Chapter 53 – Summer League Begins! Durant: Chen Yan and I Are Evenly Matched!
Five days later, the NBA Summer League officially tipped off!
Chen Yan arrived in Las Vegas with the Suns two days before their opening game.
While the Summer League isn't quite at the level of regular NBA action, it's still a major event—far more meaningful than any regular team practice. For up-and-coming players, it's a crucial stage to show out.
Over the past couple of weeks, Chen Yan had been putting in serious work. He trained daily and even cashed in his honor points—earned from being selected as the second overall pick—for three 7-day "double training" cards.
As a result, his physical stats saw a slight bump: +1 to Rebounding, +1 to Defense, and +1 to Strength.
But in Chen Yan's eyes?
Total blood loss.
For other players, training was the fastest way to improve. But for Chen Yan, this method was proving painfully inefficient. He made a mental note: No more flashy upgrades. From now on, he'd use honor points strictly to boost core attributes or unlock elite star skills. That was the real move.
---
The NBA Summer League consists of three events: the Rocky Mountain League, the Orlando League, and the Las Vegas League.
This year, the Suns were playing in Las Vegas—the youngest of the three, but by far the largest and most high-profile. With 22 NBA teams participating, the competition was intense, and all eyes were on the top picks.
But this year came with a twist.
For the first time, two national teams were invited to join the competition: Croatia and China.
Fate had a sense of humor. The Chinese Men's National Team was also scheduled to face the Suns in Las Vegas—putting Chen Yan in a bizarre situation: squaring off against his own country's squad.
The game was set to air live on CCTV5. Back in China, fans flooded forums and comment sections, wishing Chen Yan was suiting up in red instead of standing across as an opponent.
Unfortunately, that just wasn't in the cards.
The roster for this summer's national team training camp had already been finalized in late May. And while Coach Jonas had expressed strong interest in bringing Chen Yan aboard, the system wasn't built to drop a player in last-minute. It wouldn't be fair to the guys already on the roster.
Still, if all went well, Chen Yan was expected to make the next national team list without question.
---
The Suns' Summer League campaign tipped off soon after, with their first opponent being the Boston Celtics.
And the highlight?
Chen Yan vs. Kevin Durant.
Teammates at Texas—now rivals on the court.
Despite being held in Las Vegas—a city known more for roulette than basketball—the crowd was electric. The arena was packed to over 80% capacity, a rare sight for Summer League games.
---
Pre-Game Press Conference
Durant walked into the presser with his signature laid-back swag, rocking a small backpack and an easy grin.
"Kevin," one reporter asked, "this is the first time you and Chen are facing off as opponents. Got any special feelings about it?"
Durant chuckled. "I just hope I don't pass him the ball out of habit."
The room burst into laughter. KD's sense of humor was dry, borderline deadpan, but somehow still funny—maybe even funnier because he didn't realize it.
Another reporter followed up.
"How do you think Chen will play tonight?"
"I know that guy," Durant said confidently. "The Summer League level won't phase him. He'll definitely go off tonight."
"And if it's you one-on-one against him?"
Durant smirked. "It's 50-50. We went at it all the time at Texas. Sometimes I won, sometimes he did. That's my brother—but I'm not taking it easy."
---
Game Night – Warm-Ups
Durant and Chen met at center court during pregame shootaround.
"Yo, Chen," Durant called out. "Heard you're not starting?"
Chen flashed a grin. "Just a warm-up game. No need to go all out."
The decision came from Coach D'Antoni, who had specifically told the assistant coach to limit Chen Yan's minutes. Winning Summer League games wasn't the goal—staying healthy was. No sense risking injury for a glorified exhibition.
Durant nodded. "Same here. I'm just playing it chill."
But five minutes into the game, that "chill" promise?
Out the window.
KD came out scorching hot—dropping 10 points in five minutes with an NBA-ready arsenal:
Pull-up three?
Splash.
Mid-range jumper?
Money.
Transition layup after the steal?
Too easy.
Blow-by drive into a foul?
Straight to the line.
If this was Durant taking it easy, Chen Yan didn't want to see what full throttle looked like.
---
End of 1st Quarter:
Celtics 23, Suns 13
The Suns looked completely disjointed. No rhythm, no structure. It was every man for himself—whoever got the ball went iso, trying to rack up personal stats. Zero chemistry.
But Chen Yan wasn't surprised.
Summer League squads are made up mostly of NBA hopefuls, guys trying to claw their way into a contract. Naturally, they're not passing up shots or trying to run plays—they're fighting for survival.
Everyone was playing for themselves.
