025: Lin Qizheng Is Becoming a World-Class Superstar (Please Follow for Updates!)

Real Madrid fans finally rediscovered a long-lost sense of exhilaration.

This, dammit, was the style a La Liga giant should possess. The frustration of failing to reach the playoffs last season was completely released the moment Lynch sank that three-pointer. If the fans were full of anticipation and skepticism toward Lynch before the game, they now held nothing but love for that number 10.

The two-time champion Baskonia surely had not expected the game to open this way. The young man whose trade value, according to Marcellas, was already comparable to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, was proving to be a headache for the South American legion. Their offense and defense were both easily dismantled by that 17-year-old kid.

Of course, the famous American farmer Tom Thibodeau once said, "Basketball is the collaborative farming of five agricultural implements." Lynch’s individual ability was immense, but he could not win the game alone. Whether this team could adapt to Lynch's style and play as a perfect unit was the key to victory.

Soon, the Argentine "Golden Generation" broke their scoring drought. Luis Scola utilized a pick-and-roll and then used an off-ball screen from Oberto to shake his defender, hitting a steady mid-range jumper. However, this success did not last. The brief scoring momentum of the Argentine veterans was quickly snuffed out by the iron-blooded defense forged by Real Madrid around Lynch.

Lynch’s immense range for help-defense forced their offense to become complicated; they needed more passes to find a decent look. And every extra pass hid the risk of being anticipated and intercepted by Real Madrid captain Alberto Herreros. The 35-year-old veteran was performing a textbook display of off-ball defensive art. Like an experienced chess player, he understood his opponent's intentions, appearing precisely at the moment passing lanes formed.

When Scola tried to tear through the defense with high-low post coordination, Alberto Herreros sealed Oberto’s reception angle in advance, forcing Scola to pass to someone else. When Prigioni tried to deliver a cross-court pass, his slide cut off the fast break, forcing Baskonia into a half-court set. These defensive details, which would never be recorded on a stat sheet, dragged Argentina’s team-oriented basketball into a quagmire.

For the first time, Lynch experienced how a veteran forward with average physical gifts could contribute to a team's defense. In these possessions, Herreros recorded nothing—no steals, no rebounds, and certainly no earth-shattering chase-down blocks. From a fan's perspective, Herreros had no impressive moments. Only as his teammate could you truly feel the change he brought to the team.

Lynch began to respect the captain who always did the dirty work in silence, and he understood why this seemingly unremarkable guy could be the leader. Every defensive possession involved Lynch sealing the ball-handler while Alberto Herreros sealed the passing lanes. Every possession, the ticking red numbers on the clock became the most ruthless executioner.

Whenever the shot clock ran down, the South American legion was forced into isolation—which was exactly the defensive trap set by that cunning bastard Julio Lamas. For Baskonia, being forced into isolation was a painful affair, as they were the team with the most assists in La Liga last season, known for their gorgeous style of play.

Any statistic has two sides. High assists meant they were very united, but it also meant their offense was too reliant on passing, with limited individual scoring ability—in La Liga, the Argentines didn't have an "enchanted blade" capable of slicing through iron walls. Forcing them into isolation was akin to making a man willingly drop his gun, forced to fight bare-handed or destroy the opponent with words.

Luis Scola, as the player with the highest success rate in isolation, tried twice to post up Lynch with fancy footwork, but both failed. The first time, this FIBA powerhouse found his view of the basket completely obscured by Lynch’s massive palms during a turnaround jumper. The second time was even more desperate: he unleashed his trademark "dream shake," successfully faking Lynch out, only to have the ball pinned against the backboard by the number 10’s second jump.

In the face of overwhelming talent, mature technique seemed meager.

Alberto Herreros silently adjusted his knee pads. On the stat sheet, he remained a "ghost" with zero steals and zero blocks. But Baskonia’s repeated failed attempts at isolation were the best reward for his defensive wisdom. Lynch, meanwhile, turned Scola’s fancy low-post footwork into a dance of despair.

