“It seems that today, there’s yet another player the scouts need to pay attention to and investigate thoroughly.” Javier hurriedly jotted down notes in his notebook. An interior player with guard-like dribbling skills—Javier thought for a long time but still couldn’t figure out who Eric Bennett’s template might be.

Chapter 011: That layup—unbelievable!

In fact, most of the time, people instinctively assume that big men can’t dribble.

But in the NBA, the league with the highest level of basketball in the world, most of the big men can actually dribble.

Many top amateur dribblers might not be as effective in real-game situations as a big man who just came down from the NBA.

Yao Ming once completed a coast-to-coast fast break with a behind-the-back dribble—that’s an example. After all, dribbling is one of the fundamental basketball skills.

However, in the NBA, where almost everyone is a “superman,” big men rarely dribble like guards because their higher center of gravity makes it easier for them to get stripped. That’s also why players like Jordan, Iverson, and Kobe are more popular with fans—who doesn’t want to pull off a flashy between-the-legs dribble, then break into the paint with a butterfly step and finish with a graceful layup?

To truly surprise NBA scouts, it’s clear that Eric Bennett’s dribbling is far above the average level for NBA big men.

His ball-handling is even better than some small forwards in the NBA.

Why is Eric Bennett so bold and unrestrained in his moves?

Because he spent more than half a year playing one-on-one with Stephen Curry. Back when he was still a “little guy,” he had already unlocked a badge called “Bronze Ankle Breaker.” This badge and his dribbling ability didn’t change even after his height shot up. Except for a few special moves he can’t pull off anymore, his dribbling among NCAA big men can definitely be described as fearless.

The Thunderbolts were caught off guard in the second half. All their defensive arrangements targeting Stephen Curry now had to be scrapped and redone.

Because Stephen Curry gave up the ball-handling duties and started playing off the ball, Eric Bennett became the Wildcats’ true “point guard.”

In the first five minutes of the second half, Eric Bennett had already racked up 4 assists.

Not only did the Thunderbolts fail to capitalize on their lineup depth, but the Wildcats’ unknown players kept sneaking in points.

That’s a pretty bad deal, because the Thunderbolts’ offense relied on Griffin burning a ton of energy, while the other side easily exploited mismatches to score. Jeff Capel quickly called the first timeout of the second half.

“Well done.” Brian Whitman patted Eric Bennett on the shoulder. Just thinking about Eric Bennett’s bone age test showing he’d grow to 221 cm, Brian Whitman was honestly afraid that those old-school coaches would crawl out of their coffins to scold him for ruining a good center.

After all, in the eyes of those old-school coaches, a player over 220 cm should definitely bulk up and play inside. Not learning center skills and instead learning how to play point guard? Isn’t that a waste?

But with the development of modern basketball, many players over 220 cm are really running out of roles to play…

After the timeout, the Thunderbolts switched to full-court press. Eric Bennett sensibly called Curry back to take the ball. Although Eric Bennett could also dribble through the press himself, his height and weight would cost him too much energy—it just wasn’t worth it.

The Wildcats’ first possession after the timeout didn’t go smoothly. The Thunderbolts tried to force them into one-on-one situations, preventing the Wildcats from running their passing and cutting plays. The pick-and-roll between Eric Bennett and Curry didn’t work out either. Fortunately, the NCAA has a 30-second shot clock. Eric Bennett moved to the low post to call for the ball, and Stephen Curry decisively lobbed it in to Eric Bennett.

Post-up?

Now, seeing Eric Bennett post up actually felt novel to today’s spectators, because this seven-foot Chinese center wasn’t doing the usual center’s job at all in this game.

Carter Deville wasn’t sure how good Eric Bennett really was, but he still lowered his center of gravity and defended seriously. In terms of weight and strength, Carter Deville clearly had the upper hand.

Four seconds left. Carter Deville stepped forward to prevent Eric Bennett from turning and shooting a fadeaway. That step gave him the distance and position to contest and block Eric Bennett’s fadeaway jumper.

But today, Eric Bennett was destined to surprise everyone…

At the instant he switched his dribbling hand, Eric Bennett spun around directly. His spin was so fast, and his coordination of body and ball so perfect, that Carter Deville couldn’t keep up and Eric Bennett slipped past him near the baseline!

But the Thunderbolts had another big man—the projected top pick, Blake Griffin!

Seeing Eric Bennett already in the air, ready to dunk, Griffin also leapt up. His terrifying vertical leap—though Eric Bennett had a longer wingspan, Griffin had completely blocked off Eric Bennett’s path to dunk or layup.

Come on, I’m going to block you to avenge that block I suffered in the first half, Griffin growled inwardly.

The Oklahoma Thunderbolts’ basketball arena erupted in another wave of astonished cries…