"We all know Nikola's ability. He is the magician of Chicago." At the post-match press conference, when a reporter asked about Jokic's performance, Xu Yong gave his evaluation with a smile.

He has always been generous with his praise for his teammates, not to mention that Jokic's strength has improved so obviously this season.

However, the Bulls' debut today was destined to be overshadowed by the battle between Ray Clark and Warriors, and social media was in an uproar after the game.

"That's basically a traveling move! I've never heard of someone taking a step back and then taking two steps back!"

"The referee ruined this game. This should have been a victory for the Warriors!"

"Who said Durant is now Nike's top brand? And we are just Adidas and Under Armour."

"If you don't understand, you can study the rules of the league and don't treat the referees as nothing." Comment from "KBforever".

"You guys are so funny. Why weren't you guys so excited when LeBron took the eight steps?" Comment from "KBfnas".

"I agree. I used to be a James fan. I was embarrassed by the Kings' traveling at that time. Look how much he struggled in the first half of last season!"

"But he has changed now!"

"Haha, you finally admitted it! I killed someone, but if I change, I'm a good person?" Comment from "KBfnas".

"There was no traveling on this ball. It was a rule jam. I have reason to believe that Harden was there studying the rules at four in the morning. He is a player with a high IQ."

"Tsk tsk, you formed a cosmic team just to fight the Thunder until the last minute? The Thunder only has two All-Stars, and you have four."

"Green played really badly. He doesn't deserve to be an All-Star. Seeing Capela dominate the paint, it would be better to trade him for a blue-collar center."

"You know nothing!" Comment from "Draymond Green".

"It's started, it's started, I'll go first, Green CBA!"

…

After defeating the Heat to get off to a good start, the Bulls entered a very comfortable rhythm. They achieved a record of 13 wins and 1 loss in the first month of the season, with the only loss being to the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers played very well in that game, with the Big Three all scoring 20+.

After James left, the most worrying issue about the Cavaliers was the team's organizational problems, because they only had one key operation in the summer, which was to trade Shumpert for James Johnson from the Raptors.

The Raptors used this opportunity to improve their perimeter defensive strength, while the Cavaliers supplemented their organizational capabilities after James left.

Johnson also earned himself a chance to start with his outstanding performance last season.

Of course, although Johnson can organize, he is definitely not as good as James because of his limited ability to attack with the ball.

But he is not the only one on the Cavaliers who can organize. Irving can organize, and even Love can.

When James was absent last season, Love's organization helped the team very well.

As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. The Cavaliers' organizational ability did not weaken by doing this, but more importantly, they divided the ball possession.

Irving has the ball, Love has the ball, and even Davis has the ball. Compared to having all the ball rights concentrated in one person's hands, this is more beneficial to the overall environment of the team.

As evidence of this, the Cavaliers' record in the first month was 12 wins and 1 loss, second only to the Bulls and even one more win than the Raptors.

Back to the Bulls, the reason they can achieve such a record, in addition to the basic iron triangle, is the performance of Jokic and Johnson.

Johnson averaged 10 points per game this season, with a shooting percentage of 43.6%, 3.3 three-point shots per game, and a hit rate of 43.4%!

The Bulls originally expected him to be able to take advantage of the ball in the transition period from the bench, but he ended up playing more like an outside shooter.

First of all, Johnson has this ability. When he was playing for the Suns, he was a 3D player next to Nash.

In his last season before leaving the Suns, he averaged 4.5 three-pointers per game and shot an abnormally accurate 47.5%.

The reason for such a change now is not that he can't play one-on-one or handle the ball, but that someone on the Bulls can handle the ball better.

That’s right, it’s Jokic, the Serbian tea artist, Chicago magician, and recently affectionately called “Joker” by fans.

As a substitute, Jokic played 19 minutes per game, contributing 11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, with a two-point shooting percentage of 57.8% and a three-point shooting percentage of 32.4%.

Generally speaking, a team's sixth man is on the outside because it is easy for the outside to take up the ball, but now, Jokic has become the Bulls' sixth man as a center by virtue of his outstanding performance.

The only thing that can limit his playing time is his playing time.

The Bulls only lost one game in the first month, but they were not the only team to do so. Another team in the Western Conference also did it.

Not the Thunder, but the Warriors.

After losing to the Thunder in the first game, the Warriors started a winning streak, winning 13 games in a row.

Just as Xu Yong had seen before, on paper, this Warriors team should be a championship team, and James' technical characteristics fit the Warriors very well. They have produced a nearly perfect chemistry, although... Green's performance is still struggling.

But in fact, except for blocking in the interior, James can do everything that Green can do, and he can do it better.

The Thunder also performed very well. Durant averaged 33 points per game in the first month, making him the Western Conference's leading scorer and the Western Conference's Player of the Month for the first month.

In terms of record, the Thunder only lost one more game than the Warriors.

In addition to Durant, Harden also played very well. He averaged 25 points per game. In the game against the Pacers, he made 6 three-pointers in the final quarter and scored 21 points in a single quarter to lead the team to victory.

