Chapter 23: Legacy  

Following his muscle memory, Duncan arrived at the training gym. As soon as he walked in, he was stunned again. 

After taking out the newspaper clipping he had personally cut from his pocket, no matter how much Duncan compared it, the slightly chubby Wake Forest No. 10 in the newspaper simply couldn't be the same person as the guy currently practicing basketball. 

"Did Wake Forest build a new training gym in the past two years?" Duncan muttered to himself. 

At that moment, Zack, who had been engrossed in his training, noticed the figure standing by the door. 

He saw Duncan smile faintly and ask, "Excuse me, is this the Demon Deacons' basketball training gym?" 

Upon hearing this, even though Zack felt the other person was being deliberately mysterious, he politely replied, "Yes, senior." 

Seeing this, Duncan patted his forehead and asked, "Do you know Zack?" 

If it had been anyone else, Zack would have thought they were teasing him. But remembering that this was "The Big Fundamental," one of the top four power forwards, Zack pointed to himself and said, "I am, senior." 

"You are?" 

Walking closer to Zack and repeatedly comparing him with the newspaper, Duncan said, "But you don't look like him at all." 

Zack sighed and pointed to the publication date on the newspaper to remind Duncan. "Senior, if I'm not mistaken, the publication date of this newspaper is November 5th, right?" 

Duncan replied with a very approachable "Hmm." 

"That was me two months ago. Now I'm more than ten kilograms lighter than I was then, so it's understandable that you didn't recognize me." 

Actually, Zack wanted to complain that even though he looked like a completely different person after losing weight, there was no reason for Duncan not to recognize him. 

"Alright, it seems you don't find that joke funny," Duncan said after patting Zack's shoulder. 

At that moment, Zack realized he really had been teased. Teased by Duncan with his unique and utterly humorless cold joke. 

"You guys are doing great this season." 

Inside the training gym, after a brief warm-up, Duncan began to scrutinize Zack with a different gaze. At that moment, Zack felt as if a fierce beast was staring intently at him. If it were Duncan's old rival O'Neal, he would certainly be familiar with such a look. 

This was Tim Duncan. The universally acknowledged best of the four power forwards. He always liked to keep his edge hidden, only unsheathing his sword when he deemed it necessary. Then, by the time you realized what was happening, he would already be preparing for the next play. 

"Very good. Just as the rumors say, a natural large frame and a pair of long arms that can intimidate Duke." 

However, before Zack could recover from the previous state, Duncan immediately changed his demeanor, started touching him all over, and praised various parts of his body. 

Then, to Zack's bewilderment, Duncan said proudly, "As expected of my junior." 

At this point, Zack roughly understood why O'Neal found it so difficult to deal with Duncan. Besides his wild imagination, Duncan's way of expressing himself was also out of the ordinary. In short, if you didn't know him, he would constantly push you to the brink of collapse. 

"Let's just play a quick game. Since I have a game the day after tomorrow, it's best if we don't go too hard on each other," Duncan, constantly changing his tone, told Zack. 

Hearing this, Zack, who had been completely passive since Duncan walked in, asked in return, "We play a game?" 

"A game." 

Taking off his jacket and picking up a basketball from the floor, Duncan told Zack, "I'll play offense, you play defense." 

On the court, even though his mind was still in a fog, Zack's muscles instinctively reacted the moment Duncan started backing him down. Inside the paint, Duncan turned, then banked it in. 

"Any insights?" Duncan asked, turning to look at Zack. 

At that moment, with Duncan's sudden question, Zack's mind automatically replayed the recent memory. This was Zack's instinct for basketball. 

"Your rhythm is different from others," Zack replied after a few seconds. 

Duncan seemed very satisfied with Zack's answer and said, "Again." After a pause, Duncan added, "This time, you can be a bit more forceful." 

"But senior, you have a game the day after tomorrow..." 

"It's fine. At worst, I'll rest. 'Pop' can't control me." 

On the court, Zack respectfully complied and used all his strength to defend Duncan this time. However, the result remained unchanged. Inside, Duncan turned, then banked it in. 

"Any insights this time?" Duncan asked. 

After breaking down Duncan's movements frame by frame in his mind, Zack said, "Still the rhythm. You seemed to have anticipated my defense." 

This time, Duncan was a little displeased. But his displeasure wasn't because Zack's comprehension was too low; it was because, "Why do they say you're Charles Barkley's successor? Your comprehension is clearly as high as mine, and you're my junior." 

