As he pulls up for yet another mid-range jumper, a crowd of reporters and scouts quickly gravitate toward the end of the court Jerry West has been practicing in for the past hour. So far he hasn't missed from mid-range, although he has shown signs of notable rawness from beyond the arc. Nevertheless, ever since he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, he has dedicated every waking moment to improving his overall game and getting into shape, and he'd be damned if anybody was going to get in his way. A crowd quickly forms around him as he steps off the court, completing yet another shootaround.
Reporters flock around the young star, eager to talk to the 2nd overall pick of the 2022 PBSL Draft. As a reporter shoves his microphone in his face, Jerry West can't help but feel a little overwhelmed.
Dwayne Davis: Yo, Jerry! Over here! Dwayne Davis, ESPN. How was your workout today?
Jerry West: So far, so good. Every day I come a little bit closer to reaching my goal, which is great. One of these days, you're all going to look back and tell your children about how you saw one of the all-time greats play, I'll tell you that much.
Austin Applewood: Austin Applewood, FOX Sports. Jerry, what was your reaction to being drafted by the Denver Nuggets, who finished last year with a 25‒57 record?
Jerry West: I'm just delighted to be in the NBA, to be honest. Personally I thought I was going to go #1 overall, but the Thunder passed on me. Why don't they want me, man? Either way, I'm glad to be apart of the Nuggies and I can't wait to get out there with all my new teammates. Let's do this, Denver!
Pinky Peterson: Pinky Peterson, Denver Digest. Ever since being drafted, you've been hard at work here at the gym. We all know how well you can shoot; what the rest of Denver wants to know is, what aspect of your game do you think needs the most developing?
Jerry West: Well first and foremost I think it goes without saying that no player is perfect — every player has a facet of their game that they need to work on, whether they want to admit it or not. As for me, I think I need to work a little bit more on my inside game. I know I'm constantly being touted as a spot-up shooter, but I want to expand my game to be more of an offensive threat. I've been working with a lot of notable coaches on that lately.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, another reporter steps forward.
"Rack 'Em" Rachel Gordon: Rachel Gordon, Telemundo. If the regular season were to start today, you would be paired with Jrue Holiday in the starting 5. However, if there's one thing we've learned from this league, it's to expect the unexpected. Come opening day, do you expect to see yourself on the same floor as Jrue Holiday, playing starter-caliber minutes?
Jerry West: Oh you're damn right I expect to be starting on opening day — that's the entire point of my workouts here at the gym. If I'm not starting on opening day, then I might as well be mopping the floors, because I won't settle for anything less than 34.5 minutes per game. If I get any less than that, I'm going to break some faces in.
Trevor Morrison: Trevor Morrison, BBC Sports. How many cigarettes have you smoked so far today, Jerry?
Jerry West: 5. Next!
Suddenly, Jerry's agent stumps in to put an end to this nonsense. He's heard enough from the young star.
"Alright, pack it up boys, we're done here."
And just like that, J-West was already through with his first interview.