Nick Young clearly didn’t realize that one of his female admirers had become a fan of Stanford’s handsome guard.
After returning to half court, he continued to reach for the ball and relentlessly pursued isolation plays.
There was no denying that this kid’s offensive skills far surpassed Stanford’s defensive standards; he effortlessly hit spin jump shots.
“This isn’t to disparage Stanford.
But Nick Young is a potential NBA star; he could go pro at any time as a lottery pick, if he wanted to,” Jonny Wallson praised Nick Young on Time Warner TV: “He’s the undisputed number one star in the Pacific Division right now.” “No!” said Magic Johnson, naming someone else: “I think it’s Brandon Roy from the University of Washington.” “But Brandon’s a senior, he has absolutely no potential, and he has a serious injury history.
I’m sure Nick Young will be an NBA superstar, while Brandon Roy will quickly fade away even if he makes the league.” Johnny Wallson confidently declared, “I have no faith in your draft picks whatsoever.
You’re probably as bad as the other MJs.
Since you actually think Stanford’s number 10 is good enough to play in the NBA, that’s ridiculous.
If he can play, my fifth-grade nephew can too…” However, before he could finish…
Swish!
Thompson hit another three-pointer.
The player who provided the assist was none other than the seemingly insignificant Stanford number 10 he had mentioned.
He skillfully weaved his way past the defender in a pick-and-roll with Scott, and made his way to the free-throw line.
When USC forward Jackson switched to guard him, he made a bold and clever break, making everyone mistakenly believe he was going to pass the ball to Scott, who was moving toward the basket.
However, as the entire USC defense shifted inside, he appeared to casually toss the ball back with his left hand, passing it to Thompson, who ran without the ball along the baseline to a 45-degree angle on the wing for a three-point shot.
Replays showed it was a classic no-look pass.
“How did he do that?” Jonny Wallson instinctively asked.
“That was a genius-level playmaking instinct.
I can tell you right now, his court vision is truly NBA-caliber,” said Magic Johnson.
“While there’s still room for improvement in his passing technique, his tactical awareness is far ahead of everyone else on the court.
Especially Nick Young!” As the greatest point guard in NBA history, Magic Johnson is the ultimate authority on the subject.
When he declared that Bruce possessed elite court vision, commentator Jonny Wallson didn’t dare dispute it.
After all, he was merely a commentator analyzing the game from the sidelines, whereas Magic Johnson was the undisputed number-one point guard of all time.
At that moment, staff finally delivered Bruce’s information to the broadcast booth.
Magic Johnson picked it up, glanced at it, and instinctively read it aloud.
“li Bruce…
A super-genius who entered Harvard University before the age of 17, and led the Ivy League in both assists and steals for two consecutive seasons.
He transferred to Stanford University last season; so far this season, he’s averaged 1 minute of play, 1 point, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, and 5 turnovers per game.” “So he’s a top student—no wonder his basketball IQ is so high.” Magic Johnson exclaimed.
At this point, Jonny Wallson took the information and continued reading: “…Three days ago, Stanford’s head coach announced that he wouldn’t be on the roster for next season.
The reason he’s starting this game is that their key guard, TJ Walton, is injured.
The head coach has essentially given up on this season’s competition and is already out scouting for new players.” Seeing this, Jonny suddenly realized: “No wonder he’s playing so hard; he’s trying to seize a last-ditch opportunity.” Hearing that, Magic Johnson frowned; it shouldn’t be like that.
Even though he had played less than five minutes, Bruce’s skill level clearly warranted a spot in the NCAA—especially his talent for fast breaks, which was on par with the NBA level.
Besides, Stanford wasn’t exactly a powerhouse; with his abilities, he could easily be a key starter.
Magic was quite puzzled.
…
Meanwhile, the game continued.
Thanks to Bruce’s “magical” assists, Stanford had secured the lead and was slowly widening the gap.
Although USC was the stronger team, their performance that night was abysmal.
Perhaps it was a lack of pre-game practice, or maybe the fact that Pruitt had taken two teammates out partying the night before.
In any case, only Nick Young was managing to score, and even he was relatively inefficient.
Pruitt, the team’s second-best player, attempted three shots, but missed every single one—without exception.
He looked exhausted.
On the other side, Stanford—led by Bruce—launched a Phoenix-style fast-paced attack, repeatedly hitting three-pointers.
Scott finally capped it off with a thunderous dunk in the sixth minute.
…causing him to beat his chest in jubilation.
He was confident his dunk was impressive enough to catch the eye of the NBA scouts lurking in every corner of the arena.
Yet, it was Bruce who truly captivated the scouts that night.
Although Pruitt had knocked him down twice early in the game—highlighting his spindly frame and lack of physical strength—Bruce shone the brightest whenever he led a fast break.
While most scouts doubted he would make it to the NBA, his rapid passing and masterful ball-handling left a lasting impression.
Many couldn’t help but sigh: if only Bruce were a bit stronger, they would have immediately added his name to their recommendation lists.
What these scouts didn’t know, however, was that Kevin George—a scout for San Antonio—had already made up his mind.
He was deeply impressed by Bruce and had decided to recommend him to the club.
Furthermore, he planned to obtain the game footage from the scorer’s table right after the match, edit together a highlight reel of Bruce, and submit it to management.
He was certain someone would take an interest.
He even imagined that Popovich would appreciate this quick, intelligent, and tenacious point guard wearing number 10.
After all, the old man was…
the sort of scout who didn’t feel bound by conventional methods.
But just as Kevin George resolved to recommend Bruce, Pruitt decided to change his style of play.
He didn’t want to keep settling for jump shots; he felt the previous night’s partying had drained his energy.
Even so, he still felt he held a massive advantage—after all, the person standing in front of him was nothing more than a paper cutout.
Since he couldn’t seem to sink that damn basketball into the hoop, why not just power his way through?
He could easily steamroll this paper cutout with his sheer strength!
Pruitt thought confidently, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he squared up against Bruce.
At the same time, Bruce smiled too.
He had guessed exactly what Pruitt would do next.
And this was precisely what he had been waiting for.