Gan Guoyang’s advice to Nash was not good at all, even quite misleading.
And Nash didn’t expect that the first time the senior brother played with him, he’d propose such unreliable advice.
In modern basketball, the offensive capability of a Point Guard is much more important than defense, especially as the NBA court space becomes larger.
The defensive benefits of a Point Guard are inherently low; a Point Guard known for great defense can, at most, guard the first and second positions, along with some help defense tasks.
Other critical defensive tasks such as rim protection, backcourt rebounding positioning, and switch delay are often not feasible for Point Guards due to their height limitations.
In contrast, the third and fifth positions have the highest defensive benefits; the fifth position is crucial because it safeguards the important region under the basket, while the third position is versatile, capable of handling tasks across all five positions.
For someone like Nash, a standard Point Guard, no matter how much defense he practices, he is at a mismatch against opponents like Ah Gan. Instead of investing erratically in defensive skills, he should focus on enhancing his offensive capabilities.
It’s no longer the 40s and 50s when a Point Guard was merely about ball handling; nowadays, every team requires offensive prowess from their Point Guards, especially shooting ability.
The best shooters in the League mostly consist of Point Guards from various teams.
Because if a Point Guard lacks exceptional shooting skills, opponents won’t guard closely, thus reducing the threat of passing.
Geniuses like Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd, who succeed despite having average shooting skills, are rare.
Moreover, during every summer, Johnson and Kidd’s primary task is to enhance their shooting skills, as they know it’s their shortcoming preventing them from reaching greater heights.
Following Gan Guoyang’s outside shot that scored, Nash receives the ball in the backcourt, swiftly dribbles past half-court, and directly attacks the basket, attracting defense before passing to the baseline.
Teammate catches the ball for an outside shot, scoring again! As the first half is about to end, Nash provides another assist, accumulating 2 points and 3 assists in just 5 minutes.
"Steve Nash, from Gonzaga University, is also a fellow alumnus of Ah Gan, a Gonzaga-produced gem, his collegiate career is impressive..."
Commentator Bill Schonely introduces Nash’s college career, noting he is Gan Guoyang’s junior, a rare Canadian player.
Before Nash, there were some Canadian players in the League, such as Bulls center Wennington and Mike Smrek during the Lakers’ Showtime era (drafted by the Trail Blazers in 1985 and then traded to the Bulls).
There were also some older players from the 40s and 50s era in the NBA; these Canadian players had two characteristics.
First, even though their nationality was Canadian, their basketball development mostly occurred in America, where they attended high school, college, and joined basketball teams.
Therefore, they are no different from American native players, cultivated and selected under the strong American basketball atmosphere, eventually entering the NBA.
Second, most of these players were inside players, like Wennington and Screa, who were seven-foot centers, as well as players like Stewart Glanger and Ron Coreville, who also played inside.
"A seven-foot height cannot be acquired through training," says a famous scout, noting the importance of height.
However, Nash doesn’t fit either of these traits; he’s a slightly small Point Guard, reporting a draft height of 6 feet 3 inches, 191.
Nowadays, the NBA draft often reports exaggerated heights, with players 175 to 180 usually reporting 6 feet, while those over 185 generally report around 190.
If over 2 meters, inside players report 6 feet 9, and those reaching 6 feet 9 report towards 6 feet 11; the taller, the better.
There are also a few, who think of themselves as too tall and don’t want to play center, they report lower, 7 feet as 6 feet 11, 6 feet 10, and 6 feet 11 as 6 feet 9, hoping to play forward.
Standing on the court, Nash is noticeably shorter than standard players like Porter and Van Exel, who are over 190, suggesting he may not even be 190.
Forget about playing inside; he can only play as a guard.
At the same time, Nash was not entirely nurtured by the American basketball system.
He was born in South Africa and later settled in Victoria, Canada, a sparsely populated area on Canada’s West Coast.
The city has a total population of less than 100,000, incomparable to some larger towns in China.
It’s close to Seattle and Portland; crossing the sea border leads to Washington State.
In middle school, Nash attended Canadian schools, possessing exceptional athletic talents and excelling in basketball, soccer, rugby, hockey, and lacrosse, becoming a star in the basketball, soccer, and rugby teams at school.
In his senior year of high school basketball, he averaged 21 points, 11.2 assists, and 9.1 rebounds per game, leading the team to win the provincial high school basketball championship.
But this championship holds no weight in the American basketball circle; in fact, nobody knew who Steve Nash was.
In 1996, although the internet had emerged, it was not widespread; leaving aside information on high school basketball players, many major news stories weren’t accessible online.
Fast forward 20 years, no basketball talent escapes the plundering and discovery by the world’s largest basketball economy, but in 1996, university coaches and professional teams had a much narrower vision.