Chapter 77: Milking a Sheep for All It’s Worth.
Time flew by, and it was already 2010.
Before you knew it, mid-January had arrived.
In the past half month, Han Sen gradually adapted to his new role with the Cavaliers.
Although he no longer received the same attention from the entire team, like when they were feeding him the ball in the Celtics game, he remained the top option for defending the opponent's offensive focal point.
However, he became the player responsible for leading the second unit and often became the team's second, or even first, option in clutch moments.
His shot attempts increased, and with that, so did his stats.
Before January, he was averaging 20.3 minutes per game, with 8.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game, shooting 44.2% from the field and 38.5% from three.
His inconsistent playing time as a rookie, along with not being on the floor during crucial moments, caused his performance to fluctuate greatly.
However, in these past two weeks of January, his playing time jumped to 28.5 minutes per game, and he averaged 14.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 46.8% and a three-point shooting percentage of 41.9%.
He outscored O'Neal, trailing only behind LeBron James and Mo Williams.
With such performances, he became a strong contender for the Rookie of the Month award in January.