Chapter 183: The Assignment

Marcus POV

Marcus arrived at the arena before sunrise. A few members of the coaching staff were already inside, setting up video clips for the morning meeting while equipment managers prepared the locker room.

The building was quiet, but it carried a different feeling from their last road trip. Philadelphia was facing one of the conference favorites, and everyone knew this would be their toughest challenge of the young season.

Marcus grabbed a coffee and settled into his seat as the lights dimmed.The first clip showed the opposing All-Star wing bringing the ball up the floor. Coach Reynolds let the possession play through before stopping it.

"Watch his feet."

The video rolled again.

"He wants to attack left, but he'll come back right if you overplay him. He isn't looking for highlight plays. He's looking for mistakes."

Another possession appeared on the screen. The All-Star backed his defender toward the elbow, waited for help to arrive, then faded away for an easy jumper.

"He doesn't rush," Reynolds continued. "He makes defenders impatient."

The room stayed silent. Then Reynolds looked at Marcus."You'll spend most of the night on him."

Marcus nodded.

"You don't have to shut him down. Nobody shuts him down. Make him work for everything he gets. If he finishes with points after taking tough shots, we can live with that."

Marcus closed his notebook. The assignment was clear. After the meeting, he stayed on the practice court with one of the assistant coaches.

They worked through defensive slides, closeouts, and fighting over screens. Every drill ended the same way, with Marcus recovering into position instead of reaching for the ball.

Kevin wandered onto the floor carrying a basketball."Coach keeping you busy?"

Marcus smiled."Trying to."

Kevin bounced the ball once before handing it to him."Remember something tonight. The crowd is going to cheer every time he scores."

Marcus listened.

"They won't notice the shots you force him to miss. That's the job."

Marcus nodded. He didn't need anything else. By the time the game started, the arena had transformed. Every seat was filled, and the home crowd welcomed its star with a roar that shook the building.

Marcus stood across from him during introductions, studying his movements instead of the noise around them. The opening minutes went exactly as expected.

The All-Star came off a screen, rose into a pull-up jumper, and knocked it down. On the next possession, he attacked the rim and finished through contact.

The crowd erupted after each basket.

Marcus never changed his expression. He jogged back into position and waited for the next possession.

Gradually, the game began to settle. When the All-Star tried to turn the corner again, Marcus beat him to the spot and forced him toward help. The shot bounced off the rim.

A few possessions later, Marcus fought through another screen and stayed attached long enough to contest a fadeaway that fell short.

Kevin secured the rebound and pointed at Marcus."That's it."

Marcus simply nodded as they pushed the ball up the floor. Neither player backed away from the challenge. The All-Star kept attacking, mixing jumpers with drives and post-ups, searching for any weakness he could exploit.

Marcus answered with discipline instead of gambling for steals. He stayed between his man and the basket, trusted the help behind him, and made every catch feel uncomfortable.

Late in the second quarter, the All-Star drove hard toward the baseline before spinning back into the lane. Marcus stayed with him, raised both hands, and forced another difficult fadeaway.

The shot hit the back rim. As they ran up the floor, the All-Star glanced at him with a small smile.

"You've done your homework."

Marcus smiled back. "I'm still studying."

Philadelphia went into halftime trailing by four. Inside the locker room, the coaches skipped over the made baskets and focused on the defensive possessions.

Coach replayed the missed fadeaway from the end of the second quarter. He paused the screen."This is what we want."

Nobody celebrated the clip. It was only one possession, but it showed everyone exactly how they wanted to defend for the rest of the night.

The second half became a battle of patience. The All-Star stopped forcing the action. Instead, he called for different screens, tried to create switches, and tested every matchup Philadelphia gave him.

Marcus stayed locked in, communicating with his teammates and recovering quickly whenever the offense tried to create space.

Midway through the third quarter, the All-Star caught the ball near the elbow and looked at Marcus. "You've changed."

Marcus stayed in his stance."So has my game."

The All-Star gave a quiet laugh before making his move. Marcus slid with him, cut off the drive, and forced another contested jumper that bounced away.

This time, the veteran center didn't say anything. He simply slapped Marcus's hand as they ran past each other. The game remained close until the final minutes.

Philadelphia trailed by one when the All-Star cleared the floor for an isolation possession. The crowd rose to its feet, expecting him to take over.

Marcus stayed patient. The crossover created no space. The second drive met his chest. With the shot clock winding down, the All-Star leaned back into another difficult fadeaway.

The ball caught the front rim and bounced out. Kevin grabbed the rebound and fired an outlet pass to Marcus. He crossed half court with defenders closing from both sides.

Instead of forcing the fast break, he waited for the defense to collapse before swinging the ball to the point guard. One extra pass reached the rookie forward in the corner.

Three points. Philadelphia took the lead. The bench exploded, but Marcus was already running back on defense. The final minute disappeared quickly.

When the buzzer sounded, Philadelphia had escaped with another hard-earned win. Players met near midcourt before heading toward the tunnel.

The All-Star stopped beside Marcus and held out his hand."I remember when talent solved everything."

Marcus shook it. "It doesn't last forever."

Kevin smiled."No. Learning how to play does."

Marcus thanked him before walking toward the locker room. His phone buzzed just before he reached the hallway. A message from Simone appeared on the screen.

Defense doesn't always make the highlights. I watched every possession. Proud of you.

Marcus smiled and slipped the phone back into his pocket. Inside the locker room, the coaches were already talking about the next opponent.

Another scouting report would be waiting in the morning, and another challenge would come with it. The season wasn't slowing down, and Marcus didn't expect it to.

For the first time in a long time, that was exactly the way he wanted it.