Name: Julius Creed
Overall Rating: 73 (89)/ B-
League: NBA
Team: Philadelphia 76ers (yet to sign)
Position: Point Guard
Rating: Body A-, Offence B-, Defence B-, Passing B+, Tactics B+
Special Attributes: Creative Passer, Iron Body, Caesar Mode
Body: Strength 80, Speed 82, Jump 78, Acceleration 85, Stamina 77, Agility 82, Balance 86, Reaction Speed 79, Lateral Movement 81
Offense: Basket 65, Mid Range 77, Three Pointer 69, Breakthrough 67, Post Up 71
Defense: Perimeter 68, Inside 75, One on One 67, Assist 72, Blocks 70, Rebounds 72, Steals 71
Passing: Ball Control 81, Pass 77, Vision 80
Tactics: Awareness 80, Off-Ball Running 77, Knowledge 75
Creative Passer: Has a unique mind when it comes to passing the ball on the basketball court. Able to find unpredictable angles and effortlessly execute defense-splitting passes.
Iron Body: Highly tolerant to injuries. Have incredible recovery properties.
Caesar Mode: When angered, able to enter an extremely special state where your fast-twitch muscle fibers work at an extremely accelerated rate. Your concentration, willpower, and awareness also improve tremendously. However, extended usage of this mode will cause fatigue and drain stamina. The probability of encountering fatigue-related injuries increases as well.
*****
His golden finger wasn't some exaggerated phenomenon like the ones he used to read about. It was a simple status panel showing him his current levels and hidden details.
However, the objective analysis of the status panel provided him a comprehensive understanding of his own skill level. With such comprehensive analysis, it became easier for him to undergo targeted training and improve his skill level.
Furthermore, the hidden details like Special Attributes also helped him out a lot. It allowed him to create a playstyle that was unique and perfectly suited for him. In fact, his decision to be a point guard, instead of a shooting guard or other positions, was due to the influence of the panel.
For example, after realising that he had the special ability to perform defense-splitting passes, Julius improved his ball control and passing ability. Likewise, knowing that he had an Iron Body trait allowed him to possess a playstyle that was quite confrontational. He had never been afraid of roughing it up on the court due to worries about injury.
Thus, even though his golden finger wasn't overpowered, Julius was able to leverage it to his advantage and improve himself in an orderly manner. It allowed him to progress smoothly without any hiccups. This way of strengthening his strengths and weakening his weak points was substantial help to his smooth development.
Also, Julius had already seen the panel update things on its own. The Caesar Mode special attribute wasn't present from the beginning. It was added to the list after he entered that state quite a few times. It showed that things like special attributes can be added if he learns special skills in the future.
Julius had tried to add things to the special attributes section by learning new things in the past. Unfortunately, he had failed to do so. Whatever he learned usually fell within the scope of the normal attributes on the panel. It would only increase the values of said attributes instead of adding it as a special skill.
Julius had a hunch that special attributes are probably the unique skills that are exclusive to some players. These unique skills are probably a result of extra characteristics of their physique, skill, mentality, or even a combination of all three. In Julius's estimation, Jordan's ability to stay in the air, Kareem's Skyhook shot, Hakeem’s Dream Shake and Dream Dance, Bird's postup skills, and other similar things might qualify to be included in the special attributes section.
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These are unique specialties of some superstars. Any one of these skills can be a game killer. These are the signature specialities of legends. So, trying to get the next special attribute will not be an easy task. After all, which basketball player doesn't want to learn these skills? But it’s not a simple matter of seeing game videos and imitating them. If that was the case, the streets would be full of Michael Jordans.
Pulling his mind away from the characteristics of the panel, Julius examined his status. Looking at his current rating, Julius couldn't help but frown a bit. After tinkering with the system panel for several years, he was aware of the standards of the system.
To reach A level, the minimum threshold must be above 80, for S level valuation it should be above 90. Likewise, his overall rating was currently only 73, which corresponds to B- level. This was the level of a role player. To be a starter, one must be at the A level minimum. Core players need an S rating at the minimum.