Everyone wanted that shot at a guaranteed deal.
The game had turned into a chaotic mess. Players were no longer playing as a team—they were fighting for themselves.
But Chen Yan? He didn't have to worry about that.
As the second overall pick, the Suns were committed to developing him. His mentality was completely different from the others. He wasn't out there chasing highlights or trying to prove his worth. He was the future of the franchise.
It was like watching a rich kid do a factory internship—just here to gain experience, not survive.
"Chen!"
"Chen!"
"Chen!"
The chants started at the beginning of the second quarter. Fans in the stands rose to their feet, yelling his name in unison.
Half the arena had shown up just to see Chen Yan play. But more than a full quarter had gone by and he still hadn't touched the court. Of course they were getting restless.
Before the fans started chanting "REFUND!" the Suns' assistant coach finally subbed Chen in.
Meanwhile, the Celtics coaching staff had something special planned. They wanted Kevin Durant to match up with Chen Yan. But KD wasn't having it.
"You think I'm dumb?" Durant told them. "I'm not guarding that dude one-on-one."
Instead, he pointed at Alan Ray, a fringe player hustling for a roster spot.
"You got him."
Alan Ray didn't hesitate. This was his shot. Beat the No. 2 pick, make a name for himself, earn a guaranteed deal—maybe even change his whole career.
But his dream fell apart in seconds.
As soon as Chen Yan touched the ball, he switched gears and left Alan Ray frozen. One smooth pull-up—splash.
Then, back-to-back steals.
Fast breaks.
Tomahawk dunk!
The crowd exploded.
And just when Alan Ray thought it couldn't get worse, Chen slowed things down, hit him with a phantom step, and glided in with a silky jelly layup.
Smooth. Cold. Effortless.
Chen wasn't even using half of his full power, and he was already cooking Alan Ray like a street vendor frying noodles. No contest.
But he wasn't here to humiliate people. He was here to stay in shape.
So on the next possession, Chen called for a pick from his teammate, "Kevin."
After the switch, it was him vs. Durant—1v1.
The crowd knew what was coming.
Booing. Screaming. Whistling.
They wanted the showdown. The instant noodle brothers. Right here, right now.
And Chen delivered.
He hit KD with his signature freeze pass.
Durant didn't get frozen, but it didn't matter—Chen blew by him in one step. KD's center of gravity was too high. The moment Chen dipped low, he spotted the gap and drove right through it.
Straight to the rim.
Three defenders rotated in.
Didn't matter.
Chen activated [Magic Shadow], weaved through the cracks, and finished with a crafty layup.
And-one!
The arena lit up.
Summer League rules allowed up to 10 fouls, so defenders were constantly hacking and lunging for the ball. And because of that, Chen's ability to finish through contact was on full display.
The kid's footwork was nasty—cleaner than ever.
Behind him, Durant muttered under his breath, "Damn… he leveled up again?"
But Chen wasn't done.
Next defensive possession, he locked in on Durant.
KD tried to bully his way with size, but Chen beat him to the spot and forced him right. Seven seconds left on the shot clock—Durant pulled up, off-balance.
Clank.
Chen knew KD too well. He knew what influencers KD followed, what instant noodles he liked, and especially his shooting tendencies.
At this stage in his career, Durant's jumper was still too vertical, too mechanical. Force him right, and he couldn't get into his rhythm. His pull-up percentages dropped hard.
The Durant who would one day become the Slim Reaper hadn't evolved yet. That future version added turnarounds, low-post fades, and inside-out combos.
But right now? This was still "Backpack KD."
And Chen Yan had the key to that backpack.
In the next few possessions, Chen kept forcing Durant right, throwing off his timing, disrupting his flow. KD had no choice but to keep taking awkward jumpers over a contest.
On the other end, Durant tried every trick to slow Chen down. He knew Chen's moves, sure—but knowing wasn't enough.
Because the difference was clear:
Chen had an answer for Durant.
Durant had none for Chen.
Their familiarity with each other only made the gap more obvious. Durant couldn't keep up with Chen's speed, his timing, or his change of pace.
Hell, half the time Chen could tell him, "I'm going right," and KD still couldn't stop him.
When the buzzer sounded, the Suns walked away with an 88-80 win—a strong opening to the Summer League.
Chen Yan? 34 points in 17 minutes.
That's right—he scored double his minutes.
Durant? He dropped 25, but the efficiency was ugly, especially when guarded by Chen.
As the broadcast wrapped up, the courtside commentator couldn't help but laugh:
"Now I finally get it. Why Chen went second… and KD went third."
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