guard: CJ McCollum
Shooting Guard: Ben McLemore
Small Forward: Omri Casspi
Power Forward: Rudy Gay
Center: DeMarcus Cousins
Off the bench, Zach LaVine, Nikola Jokić, and Timofey Mozgov led a second unit capable of providing firepower during rotations. Jokić, however, sat with the look of someone who'd lost the will to live—he'd just given up soda when he was confronted by his arch-nemesis: Vlade Divac.
Divac might have butted heads with Chen Yilun in management, but there was no denying he was a great athlete—and deeply patriotic. Whether it was the former Yugoslavia or present-day Serbia, Divac had poured his heart into it. So when he heard another Serbian player was joining the NBA, he ditched the suit without hesitation, pulled on training gear, and spent the entire summer personally putting Jokić through the wringer.
The poor "Professor Jokić" barely had time to adjust from European play before being thrown into Divac's brutal training regimen. By summer's end, he was noticeably leaner.
"Do your best and leave the rest to fate," Chen Yilun sighed, arms crossed as he watched the players. He had followed his rebuild plan to the letter, even exceeding expectations.
Sure, part of him wanted to gamble big—package Cousins and Gay for a superstar—but years of Spurs-style roster patience and his own cautious nature kept him from making such a high-risk move.
"Beep! Host has completed all transactions. Now assessing trade quality!"
The system's voice returned after months of silence, startling Chen Yilun. When he first got the system, he had studied it, but it seemed indifferent to him. Once the trade market opened, he got so busy he'd nearly forgotten it existed.
After all, even without the system, he believed he could still be a great GM.
"Trade quality calculated: successfully acquired MVP Nikola Jokić, Slam Dunk Champion LaVine, and Most Improved Player McCollum. Trade rating: A+. Task complete. Distributing rewards now!"
An intermediate enhancement pack appeared before him. Without hesitation, Chen Yilun opened it.
"Ding! Congratulations, host—acquired 'Dual-Threat Guard 101' badge. Acquired 'Team Three-Point Boost' card."
The badge could be permanently bound to one player, granting: +5 dribbling, +5 passing, +10 three-point rating. If applied to an interior player, the boost would be halved.
The boost card temporarily increased the entire team's three-point rating by 10 points for 20 minutes—usable once per game.
Chen Yilun let out a sharp breath. This was a serious mid-tier reward. Used together, he could raise a player's three-point rating by 20 points for a game—enough to make a decent shooter rival Ray Allen or Peja in their prime for a brief stretch.
"Now that's good stuff." He quickly stored both items in the system. Along with the beginner pack's all-around attribute badge, he now had two badges and one boost card unused.
The boost card was easy—use it in-game, get it back. But the badge? That was a permanent bind. If he gave it to someone who later left, it'd be a huge loss.
He'd have to choose wisely. Looking out at the players, he thought, The opportunity's here. Let's see who can seize it.
"Coach Malone, with our current roster, do you think we can take another step forward this year?" Chen Yilun asked casually.
He meant it offhand, but Malone took it as a challenge. Thumping his chest, he vowed, "Yilun, with a squad like this, if I can't deliver, I'll step aside and let someone else take over."
"Good, good. That's what I wanted to hear." Since recognizing Malone as one of his own, Chen Yilun had warmed to him considerably. "But I still need results for the boss. Let's push hard at the start of the season, get a winning streak going, and I'll have something solid to report."
What Chen Yilun really wanted was to hit the system's target of five straight wins to start the season. But as GM, he couldn't directly control the games, so he was subtly nudging Malone.
"No problem!" Malone nodded firmly. It wasn't just Chen Yilun's wish—last season's rookie year as head coach had been a disaster, sparking claims that he "wasn't head coach material." He badly needed a signature run to prove otherwise.
"Alright, guys, gather up!" Malone walked to the sideline and stopped practice. "You all know who this is—our GM, Mr. Chen Yilun. Many of you are here because of him.
Zach, you're the rookie he fought hard to draft, and he asked me to design plays to help you grow quickly."
Hearing that, LaVine glanced at Chen Yilun with gratitude. Most predictions had him going after the 13th pick, but the Kings took him at 11—a big boost to his confidence.
"Nikola, you're in the NBA thanks to him—and he's the one who brought in Divac to train you." Jokić had been touched—until he realized the man responsible for bringing in the coach who'd made him vomit during workouts was standing right there. Divac was a great mentor… just punishing on his students.
"And CJ—Chen traded away Thornton just to make sure you had the ball in your hands. Ben, Ray, and many others here were on the trade block, but he kept you. So let's stick together like a family, play for each other, and prove we're the best!"
Malone knew how to rally his team. Many players had tears in their eyes as they nodded with determination.
Standing off to the side, Rudy Gay, now the team's co-star, cradled a basketball, his face calm. He was a consummate professional—basketball was his job, a way to provide for his family. Glory had never been his main drive. Life was bigger than the game.
"DeMarcus, you used to complain you had no help. How's the roster look now?" Malone asked with a grin.
"I'm happy. Really happy. I can't wait for the season to start so I can smash all those clowns!" Cousins said, swinging his fist with boyish enthusiasm.
"Hahahaha!" Laughter filled the gym.
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