Duncan was quite upset. In his opinion, those clueless reporters almost led his junior astray. 

"Let's go again. This time, combine your efforts from the previous two times and defend with all your might." 

On the court, under Zack's full-strength defense, the situation changed slightly during Duncan's third post-up. In the low post, Duncan turned to the outside and banked it in. 

"What about this time? How is it different from before?" Duncan asked. 

Zack pondered for a long time and said, "Rhythm, rhythm. You tricked me with your shoulder rhythm." Duncan nodded, then patted Zack's shoulder, back, and hip. 

"When posting up, these are all baits you can use to lure your opponent. If you encounter some more naive defenders, you can even use your eyes. Posting up isn't that complicated; as long as you grasp the essence of rhythm, you'll quickly get the hang of it. Now, let's go again." 

On the court, after another defensive possession, Zack quickly answered, "And also, make good use of body observation, because when we turn our backs to the defender, our vision is often obstructed." 

Duncan smiled slightly. "Do you like swimming?" 

Zack replied, "It's alright." 

Hearing this, Duncan used an analogy: "When you're swimming, if you start to drown, your instinct will make you keep trying to pull yourself out from underwater. Because drowning is a terrible feeling; it's extremely painful. And posting up is about making the defender drown. And at the moment they try to surface, you push them back down." 

Seeing this, Zack suddenly understood. "So, senior, you can always predict my defense." 

"Now, it's your turn to post me up." 

After a few possessions, although Zack was still a long way from mastering it, in Duncan's eyes, the talent Zack displayed today was simply unheard of. Duncan knew very well that he only taught Zack the theory, but to put this theory into practice, besides being quick-witted, one also needed to possess certain levels of anticipation, reaction, observation, strength, and agility. 

Duncan had already felt the latter two when he posted up Zack earlier. But the first three... those weren't things that could just be taught. Especially anticipation and observation. Some NBA players, even with years of game experience, might not be as good as Zack at this moment in Duncan's eyes. 

This post-up teaching session, which wasn't high-intensity but primarily aimed at inspiring Zack to think, lasted a full three hours. 

Three hours later, Duncan stretched and told Zack, "I suggest you don't rush into the NBA. It's best to hone your skills for another year in college. With your comprehension, college can give you more opportunities to fulfill your potential." 

Looking at Duncan, Zack smiled and said, "I'm planning to play one more year in college." 

Duncan nodded in satisfaction. "Skip is a good coach, but when it comes to training big men, especially low-post offensive skills, he's not as good as Dave." (Note ①) 

After a pause, Duncan added, "Your strength and physicality are already NBA level, but I hope you don't overly rely on your talent in college. Because in the NBA, there are many people stronger, taller, and faster than you." 

That day, at the end of their farewell, Duncan told Zack another cold joke. 

"My first college game was terrible, and we lost to a weak team. Dave came up to me then and asked, 'Hey, Tim, what's going on?' Do you know what I told him?" 

"I told Dave it was a good thing because it proved I had a lot of untapped potential." 

This time, Zack was amused by Duncan's cold joke. 

"Senior, good luck with your game the day after tomorrow." 

"And good luck with your college career." 

Leaving the training gym and recalling his rather interesting junior, Duncan found Skip Prosser around a corner and said, "He is indeed as you said, extremely talented." 

Hearing this, Prosser said gratefully, "Thank you, Tim. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to guide this kid." 

"I've wanted to come back to Wake Forest for a long time, and besides, I had such an interesting afternoon this time. It was a great experience," Duncan laughed. 

Duncan's special visit to his alma mater this time was not only because of the Demon Deacons' excellent record this new season, but also because he had recently received a call from Prosser. In the call, Prosser sincerely expressed his wish for Duncan to take some time to individually coach Zack, and Duncan immediately came without hesitation. 

No reason why. Or rather, don't ask why. Because Wake Forest is also Duncan's "root." For most NBA players, their "root" always comes before everything else. With a "root," no matter where you go, you will never be forgotten. For example, North Carolina and Chicago are Jordan's "roots." For example, the Lakers are Kobe's "roots." For example, the SuperSonics are Payton's "roots," but the Thunder are not. 

In this lifetime, Duncan and Zack share the same "root." So, Duncan himself wanted to see his junior. That day, Duncan saw. And he was very satisfied. That's all. 

Note ①: Dave Odom, Duncan's college coach, and also the former head coach of the Demon Deacons in the book's timeline.