Considering his rating, at present he could only be a substitute in an NBA team. Earlier, at the NCAA level, he acted as a core player despite not reaching the S level. His overall rating at that time was a whooping 89. The sudden drop in ratings indicated that he wasn't fully prepared for the NBA league level yet.
Julius had expected this change. After all, he had already experienced it at both the high school level and the NCAA level. But the changes at that level weren't this prominent. This showed the huge difference between the NCAA level and the NBA level.
Earlier, despite the changes in valuation, he had always maintained a starter level at the minimum. Now, this sudden shift to being pushed to the substitute level made him uncomfortable. He hadn't encountered the B level rating for a long time. This naturally made him a bit anxious.
Calming down, Julius began to go through the data reflected on the panel carefully. These standards were NBA level. That meant his ability was still not up to par. Moreover, the level of confrontation in the NBA is higher. The NHC rule will not be implemented for years to come. So, it was imperative that he needed to improve quickly.
Luckily, looking at the data, Julius was able to see one blessing. His body was already at the A- level. With scientific training and hard work, it wouldn't be difficult to raise it to A+ level in the coming months. Within a year, his body would be ready to compete in NBA games at the top level.
That was a good thing.
However, the decrease in technical statistics showed that he needed to focus more on them. The technical level he used to dominate the NCAA was not up to par at the NBA level. If he had honed his techniques a little further by spending another year in the NCAA, it would have been better. But, that wasn't an option for him, so it is a moot point to discuss.
“Guess I will need to ramp up my technical training more. The first thing to do should be to concentrate on my passing skills. It is already close to A- level, some targeted training will push it to that level,” Julius analyzed calmly.
“However, the drop in my offense and defense skills is the most worrying. I guess those are the culprits who dragged my overall evaluation down. Especially, the dip in basket skills and three-pointer level. Perimeter defense has also gone down. Hmmm…”
As Julius analyzed the reasons, he soon figured it out. Three-pointers didn't need much analysis. The distance in the NBA is bigger than in the NCAA. So, it was logical for it to drop.
As for basket skills, he will need to experience the confrontation at the basket in the NBA to figure out how to improve. It can't be rushed. Likewise, perimeter defense and one-on-one defense mostly relied on body attributes. Those will grow once his body starts catching up to the NBA level and experiencing some games.
These things can't be rushed. Julius was aware of this fact and wouldn't worry much about this dip. Right now, the most important thing is to establish a foothold in the team and gain the appreciation of the coach. Many rookies fail at this stage due to misplaced priorities. He didn't want to follow that path.
Recalling the information he knew about the 76ers, Julius realized that John Lucas was both the Head Coach and General Manager. So, it was imperative to get his appreciation. He knew that it could be done only during the training camp and pre-season games.
As for the summer league that rookies will participate in, Julius doesn't think John Lucas will be free enough to pay attention to it. Usually, an assistant coach will be the one to lead the team there. Moreover, he wasn't sure if those were even available at this point in time.
As far as he knew, the 76ers already have a starting point guard by the name of Dana Barros. He performed mediocrely in the past season. Even if John Lucas doesn't allow him to start, he would be placed in the rotation lineup at least. This would be his opportunity to shine.
So, the question now was how to shine.
With the current attributes of his body, it would be fine to play against weak teams and in summer league, but otherwise, he would really be in trouble. So, he needs to strengthen some aspects in the short term to get a foothold first. Comprehensive development can be abandoned for the time being. So, it was time to maximize his advantages.
What are his advantages? One, the 76ers are in dire need of qualified point guards. They only have one combat-effective one. As for Kevin Pritchard, the backup point guard, Julius could only scoff at him. He had not proved himself in five years in the NBA. Julius didn't take such a person seriously.
Two, his passing and mid-range is passably good now. So, if he focuses on them in the upcoming months, he will be able to improve their level to a decent state. At least, he wouldn't embarrass himself. This way, he would be able to guarantee his spot as a substitute point guard.
With these two factors, Julius was confident of establishing himself in his rookie year. As for other honors and stuff, Julius didn't care.