In the first game of the Asian qualifiers, the Chinese men's basketball team fell behind the weaker Mongolian team with a score of 1:8. The starting lineup performed poorly, with Choi Yong-hee, Hu Mingxuan, and Zhao Jiwei, three outside players, scoring only 2 points.
If they stay in the starting line-up, the game is doomed. In contrast, the Japanese men's basketball team is much stronger, and even if some of the main players did not participate, their overall strength is still strong.
There's also a naturalized player on the interior who adds to the defensive thickness. We have to play at our best away from home and only then can we win games by starting these five players.
We're no longer playing with a two-tower lineup now because two big men playing at the same time won't be able to keep up with the opposition. Therefore, Hu Jinqiu and Yang Hansen can only play alternately.
In terms of strength, Yang Hansen is certainly qualified to be in the starting lineup, but he is relatively inexperienced. The Japanese team has a strong veteran on the inside, and all things considered, it is more appropriate to let Hu Jinqiu as the starter.
Hu Jinqiu's ability on the offensive end is the most outstanding of all interior players at the moment, and his confrontation ability is better than ever. Not only is he excellent under the basket, but he can also shoot from mid-range, and he has a relatively large ball IQ and experience.
Japan's center is good at defending but lacking in offense, and we can use Hu's flexibility and speed to beat our opponents with technical shots. The strategy of fighting small and big can have unexpected results.
In the matchup against Mongolia, Du Runwang showed extraordinary basketball talent, and despite being questioned, his three-point shooting was almost impeccable, and he was even more comfortable on the offensive end, reminiscent of his outstanding performance at the 2022 Asian Cup.
His partner, Hu Jinqiu, is also a tall scorer, and both of them are good at attacking inside, both offensively and defensively. At first, they were both highly sceptical by fans, but with their excellent performances in the national team, they proved their quality.
Some have questioned Hu Jinqiu and Du Runwang's defensive ability, fearing that they will be crushed by their opponents. However, defense is important, but without a scorer, even the best defense will not be able to secure a victory.
In fact, the combination of these two players works quite well. Of course, Abdul Salamu was also an integral part of the starting line-up.
Although he has not played for the national team for many years, he still shows the level of the past when he returns to the game, and he is still the formidable Tianshan Divine Beast.
Zhu Junlong once again showed his improvement, he played well in the opening game, shooting 100 percent from the field and contributing 11 points and 4 rebounds.
His defence is solid, and a player with quality and fighting spirit deserves more attention. In contrast, Choi Yong-hee's performance is much inferior, and it is necessary for him to learn more from Zhu Junlong.
It was only fitting that Zhu Junlong would defend Japan's top scorer Yuki Kawamura, after all, his outstanding performances at the World Cup are well known, and we must focus on defending him and not take him lightly.
In addition, Zhu Junlong and Hu Jinqiu are also old partners with a tacit understanding, they have played in the Guangsha team for many years and know each other's playing characteristics well.
They will undoubtedly be more comfortable on the pitch. Personally, I greatly admire and admire Zhu Junlong, who has no background and no outstanding physical fitness or talent.
But he continues to improve himself by training hard day in and day out. He gradually won his chances with tenacious defense and hard work, and he got better and better in the game, which fully proved that his effort was worth it.
Cheng has improved significantly in recent games, scoring a team-high 22 points against Qingdao in the warm-up game, with an impressive shooting percentage.
He was also outstanding in his opening game against Mongolia, showing his ability to score from the ground up and making a game-high four steals.
In contrast, his performance was much stronger than Hu Mingxuan and Zhao Jiwei, at least he showed more fighting spirit and spirit. The coach arranged for him to play for 28 minutes.
There is a clear need for a shake-up at the back and those who have underperformed should be replaced and the stronger players on the pitch. Some of the older players have started to slack off, they're just messing around, and it's better to let the young players with a lot of fighting spirit play than to continue like this.
In a game, a player's ability and attitude are thoroughly tested, and they cannot deceive the crowd. Players who don't work hard will only be replaced by others, because the law of survival of the fittest and survival of the fittest never changes.
Frankly, Xu Jie's performance was not impressive, however, he may have been subjected to unfavorable comparisons from his fellow players. At the moment, none of the players in the number one position have reached the qualifying level.
People have been criticizing Liu Wei before, and then they turned to Guo Allen, and now it has become difficult to find someone to vent to. Xu Jie's shortcomings are obvious, he is short in stature and has a disadvantage in defense.
This is well known, but he is incredibly fast, has a clear mind and passes the ball accurately. With him, the team's offense can be accelerated, after all, in the world of sports, speed can often win.
As for Zhao Jiwei, it seems that he is too cautious at present, once he enters the second half, he begins to fade out of the game screen, and his speed is not advantageous, and his shooting is even more inaccurate, which is indeed a little disappointing.
Although Liaoning fans may disagree with this, what I have stated is only objective facts. Hopefully, Xu Jie, Zhao Jiwei and Liao Sanning, who may play, can find their form in the second game.
Hu Jinqiu