This defensive system, with Lynch at the core and bolstered by Herreros and others limiting passing lanes, was driving Baskonia into a dead end. Thanks to the efforts of Lynch and the Madrid captain, the South American legion’s offense was stifled.

Even worse, the offensive system built around Lynch acted as a sharp sword, piercing the chests of the South Americans. The turning point was Antonios Fotsis, who had been playing with a frown. As one of the best players in the Greek national team, he was an important signing for Julio Lamas this offseason. He possessed decent athleticism, some ball-handling skills, and an excellent jump shot, capable of playing three frontcourt positions.

In fact, when he first started playing professionally at 16, he was a point guard. It was only as he grew taller that he was pushed to the frontcourt. Therefore, he possessed a complete toolkit of shooting, passing, and dribbling—he was practically a "lite" version of Darko Miličić. Such a strong player should have been the team’s core, but Julio Lamas had thrown him into the five-spot he hated most. The reason? To force the opponent's damn center out of the paint!

Midway through the second quarter, when Fotsis suddenly caught fire and hit two consecutive three-pointers, the Argentine giant Oberto had to follow him out to defend the Greek genius, vacating the paint he needed to protect. This meant that while Real Madrid already had Baskonia in a chokehold defensively, they were now ready to pull out the knife and gut them.

Seeing that Oberto could no longer protect the paint, Luis Bullock, having keenly sensed the opportunity, immediately handed the ball to Lynch. Following his earlier three-pointer, the second thing that caught Baskonia off guard happened: Lynch was actually running the offense with the ball at the perimeter!

Herreros pulled to the corner, directing his teammates. The entire Real Madrid formation dispersed like a tide, clearing a path for Lynch. Oberto wanted to retreat to protect the rim, but the Greek’s hot hand made him hesitate.

Lynch began to dribble, preparing to drive. In FMP, he had never seriously run the offense with the ball. But with Julio’s tactical support, he could be a face-up ball-handler in certain possessions. He had finally obtained the opportunity he dreamed of—to shoulder the entire load.

Nocioni, despite his defensive prowess, lacked the stealing ability of a guard and dared not reach easily. He could only step up, trying to stop Lynch with his strong frame. But almost the moment Nocioni took a step, Lynch launched, attacking the direction of his lead foot. Nocioni hurried to slide over to block, but Lynch used his shoulder to force open space. Luis Scola rushed back, but as a player never known for rim protection, he was knocked out of bounds in mid-air by Lynch, who watched the young number 10 finish the layup.

Without Oberto, Baskonia’s interior defense was as fragile as paper to Lynch. The help-defense from the others simply couldn't handle Lynch’s impact. When Lynch scored that basket, Real Madrid led by 10 points, and Baskonia called a timeout.

Did Real Madrid have a complete system built around Lynch? Now Baskonia knew the answer.

Everyone was celebrating, teammates were high-fiving, and fans were singing wildly. Only Antonios Fotsis muttered to himself in a low voice: "This is the misery of being reduced to a role player."

Deep resentment churned in the Greek’s hollow eyes—he had just sparked a scoring run with two precise three-pointers. By all logic, the team should have continued to feed him to maintain the heat, but that damn number 10 had taken over the offense in the blink of an eye, reaping the fruits of his labor. Just because he was a role player, just because his existence was to serve Lynch.

He hated this feeling. He still couldn't accept that someone of his high status in Greece was now playing second fiddle to a brat. But Julio Lamas’s near-paranoid stubbornness left him without the heart to even raise an objection. Whether he spoke up or not, it was just a waste of time. Watching Lynch become the center of the bullring, Antonios Fotsis almost tore the towel in his hands to shreds.

Why? Dammit, why?!

Defensively, he admitted Lynch was better suited for the four-spot. But offensively, he could clearly do more. That versatile skill set that could play three positions, those nimble hands that played point guard at 16—weren't they more trustworthy than a reckless rookie? He felt he could also shoulder the scoring burden, and do it well.

