Chapter 179: Making Them Pay

Marcus POV

The mood inside the film room was quieter than usual after the loss. Nobody liked watching a game they should have won.

The coaches let several possessions play without saying a word.

Marcus watched himself bring the ball up the floor, use a screen, and immediately draw two defenders. The possession ended with a contested shot from someone else.

The head coach paused the video."This isn't why we lost."

The room stayed silent. He circled Marcus with the laser pointer, then moved it to the opposite side of the floor.

"This is."

Another circle appeared around a teammate standing alone in the corner.

"When two defenders commit to one player, somebody is open."

The clip rolled again. Marcus saw it immediately this time. The weak-side defender had left early. One pass would have created an open three.

The pass never came. The possession ended in a turnover.

"We spent all night trying to beat the double team," the coach said. "That's the wrong fight."

He looked around the room."Make them pay for sending it."

Marcus wrote the words in his notebook.

Make them pay. Practice that morning revolved around one lesson. Every drill started with Marcus catching the ball before a second defender rushed toward him.

His job wasn't to split the trap or force a difficult shot. He had to recognize where the help came from and move the ball before the defense recovered.

The first few possessions were late. A pass reached the corner just as the defender closed out. The whistle blew.

"Again."

Marcus caught the next pass and held it for half a second too long. Another whistle.

"Earlier."

He nodded and reset. The next repetition felt different. The second defender stepped toward him. Marcus fired the ball across the court without thinking.

The shot went up before the defense could recover."That's it," the head coach called.

The drill continued. Again. Again. Again.

Each repetition became faster than the last until the read started feeling automatic.

During the afternoon scrimmage, the coaches recreated the same situation.

Marcus came off a screen near the wing. Two defenders trapped him immediately.

Instead of attacking the gap, he skipped the ball to the opposite corner.

One of the rookie forward caught it in rhythm. Three points. The whistle sounded.

"Perfect read," Coach Reynolds said.

The rookie jogged past Marcus with a grin.

"If they keep chasing you, I'll take those shots all day."

Marcus laughed. "Deal."

The offense flowed better after that. The defense had to choose between stopping Marcus or leaving someone else open.

Either way, Philadelphia had an answer.

During a water break, one of the younger guards walked over."How do you know they're bringing the second guy?"

Marcus wiped the sweat from his face before answering."I don't watch the defender in front of me."

The guard frowned."I watch the one who's supposed to help."He pointed toward the court."The moment he leaves his man, he's already told you where the pass needs to go."

The younger guard looked back at the floor as if seeing it differently. "Makes sense."

Marcus smiled."It gets easier the more you see it."

Kevin had been filling his water bottle nearby. As the younger guard walked away, the veteran bumped Marcus lightly with his shoulder.

"You've done that before."

Marcus looked at him."Done what?"

"Taught the game."

Marcus shrugged."I was just answering a question."

Kevin smiled."Exactly."

Practice wrapped up a little later than usual. Marcus headed home with the film still replaying in his head, though this time it wasn't the mistakes he remembered. It was the solutions.

The smell of garlic greeted him the moment he stepped into the apartment.

Simone stood at the stove, stirring a pot of pasta sauce.

"You look happier."

Marcus set his bag by the door."Better practice."

She smiled."Good."

He leaned against the counter while she finished cooking."The coaches figured out why I struggled."

She looked over her shoulder."And?"

"I kept trying to beat the double team."

"What were you supposed to do?"

He laughed."Exactly what you would've told me."

She raised an eyebrow."Which is?"

"Find the open man."

She smiled without turning around."I like your coaches."

"So do I."

During dinner, Marcus opened the game clips on his tablet and replayed one possession."This one."

Simone watched quietly.

"They trap me here." He paused the video.

"The corner's open. But you never looked."

Marcus nodded."I saw it today."

She reached across the table and squeezed his hand."That's progress."

The next preseason game arrived two nights later. Marcus checked in midway through the first quarter. The defense wasted no time.

The second defender sprinted toward him the moment he came off a screen. Marcus saw it coming. One quick pass hit the wing. Another pass found the corner.

The shot dropped cleanly through the net.

As they ran back on defense, Coach Reynolds folded his arms.

"There it is."

The head coach didn't take his eyes off the floor."They'll adjust."

A few possessions later, the trap came again. Marcus stayed patient. The help defender committed. Marcus skipped the ball across the court. Another open shot.

Another basket.

The opposing coach called timeout. Marcus jogged toward Philadelphia's bench without looking at the scoreboard.

The lesson from practice had worked.

Now the other team had to find another answer. And when they did, Marcus knew the coaches would expect him to solve that one too.