So even though the Mavericks have withdrawn from the championship race in the Western Conference this year due to Leonard's injury, the battle between the Thunder and the Warriors will be very exciting.

In December, the temperature in Chicago finally began to drop significantly. At the end of November, the highest temperature was still above 20 degrees Celsius, but suddenly one day, it dropped to only three or four degrees, and the lowest temperature was below 0 degrees.

The rivers began to freeze and the wind became bitingly cold. Chicago encountered a rare cold wave and pedestrians on the street began to wear hats and wrap themselves in thick cotton jackets.

The cold winter also brought a new problem to the Bulls, Jokic's positioning problem.

Theoretically, Jokic's current performance requires more playing time, but Adams, as one of the iron triangle, plays an irreplaceable role on the defensive end, and he is at his peak, so he also needs playing time.

In fact, apart from Xu Yong, no one guessed that Jokic's talent could be so good, so the current situation seems very contradictory.

Some people outside began to suggest letting Jokic play the power forward position, including Xu Yong, who thought that might be the only solution, but Thibodeau never tried it.

Xu Yong has communicated with Thibodeau. Thibodeau has always doubted Jokic's defensive ability, and this will not change even if he is no longer coaching the Bulls.

So there is no way he would let Adams play as a substitute and Jokic start.

Xu Yong did not object to this point. Putting aside the bond of the iron triangle, the Bulls' starting lineup needed a blue-collar player who could protect the rim.

Especially now that the team's power forward position is relatively weak, although Anderson has good mobility, he can't defend against low-post back-to-the-basket shots like Aldridge and Randolph. Adams' assist defense is inevitable, which is something Jokic cannot do.

Of course, they also talked about the idea of ​​letting Jokic play the four position.

"I don't think it's a wise decision to let Yao and Shaq play together. It goes against the times." Thibodeau made an analogy and expressed his point very clearly.

The twin tower tactic is too old-fashioned, especially under the current league rules, playing with twin towers is like tying your own feet.

Thibodeau is rigid and persistent in his views on defense, but that doesn't mean his basketball thinking is conservative.

On the contrary, as a coach who has been committed to playing defensive counterattacks since 2010, he has a clear understanding of the trend of basketball of the time.

The Bulls suffered two consecutive losses in early December, and the team's touch seemed to be frozen by the cold weather.

At the post-game press conference after the home loss to the Wizards, a reporter asked about Jokic's starting lineup.

"Joker had a great touch today, why couldn't he stay on the court until the last minute?"

You have to admit that Jokic, as a big man who can pass the ball, and pass it well, just like Sabonis and Divac back then, is very popular, especially since he looks very cute.

Thibodeau directly refused to answer the question. It was not that he was avoiding it, but he had already answered a similar question after the previous game.

Just like what was passed to Xu Yong, he did not think it was a wise decision to use the twin towers at the last moment.

Because of his actions this time, he attracted a lot of questions on social media after the game.

"Thibodeau has coached the Bulls for seven years and has created many brilliant achievements for the team, but his thinking is obviously behind the times. I think it's time to replace a head coach for the Bulls, just like Steve Kerr replaced Mark Jackson."

"I don't think it's time to change coaches, but Thibodeau must be flexible in his use of players, rather than being so rigid. Isn't it a matter of course to keep the player who is in good shape on the court?"

"Everyone thinks Jokic can start at the power forward position, but Thibodeau is the only one who insists on it, just like he stubbornly fucked Rose back then, which led to Rose being ruined."

…

The cold wave in Chicago continues, the Bulls' cold touch continues, and this period of the schedule is relatively difficult. The Bulls' record has dropped compared to November, which has also brought the outside world's doubts about Thibodeau to a climax.

"It's time for Mike Malone to become the new head coach of the Bulls." This was a highlighted comment on social media and was also discussed on ESPN's show.

Finally, when the time came for the Christmas game, Thibodeau started Jokic at the power forward position against the Raptors.

Did Thibodeau compromise? Obviously not, Xu Yong knew that he was not that kind of person.

So is he angry? A little bit.

Because the Raptors' starting power forward is Antetokounmpo, his technical characteristics will make Jokic very passive on the defensive end.

If you really want Jokic to play well at the power forward position, you should pick a team like the Grizzlies or the Lakers that has a slower game tempo and a lot of low-post tactics.

But from another perspective, Thibodeau's approach is reasonable, because the Bulls have only one goal this season to win the championship. If they can't win against opponents of the same level like the Raptors, what's the point of beating the Grizzlies or the Lakers and letting Jokic put up good stats?

This game is a challenge and an opportunity for Jokic.

Jokic played very actively and proactively on the court, even flying to grab the ball, but the overall effect was very poor.

On the offensive end, which is where he is best, because the Bulls already have Butler and Xu Yong on the court, he doesn't have the ball very often, which prevents him from showing off his passing skills.

The bigger problem comes from the defensive end.

Compared with the matchup between him and Antetokounmpo, the biggest problem on the court is the passivity at the tactical level.

