Chapter 833: Chapter 833
Hansen originally didn’t pay much attention to Tatum since he chose Lue to handle these matters.
But Tatum’s performance in the subsequent game against the Bucks left Hansen speechless.
The biggest change for the Bucks this season is their head coach, with Budenholzer replacing Jason Kidd.
Budenholzer quickly proved his Best Coach caliber, leading the Bucks to a four-game winning streak, topping the East above the Celtics, 76ers, and Cavaliers.
Although his on-the-spot command isn’t exceptional, he knows how to leverage Antetokounmpo’s abilities effectively.
Moreover, somehow, Antetokounmpo developed a rather stable outside shooting skill this season, making him difficult to guard.
This game was an away game, and the Kings fell behind right at the start.
Even with Hansen’s enhanced wingspan enabling him to match up defensively with small forwards, he still couldn’t compete with players like Antetokounmpo with their inside size.
The Kings’ two interior players, Sabonis couldn’t keep up with Antetokounmpo at all, while Stan was one of the few completely overshadowed in talent.
Entering the second half, Lue deployed a small-ball lineup, with Hansen and Mitchell taking turns to ignite the offense.
However, Budenholzer didn’t follow Malone’s rhythm like Lue did, but insisted on utilizing inside advantages, leading to a stalemate in scores.
During this period, Tatum’s performance struggled once again.
His defense was fine and diligent, and he managed the dirty and tiring work like positioning well, but the main issue was his low shooting desire.
There were clearly some chances to shoot, passes or shots, yet he invariably chose to pass, even missing some chances that should’ve been shots.
Even Hansen couldn’t tell whether he lacked confidence or intentionally tried to appear more team-oriented. Official source ıs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Hansen scored 20 points in the final quarter, but the Kings’ interior remained at a disadvantage, compounded by the earlier deficit, leading to a loss in this game.
With this loss, their record became 2-2 at the start of the season.
Despite the season being young and this being the Kings, Hansen’s presence and earlier decision led to intense scrutiny towards both the Kings and Hansen.
"The Kings are impossible to rise, not even God can do it!"
"Han made the worst choice; he might as well have retired like Michael did back then, only to return with the Cavaliers afterwards."
"Han’s arrival ruined Tatum and Mitchell, rookies need ball control to develop, but Han took their ball control away."
The overwhelming criticism brought Hansen a large amount of anti-fans value.
It was at this moment that Hansen accessed the Anti-Fans System again, exchanging his height in the accomplishment unlocking system.
With the team underperforming, his only option was to keep improving himself.
Plus, he now needed even more upgrades at the small forward position, and his height too required enhancement.
However, exchanging height required much more anti-fans value than wingspan, and height, unlike wingspan, wasn’t a case of higher being better.
As height increases, the dribbling center of gravity elevates, changing the usage of various technical moves completely.
So Hansen ultimately chose to boost his barefoot height from 198 cm to 201 cm, fully adequate for a small forward in the small-ball era.
It’s also worth mentioning that NBA players’ height is quite confusing; even officially, some places provide barefoot height, while others provide shoe height.
So arises the magical case of 203 cm James growing to 206 cm later in his career.
Hansen’s level of height increase, even if detected externally, would seem normal, without concerns of being dissected for growing tall at 30.
Just like last time with wingspan improvements, after exchanging for height talent, Hansen took a long nap, waking up feeling sore all over, as if he’d run tens of thousands of meters the day before.
However, unlike the last time with wingspan enhancements, Hansen didn’t noticeably feel the change in his height.
After all, his original height was sufficient, only noticeable if added elsewhere, like on fingers.
Nonetheless, Hansen personally measured his height for a clear read.
Upon returning to Sacramento, the Kings faced a home game again, and this time it was a major event, as they were squaring off against the Warriors.
Just as Divac had said, Sacramento and San Francisco, though not the same city, are virtually like in-city rivals.
Furthermore, the Warriors have been the best-performing team since the opening of the West season, topping the West above the Pelicans and Rockets.
George’s integration with the Warriors was seamless, or to put it another way, he proved himself to be the most suitable small forward for the Warriors besides Durant, more fitting than James theoretically.
Additionally, what’s surprising this season about the Warriors is their interior player Kevin Rooney.
When Rooney debuted, he was a Durant-type player, a front-line swingman, with strong one-on-one skills.
Just like Bird-template players, there’s only one Durant in this world, even more so since Rooney had knee surgery upon entering the NBA, further slowing his mobility, eventually turning him into an inside swingman.