After this game, the University of Kentucky smoothly secured their fourth consecutive victory since the start of the new NCAA season.
For a powerhouse like Kentucky, winning four games in a row is not particularly newsworthy.
Rather than focusing on the team, the media is more interested in the individual performances of the players on the Kentucky team.
The media loves to write about these prodigies.
"Karl-Anthony Towns has shown the demeanor of a first overall pick after just a few games, his talent is truly amazing."
"Yes, such offensive skills are rarely seen in big men."
"Devin Booker, Terry Lyles, and Willie Cauley-Stein have shown lottery-level performances, which is what makes the Kentucky Wildcats so unique."
"The ones you mentioned are not surprising, the one that surprises me the most is that Chinese Zeng."
"Zeng Xingyang has showcased an extremely stable three-point shooting ability in these four games, with a shooting percentage already reaching 50%, which is a shooter-level accuracy."
"Zeng Xingyang's role on the Wildcats has been underestimated, he can expand the offensive space on the court, and whenever Karl-Anthony Towns or Devin Booker is double-teamed during isolation plays, he always appears in an open spot to make those shots, greatly reducing the pressure on those two."
Some media personalities following the Kentucky Wildcats' games have voiced their opinions.
The Wildcats' game influence is not just limited to Kentucky, they are even known nationwide.
Naturally, Zeng Xingyang has gained some attention due to his outstanding performance during this period.
On some social media platforms across national NCAA, plenty of fans have been talking about Zeng Xingyang.
"I've seen Zeng's games, he plays smartly, always appearing in open spots at crucial moments."
"It's hard to say if this guy can make it to the NBA, mainly because his defense isn't particularly stable, in the first few games he couldn't defend the opponents, but in last night's game, he directly shut down the opposing team's core guard."
"His defense is at an average level, his playing style is 3D, lacks ball-handling offense, quite similar to Klay Thompson."
"His defense is inconsistent, one game good, another game bad, he's more like a pure shooter like Kyle Korver."
"Klay was the core of his team in college, while Zeng is only the fifth or sixth option, there's no comparison."
The tension in the comment section gradually escalated, which also garnered more attention for Zeng Xingyang.
.....
Oklahoma City, Thunder's general manager's office.
Thunder's director of scouting, Richardson, was reporting to general manager Sam Presti about recent work.
Thunder's scouting team is considered famously formidable, known for their unique insights into discovering and cultivating young talents.
High-quality scouting work is one of the key reasons why the Thunder consistently maintain competitiveness.
The Thunder have encountered injuries since the start of the new NBA season.
Team core Kevin Durant's injury has led the team into a predicament with a 6-12 record at the beginning of the season.
If not for Westbrook's versatile play on the court, their record could have been worse.
Given the current situation, even if the Thunder barely make it into the playoffs, it is unlikely they could go far in the playoffs.
"If only we retained that guy back then."
Presti recalled the summer two years ago, the current Thunder's situation made him regret his past decision.
In 2012, James Harden really wanted to stay with the Thunder, but Presti ultimately refused to offer a little more money, directly trading him to the Rockets, which severely weakened the Thunder's bench.
If he had insisted on keeping James Harden at that time, perhaps the Thunder's current predicament would be completely different.
If Harden were here, Westbrook and KD wouldn't be so exhausted, and their injuries might have been less frequent.
Upon hearing Presti's muttering, Richardson understood what Presti regretted.
There's no medicine for regret; Richardson felt that it was mainly Presti's arrogance back then.
The Thunder's draft picks yielded so many powerful rookies that he felt no one in the roster was irreplaceable.
But later, James Harden proved his exceptional uniqueness, he was not just an ordinary player...
Presti regretted it deeply, but he wouldn't reveal such an attitude to anyone; he felt those people would just blame with hindsight.
At that time, he was facing a situation where Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka all had big contracts, and the Thunder couldn't afford to pay too much luxury tax, and since Thunder is a small-market team, it was also difficult...
Presti shook his head, trying not to dwell on the past, and focusing on the current tasks.
Last season, Westbrook was injured for the season; this season, KD got injured for the season, consecutive seasons with the main core players out for the season made Thunder's future look bleak.
Presti had no choice but to plan ahead for the next season.
The Thunder's core lineup around Durant and Westbrook wouldn't change; whether it's rookies or new personnel, all supplements and adjustments revolve around the two.
A 3D player who can space the floor or a strong defensive inside player are also the directions for Thunder's mid-season and offseason personnel introductions.
"Are there any players in the NCAA worth paying attention to recently?" Presti asked.
The Thunder still have a first-round pick and a second-round pick in hand for next season, both picks are estimated to be in the middle range.
Richardson thought for a while and then said, "The Kentucky Wildcats have a Chinese player who's performing well."
Presti asked, "China? Is he a center? If there's a player at Yao's level, I think our strength would greatly improve."
Hearing the country China, Presti was a bit surprised, in his impression, it was like an NBA player desert over there.
Aside from Yao being somewhat outstanding, there wasn't much impression on others, not even considering scouting over there.
In his view, a country with so many people but so little top-tier basketball talent appearing means there is an issue in the construction of its basketball talent base and system.
In such places, unless there's a super genius, it's quite difficult to enter the NBA.
Richardson said, "No, he is a 3D player with good static talent and has a very stable shooting accuracy on the court, we can include him in the assessment with our second-round pick."
As he spoke, Richardson handed Zeng Xingyang's scouting report to Presti.
Presti opened it and looked, then said, "Players with such statistics in NCAA are numerous, didn't see anything special."
Richardson said, "Many things can't be reflected by statistics; if you go to the scene to watch his games, you can feel his uniqueness, how about this, next month they have a game with the University of North Carolina, let's go watch it live together?"
Richardson had seen four of the University of Kentucky's games, and he felt Zeng Xingyang's performance was no worse than those popular players in Kentucky.
That shot stability under high pressure, choices, and judgments in offensive opportunities, and you could also see his progress in almost every game.
Presti thought for a moment and then said, "No problem."
The Chinese market is vast, if there's an opportunity to expand influence with a second-round pick, Presti would consider it worthwhile.
Of course, all of this is premised on the Chinese player meeting the Thunder's selection criteria.
Even though a second-round pick doesn't hold much value, it can't just be thrown into the trash can...
.......
Seeking recommendations and monthly tickets.