Once the Bulls fail to score in positional warfare, they basically cannot retreat, or if they do retreat, it will be a situation of 2 defending 3, or 3 defending 4.

Facts have proved that Thibodeau's theory is not wrong. The twin towers are simply not feasible in the small ball era. Even though Jokic has lost weight this season, his speed is still much slower than that of the average power forward.

Thibodeau only used the twin towers for one quarter in the end, and he didn't use them again in the second quarter.

He was a little angry, but he didn't lose his mind.

After Jokic came off the court, he sat on the bench with a towel wrapped around his head, looking very depressed.

Xu Yong also felt a little uncomfortable seeing this.

He can understand why Jokic is frustrated. The most uncomfortable feeling is to be unable to use your strength on the court.

Speaking of giving advice to Foreman, he was more concerned about the fact that as a reborn person he could not miss such an option.

But if he doesn't bring Jokic to Chicago, then Jokic should be developed in Denver.

If he remembered correctly, the second-year Jokic had squeezed Nurkic to the bench and became the core of the Nuggets.

But now, Chicago can't give Jokic a platform to display his talents.

People are selfish. His initial choice was selfish, but now it seems that it is not a good thing for Jokic.

During the rotation phase of the second quarter, Xu Yong was ready to play.

As he passed by Jokic, he reached out and patted Jokic on the shoulder before going on the court.

Xu Yong scored 50 points in the last three quarters and 61 points in the whole game, helping the Bulls to finally defeat the Raptors and end their losing streak.

The outside world's attention suddenly shifted to Xu Yong. They realized that it had been more than a month since the start of the game, and Xu Yong had only scored 60+ for the first time.

Compared to the crazy scoring Xu Yong in last season's playoffs, they all felt a little unfamiliar.

"When I went out this morning, I saw that the icicles at the door had begun to melt. I believe this is good news for the team." At the press conference, Xu Yong used a very vivid metaphor to describe the team's prospects.

There's no way the cold snap will last the entire winter, and there's no way the Bulls' touch will never recover.

After returning to the locker room after the technical press conference, Xu Yong saw that Jokic had not taken a shower yet, but was sitting there with a serious expression on his phone. Jokic didn't even notice when he walked over.

Xu Yong looked down and found that Jokic was watching some funny videos, which formed a sharp contrast with his serious expression.

Xu Yong reached out and patted his shoulder. After Jokic looked up, he advised, "Don't put so much pressure on yourself."

At this moment, Malone entered the locker room. He also came to enlighten Jokic.

When Jokic first arrived in Chicago, the team arranged for Malone to train him individually, which allowed the two to establish a good master-disciple relationship.

Malone went to Jokic and talked to him for a few words. Jokic suddenly said to Malone: ​​"Mike, let me play as a substitute."

Not only did Ma Long stop talking, Xu Yong was also surprised, and everyone else in the locker room turned around as well.

Generally speaking, it is common for players to ask the coaching staff to be the starter, but it is rare to see someone actively asking for the ball to be a substitute.

"Nikola, this is just the first game," Malone said.

"That's enough," Jokic said candidly.

Hearing this, Xu Yong put away his surprise.

Yes, Jokic's basketball IQ is enough for him to know from one game that it is not feasible for him to play at the four position, and Thibodeau will never let him start at the five position, so his best destination in the Bulls is still on the bench.

And the fact that he chose to do it in such an occasion rather than in private is actually a statement that he does not want to cause conflicts within the Bulls because of himself.

Is this normal?

It's normal. After all, he is only in his sophomore year, and he is on a team that is about to become a dynasty. What qualifications does he have to ask for so much?

When Malone saw this, he knew that Jokic was serious. Although he felt a little sorry for his disciple, he finally nodded.

This may be the best outcome, for now.

When he returned to the villa, Xu Yong found that Jokic rarely made tea.

In the past period of time, in order to cope with the cold wave in Chicago, this guy has been making tea every day, which even made Xu Yong curious and asked about his progress in Jindan cultivation.

"Are you still a little unhappy?" Xu Yong asked after sitting down.

"Well, it's definitely not fun if you play badly." Jokic nodded.

"I thought you couldn't start." Xu Yong was quite direct.

"Boss, I don't care about that. It's enough that the team wins." Jokic looked at Xu Yong seriously and said.

Xu Yong looked at Jokic's eyes and nodded, "I believe it."

What else could he say except the letter?

He can't persuade Jokic to leave after persuading Butler to leave last season, right?

And there is no point in regretting the original choice, because there is everything in this world except regret medicine.

There is only one way out of the current situation: there will always be a way when the car reaches the mountain, and the boat will naturally go straight when it reaches the bridge.

"I heard that a new kind of tea has been launched recently. Would you like me to ask someone to bring some to you?" Xu Yong asked.

"Really?" Jokic instantly perked up after hearing this.

"How could I lie to you?" Xu Yong nodded with a smile.

…

As Jokic took the initiative to ask to return to the bench, the doubts about Thibodeau over the past month also dissipated.

And when it came to January, the temperature in Chicago finally began to rise.