The first game of 2015 had the Kings visiting the Timberwolves. For Minnesota, it marked another year of decline. After trading away their star, Kevin Love, the team's new centerpiece, Andrew Wiggins, showed the talent expected of a number one pick. But with little help around him, the Timberwolves once again found themselves competing for the draft lottery.
The Kings took an easy win on the road, but their momentum soon slipped.
They handled the Pistons and Thunder both home and away, but then faltered against the Nuggets, Cavaliers, and Mavericks, dropping three straight in Sacramento. Their record fell to 25–13. The impact was immediate — the cushion they had worked so hard to build early in the season was gone. The fifth-seeded Clippers surged past them in the standings.
Fortunately, the battle-tested Grizzlies also went on a skid, saving the Kings from tumbling into the bottom half of the bracket.
Still, that losing streak at home dealt a heavy blow to the team's confidence. Veteran coach Mike Malone could see it clearly — his young squad had hit the rookie wall.
Most of the main rotation, like LaVine and Jokić, were pure rookies. Even their second option, CJ, was only in his sophomore year. Players like LeBron James — who could dominate from their very first game and never slow down — were rare exceptions.
For most young players, the rookie wall was unavoidable, a hurdle every prospect had to climb. Plenty of gifted talents had seen their careers stall right there.
Knowing how critical this was, Malone worked hard to steady his rookies' morale.
Even so, part of the blame for the losing streak fell on Chen Yilun himself. While the youngsters battled on the court, Chen Yilun wasn't even in Sacramento. Without their "cheat code," the Kings dropping a few games wasn't exactly surprising.
At the University of Kentucky gym, Chen Yilun sat bundled in a heavy coat and sunglasses, watching the Wildcats' practice with sharp focus. Beside him, an analyst introduced the NCAA's top prospects one by one.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Karl-Anthony Towns will be the strongest contender for the number one pick this year," the analyst said, pointing at Towns warming up on the floor.
Chen Yilun rolled his eyes behind the shades. "Of course I know him. But the real question is — what does he have to do with us right now?"
This year, the Kings only held their own first-round pick plus a swap option with the Knicks. In the original timeline, New York was supposed to bottom out and land the fourth pick. But maybe because the swap rights were in Sacramento's hands, the Knicks hadn't collapsed as expected. Instead, they were clinging to the playoff race.
As things stood, the Kings would be lucky to land a lottery pick.
Trying to ease the tension, the analyst quickly added, "There are also two other key players. Trey Lyles, Towns' frontcourt partner at power forward, and Devin Booker, their main scoring threat in the backcourt. Both could end up in the lottery."
He hesitated, then asked, "Boss, aren't we a little early with this? Don't we usually start serious scouting during March Madness?"
March Madness — the NCAA's March tournament — was so massive and popular that even the NBA Finals schedule deferred to it.
"You're missing the point." Chen Yilun didn't take his eyes off the court. "Getting ahead of the curve is always better than scrambling late."
The analyst chuckled. "Fair enough. Just don't say I didn't warn you if we end up watching a lot of meaningless games."
"You never quit, do you!"
After some banter, Kentucky began an intra-squad scrimmage. Chen Yilun's eyes narrowed on a slightly slender figure gliding across the court.
"Talk to the coach later. Pay special attention to that Devin Booker."
The analyst hurriedly made a note. "Boss, are you thinking of finding CJ a secondary ball handler?"
"Hard to say who'll be backing up who," Chen Yilun thought silently.
Maybe because they knew Chen Yilun was in attendance, the Wildcats played with extra energy, treating the scrimmage like a real game. Afterward, he went down to chat briefly with the coach.
"Hey, that's Chen Yilun," Booker whispered to Towns from the bench as they watched him.
"Yeah, he looks taller than on TV. Who do you think he's here for?" Towns asked, speaking through his towel.
"Who else? Definitely you," a junior chimed in. "But honestly, if you got drafted by the Kings, that wouldn't be bad at all."
"Since Chen Yilun took over, he's been giving rookies real chances. Have you seen their games? He's playing the kids."
That was exactly the signal Chen Yilun wanted to send: the Kings were committed to developing young talent, no longer a graveyard for rookies.
If he wanted smooth operations in the future, he had to keep pushing that narrative. After all, choosing players wasn't one-sided. For the top prospects, it was always a two-way decision.
After finishing his talk with the coach, Chen Yilun prepared to leave. It was still early, and the main goal of this trip was showing his face at college gyms and building goodwill.
"Boss, this was the last stop. Where do we go tomorrow?" The analyst followed with a large briefcase. Over the past two days, they had covered nearly every NCAA powerhouse.
"The last stop?" Chen Yilun paused, thought for a moment, then said, "We're not heading back yet. Let's go to Tennessee."
"Tennessee?" The analyst frowned, checking his tablet. "Sure, they're a seeded team, but most of their core guys are upperclassmen. Not much upside. Why bother?"
Chen Yilun wagged a finger. "We're going to see if we can find a hidden gem."
This Tennessee trip wasn't a whim. In his memory from his previous life, there was indeed a valuable prospect hidden there.
In the NBA, nothing stayed secret. Every move by every decision-maker was watched by reporters. From the very beginning, the old foxes already knew about Chen Yilun's travels.
"Look at Yilun — always grinding. Unlike you, hiding in the office all day," Popovich sneered at Buford inside San Antonio's front office.
Buford tossed his pen down. "Ungrateful as always. How am I slacking? Let the young guys do the running. Stop throwing your apprentice in my face."
"What are you talking about? Isn't he your apprentice too?"
"Of course I recognize him. I'm just trying to figure him out." Buford handed Popovich a sheet of paper. "These are the players he's been scouting lately. I've studied this half the day and still can't figure out what that kid is up to."
Popovich looked it over carefully. "What the hell is this? It's all over the place."
No wonder the two veterans couldn't make sense of it. On this trip, Chen Yilun had cast a wide net — checking every type of player, every position, asking about everyone.
"No, I need to get out there myself in the next few days. I want to see what that kid is really planning." Buford lit a cigar and muttered to himself.
...
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