But at this moment, no one cared about the unhappy Fotsis. Lynch was already setting pen to paper in Madrid, writing his own brilliant epic. Only Alberto Herreros noticed Fotsis, who was staring blankly at the end of the bench. The old captain wiped the sweat from his knee pads, his gaze sweeping over the curled-up figure at the end of the bench. Thirty-five years of professional life had made him well-versed in the undercurrents of the locker room: when the chariot roared forward, any loose screw could trigger a disaster.

He knew this team still had many problems. However, they already had the foundation for success. This "Galacticos" squad, just beginning to reveal its edge, would never allow cracks to swallow the dawn of victory.

He would take care of everything. Because this was his final season. He hoped to bring a championship to Madrid.

By now, the commentators could no longer use the word "madman" to describe Julio Lamas. Starting 17-year-old Lynch wasn't just some crazy move; this guy was clearly treating him as the core of Real Madrid. And as of now, he was succeeding. This 17-year-old guy was supporting a complete system with his young shoulders.

In the subsequent game, Prigioni at one point tried to shoulder the scoring responsibility, crazily attacking the poor defender Luis Bullock. But Lynch protected the American, and during halftime, Luis Bullock told reporters, "I feel like it's fine for me to stand with my hands on my hips on defense."

In the second half, Fotsis’s touch cooled, and Baskonia let their heavy center guard the paint again, which interrupted Real Madrid’s offensive momentum. But Teo came on, and his tacit pick-and-roll with Lynch, along with steady mid-range shooting, tore open the opponent’s wounds once more. Teodosic’s starlight was overshadowed; people seemed to forget that by the standards of a 17-year-old kid, Teo’s debut was also stunning. But Teo didn't care; he never cared about such things, especially since the person bathed in starlight was his best friend.

In the end, Real Madrid crushed Baskonia at home by 13 points, securing their first win of the new season. Lynch’s La Liga debut saw him put up 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks—no minor in the history of the league had ever had a more stunning professional debut.

Watching the boiling bullring, Marcellas closed his notebook. He knew it wasn't just here. After a 17-year-old Lynch put up such a performance in his professional debut, all of North America must be boiling over as well.

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"Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal—can the Los Angeles Galacticos return to championship contention? If not, will the Buss family initiate a rebuilding plan?" — *Los Angeles Times*.

"The 'Smiling Assassin' is willing to trade every player on the team roster, because their goal for next season is to securely land the top draft pick to acquire Lynch." — *The New York Times*.

"The Orlando Magic are shopping Tracy McGrady to make room for their next-generation core, and we all know who that next-generation core is. If the Magic get the top pick, should we choose Lynch? Vote now." — *Orlando Sentinel*.

"Lynch is sparking the craziest tanking wave in the league since the 96-97 season. This young Real Madrid core has already sent half of the NBA teams into a frantic reverse-competition." — *ESPN Magazine*.

"Currently 17 and playing for Real Madrid, Lynch is becoming a world-class superstar." — *Sports Illustrated*.

"Lynch, talk about your conflict with Darko Miličić in Serbia. That was one of the most serious brawls in European basketball. You punched your opponent's face so many times—did it hurt?"

"Of course it hurt, my knuckles were swollen and red for a month. Oh, you’re asking if it hurt for him? Well, I don’t know. Maybe a little bit."

"How would you evaluate your teammates?"

"They are all very, very good men. I like them."

"Now, many Madrid fans say you are their hero. Who is your hero?"

"My mother."

"Last question, what is your goal in La Liga? Is it to ensure a high draft position next year?"

"A high draft position is important, of course, but I am a member of Real Madrid now. So my goal is to win the championship. And if possible, become the MVP."

"Can I be honest? That is a somewhat arrogant goal."

"The last thing my coach, Mr. Boško Đokić, told me was: I am so young, I should be arrogant!"

— Lynch in an exclusive interview with *Marca*.