Feeling both disgusted and incredibly satisfied, Jerry West couldn't quite put into words the inner conflict he was experiencing. But putting Zack's ethnicity aside, West was convinced that after tonight, Zack was going to cause a massive ripple in the basketball world.
"For the past year, people have been talking about his player comparisons. Some say he's a stronger Andrei Kirilenko, some say he's a taller Charles Barkley, and others even suggest he's a more athletic Larry Bird. But to me, he's like Magic Johnson when he was first questioned... before he entered the league, nobody could truly define his future. Yeah, there's no NBA comp for Zack in this era; he's truly one of a kind."
Facing Zack's flawless first-half performance, West's curiosity ultimately trumped the uneasy feeling his ethnicity initially gave him. He was curious about just how high Zack could reach in the future, and even more curious if Zack could establish his own style and lead a new trend in the NBA, just like Magic Johnson did.
Since retiring and moving into a behind-the-scenes role, examining emerging basketball prodigies with a critical eye had become one of West's main daily joys, purely due to the nature of his job.
Meanwhile, during halftime in the visiting team's locker room, compared to the leisurely West, David Lee, the SEC conference's star power forward, was teetering on the edge of a breakdown. He couldn't describe his feelings either. Zack had utterly dominated him in every aspect during just one half.
In the game, Zack could take one dribble, blow past him, and smoothly knock down a jumper. On the court, Zack could also hit him with a crossover, drive straight to the basket, and effortlessly showcase his talent. On the perimeter, every triple-threat move from Zack left him completely lost. And Zack's hand-offs with Paul at the top of the key, along with his high-post playmaking, made him, the Gators' key big man, a total liability for the team.
At this moment, Lee even doubted whether he could truly make it to the NBA after graduating his senior year. Compared to the David Lee in Zack's memory, though Lee's finishing ability was quite good in his senior year and his mid-range jumper was effective in pick-and-roll situations, he hadn't yet been refined by the NBA to become an All-Star power forward. The current Lee still needed to improve his physicality to showcase his offensive skills at a higher level.
In the locker room, Billy Donovan sensed Lee's change in mindset. So, he intentionally called on Noah, the always fearless and headstrong rookie on the team. Donovan hoped that Noah's energy on the court would help Lee and reignite the team's spark. After all, Lee wasn't the only one on the Gators who had gone into "isolation mode."
Tonight, Al Horford, who earned a starting spot in his freshman debut, was also doubting himself. Is this the difference between me now and an NBA draft prospect? Even though Horford was probably the player on the Gators who respected Zack the most before the game, Zack's performance still left an impression on him that was no less impactful than the initial shock people felt when Thanos first appeared in Avengers.
After halftime, the game resumed. Noah, subbing in for Horford, immediately charged towards Zack as soon as he stepped onto the court. In that moment, Noah's fierce expression made the already dejected Horford look ashamed. Although he didn't know what Noah planned to do to Zack, in Horford's eyes, the courage Noah was showing was exactly what he himself lacked at the moment.
However, just as Horford and the rest of the Gators were expecting Noah to say or do something to Zack, Noah grabbed Zack's hand and earnestly said, "C-can you close your eyes when you shoot later?"
Hearing this, Zack looked completely bewildered. Noah paused for a moment, then added, "Y-you're just too accurate tonight. My teammates and I definitely can't guard you. This is my career debut, and I don't want to leave empty-handed when I get subbed out, so can you close your eyes when you shoot so I can grab a couple of rebounds?"
Seeing this, on the Gators' bench, Horford angrily exclaimed, "Can someone pull him back? I don't have an embarrassing teammate like him!"
The next second, Noah walked back to his own half with his head held high, looking at Horford like he was an idiot and said, "Zack is the Michael Jordan of college basketball. To deal with a player of this caliber, you have to butter him up to make him go a little easier on you."
Horford: "..."
What the hell, Noah! What kind of crazy logic is that?!
On the court, it was impossible for Zack to close his eyes when shooting, of course. However, as the second half progressed, Horford noticed that Zack seemed to be playing in a gentler way. The most obvious change was that throughout the entire second half, Zack didn't have a single monstrous dunk or drive like he did in the first half.
