From this, he could immediately see how chaotic the zoning of this gym was—no wonder the notoriously stingy Clippers owner had decisively bailed.

Brown chuckled and said, “Some teammates occasionally want to train alone, and sometimes the coach will give special training to a particular player, so we need a separate training court like this... What did you think it was for?”

“I thought it was some kind of dark room, for solitary confinement, or maybe a place to settle disputes with a fight when there’s conflict within the team. What a letdown.”

“……” This time it was Brown’s turn to be speechless.

Is that disappointed look for real?

What kind of wild imagination is this!

Brown suddenly started to believe what Henry Bibby had said.

This newcomer might not be as sunny and innocent as he looks...

The two of them returned to the training court. It was almost two o’clock, and the coaching staff was already on duty.

Henry Bibby, who was happily chatting with the White Mamba, saw Edward Thompson and his face immediately fell. He said, “You’re here already? Xavier Johnson, take him to warm up and start the special training.”

Edward Thompson immediately trotted over and asked, “Coach, what special training am I doing?”

Henry Bibby asked, “What do you think you should work on?”

Edward Thompson thought for a moment and replied uncertainly, “Spot-up shooting?”

Henry Bibby nodded, “Alright, let’s work on spot-up shooting.”

That’s it? So casual?

Seeing that the head coach didn’t want to talk to him any further, Edward Thompson didn’t ask more questions and followed Xavier Johnson to one half of the court.

Xavier Johnson wheeled a ball rack onto the court, picked up a ball, and tossed it to Edward Thompson, who was standing on the right side of the paint. He said, “I’m Xavier Johnson, but you can just call me Xavier Johnson. Try a set of shots first, let me see your shooting.”

Edward Thompson nodded, focused, and was just about to shoot when the system prompt appeared!

“Host has started mid-range shooting training. Shooting package equipped: DeMar DeRozan Mid-Range Shooting Package. Bonus effect: 20% improvement in mid-range shooting training results.”

So this is what the mid-range training bonus means!

Excited, Edward Thompson rose up and took the shot. The assistant coach was quite surprised by his jumping form, the way he raised the ball, and the force he used to release the shot!

The teammates were also curious about this newcomer, all eyes on him. Seeing his shooting form, they were also surprised.

Three words to describe Edward Thompson’s mid-range shot—picture perfect!

And then... “clang”... the ball hit the neck of the rim, hard.

The teammates looked away. Judging by his form, they thought he was a mid-range specialist. Turns out, not so much?

Xavier Johnson was speechless too. He picked up another ball, tossed it to Edward Thompson, and signaled for him to keep shooting.

Edward Thompson felt a bit embarrassed. He could hear his teammates whispering after his brick.

His shooting form was professional, but his shooting ability didn’t match the form.

Luckily, he had a good mindset. He was just starting out on his basketball journey, and thick skin was the least of his worries. He kept shooting.

After a set of 10 shots, he made 3. He gave the assistant coach an awkward smile.

This was even worse than his accuracy before he equipped the shooting package. Maybe his sudden increase in strength was throwing off his shooting touch.

It felt similar to that period at the end of last year and the beginning of this year when he had a sudden growth spurt.

Xavier Johnson cleared his throat and said, “Your shooting form is actually pretty good. At least you know which parts of your body to use for power. No need to start from scratch with your form. OK, now start working on your shooting angles and aim for the basket.”

Edward Thompson put away his useless sense of shame and, under the assistant coach’s guidance, began set after set of spot-up shooting drills.

The process was extremely monotonous, but his expression and movements never showed any impatience. This surprised both Henry Bibby and Brown, who were watching from the side.

Brown whispered to Henry Bibby, “Looks like Leo Carter really wants to seize this chance to make the team. Maybe he’ll do even better than Shelby.”

Henry Bibby snorted coldly, “He’s just putting on a show. Look at his shooting form—you can tell he’s the type who likes to show off on the court to impress girls.”

Brown replied speechlessly, “That’s just prejudice. You haven’t even seen him play.”

“Have you?”

“……”

Brown was left speechless. He felt like Henry Bibby was going through menopause, or maybe he’d just had another fight with his son.

Henry Bibby continued to watch Edward Thompson’s training.

It was obvious that Edward Thompson’s shooting was basically at a beginner’s level—an amateur among amateurs—which made Henry Bibby quite dismissive.

But precisely because he was a beginner, there were lots of issues to work on. Xavier Johnson was very professional; after every set of 50 shots, he could accurately spot problems and give guidance.

What pleased Henry Bibby was that Edward Thompson seemed to have real talent for shooting. With every adjustment, there was visible progress.

After a full set of training, Edward Thompson even looked like he wanted more, eagerly discussing training details with Xavier Johnson. This attitude made the latter even more motivated to coach him.

And Edward Thompson’s stamina was even better than Henry Bibby had expected!