On offense, he more fully demonstrated his ball-handling and playmaking abilities. Especially Zack's soft jump shot touch... In Jordan's mind in the stands, what Zack was toying with back then wasn't a basketball; he was clearly plucking at Jordan's heartstrings with his fingertips! The Zack of the second half was undoubtedly the Zack Jordan envisioned.
But actually... Zack changed his style in the second half primarily because he was learning how to better manage his energy on the court. And Zack was also gradually testing whether his current skills could maintain his dominance in college basketball while in energy-saving mode. For a player aspiring to the NBA, this is crucial. Because in the future NBA, with 48-minute games and an 82-game season, Zack wouldn't be able to maintain peak physical condition all the time.
Tonight, Wacarro in the stands saw what Zack was thinking, and he couldn't stop praising him: "I was initially worried he might get too excited, but I never expected him to understand how to control his desires at such a young age."
Ultimately, with a huge lead allowing them to pull back early, Zack delivered an outstanding performance in this highly anticipated challenge game, finishing with 38 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. It's worth mentioning that in the second half, to appease Paul, Zack also racked up many "indirect assists" that wouldn't show up in the box score while facilitating the team's offense.
Zack didn't mind this. Because these "indirect assists" not only made Paul happy, but a few assists wouldn't affect the impression he left on people tonight. This season, the Demon Deacons' goal was to win the NCAA championship. Back in the day, if Jordan had to find ways to appease Pippen for an NBA championship, then what was wrong with Zack "buying off" Paul with a few assists today?
After the game, Noah, completely humbled by Zack, once again rushed to Zack, and amidst the angry glares from his teammates behind him, took off his jersey. "Can you sign this for me? I... I really like you. From tonight on, I'll be your most loyal fan."
Seeing this, Zack didn't put on airs. After signing Noah's jersey, he asked with a worried expression, "Are you sure this won't upset your teammates?"
Noah shook his head and said, "A fake warrior will only despise those who defeat him. A true warrior should face his opponent directly and know how to appreciate them."
At that moment, Zack suddenly felt that Noah made a lot of sense. Of course, what Zack didn't know was that as soon as Noah got back to his teammates, he immediately changed his demeanor and said to Horford, "Zack is going to be the NBA's top draft pick! You seriously didn't take this chance to get an autograph from him?"
Horford shook his head and said, "I don't think I earned that right tonight."
2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block. That was Horford's stat line for the game. In Horford's opinion, he wasn't even worthy of being called Zack's opponent tonight.
After a half-time adjustment, Lee managed to score 12 points and grab 8 rebounds, but like the other "Zack" from a well-off family, he still couldn't shake off the gloom of this game. Fortunately, Lee still had a long season ahead to regain his confidence. As a senior, Lee's four years of college basketball had already built him a solid reputation. People weren't going to dismiss everything about him because of this one game. Besides, he was facing Zack tonight!
"This is absolutely the greatest performance I've ever seen in college basketball," Prosser said in a post-game interview, describing Zack's court presence.
"He destroyed our defense, he destroyed our offense... I don't know how to describe him, but he's definitely the best power forward I've ever seen in college basketball," Donovan also gave Zack an extremely high evaluation.
79 to 103. After the game, looking at the scoreboard, Donovan knew better than anyone that if the Demon Deacons hadn't eased up in the second half due to the huge lead, the visiting Gators would have likely suffered an even more humiliating defeat.
Without a doubt, in this season opener, Zack and Wake Forest showcased their dominance to the world.
"Zack has confidently secured next year's number one draft pick with a convincing performance in the ACC vs. SEC Challenge." — The New York Times
"Jerry West stated in a phone interview that he would be very surprised if Zack isn't next year's top pick." — The Los Angeles Herald
"Kobe Bryant should thank Zack, because this superstar has stolen the spotlight from the Eagle County incident with an unparalleled performance. Now, Kobe can rest easy while he handles this troubling case." — The Denver Post (Note ①)
"Tim Duncan announced his powerful return with 34 points and 21 rebounds in the Spurs' home game against the Warriors on November 10th." — ESPN News Flash