The Asian Cup is over! Three national players in men s basketball face elimination, 26-year-old striker lacks strength, Raymond is satisfied

In the competitive system of international basketball events, each competition is an important node for the team to be renewed. After the Chinese men's basketball team lost to Australia by one point and won the runner-up of the Asian Cup, lineup optimization has become a key issue for the team to compete for the World Cup and Olympics. With the recovery and return of main players such as Zhou Qi and Zhang Zhenlin, the three players in this Asian Cup lineup - Zhao Jiayi, Raymond and Li Xiangbo, are likely to face the test of elimination from the national team. This personnel adjustment not only reflects the depth of the talent reserve of China's men's basketball team, but also highlights the cruel balance of "opportunity and strength" in competitive sports. In the player channel of the Asian Sports Center in Manila, Zhao Jiayi lowered his head and wiped the stains on his sneakers. The white sneakers were covered with a clear grass-green mark on the side, which was the glue mark he rubbed when he was playing against New Zealand in the semi-finals. The 26-year-old forward scored 13.5 minutes of playing time per game in this Asian Cup, with 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds written on the data sheet, which obviously is not enough to consolidate his position in the national team. In the first game of the group stage against Lebanon, Zhao Jiayi unexpectedly appeared on the starting lineup. When Guo Shiqiang pronounced his name at the pre-match tactical meeting, he subconsciously straightened his back and nervously clenched the edge of the tactical board. Three minutes after the game started, he took his first foul due to a misjudgment in defense, and then made a mistake in passing on the offensive end. The coaching staff quickly made a substitution gesture. The sideline timer shows that his first national team start lasted only 4 minutes and 17 seconds.

Zhao Jiayi, who returned to the bench, covered his towel on his head and looked at his teammates on the field through the gap. Wang Junjie - this forward player, who is two years younger than him, completed two consecutive steals after replacing him, helping the team to achieve an 8-0 climax. Zhao Jiayi's knees were gently shaking on the bench, and the "rustling" sound of sneakers rubbing against the floor was particularly clear in the quiet corner.

The turnaround appeared in the group match against India. Due to the obvious gap in strength between the two sides, Guo Shiqiang gave substitutes more opportunities to perform. After Zhao Jiayi made a hot move, he made three consecutive three-pointers, one of which was forced to take action when his body lost balance. When the basketball was hollowed into the net, he couldn't help but clench his fists and roar. He finally scored 17 points in that game, making him the highest scorer in the team. In the locker room, his teammates congratulated him on shoulder-to-shoulder, but he just smiled shyly.

But such highlights failed to last. In the quarter-finals against the Philippines, Zhao Jiayi only got 2 minutes of playing time in the crucial fourth quarter. After a fast break layup was blocked by the opponent's center, he slapped the basketball with his hand in frustration. Technical statistics show that his positive and negative value in this competition is -3.7, ranking last among all forward players. More importantly, his 104 kg weight was obviously at a loss in the No. 4 confrontation. When facing the Australian inside players, he failed to get a position. An internal evaluation report from the coaching staff of the Chinese men's basketball team shows that Zhao Jiayi's defensive efficiency ranks 68th among the players participating in this Asian Cup, which is lower than the team's average. The report specifically mentioned: "When facing a tall and strong front line, the problem of insufficient lateral movement speed is magnified. "This report was placed on Guo Shiqiang's desk, with the words "need to be evaluated" next to it with a red pen.

With the recovery of main players such as Zhang Zhenlin and Zeng Fanbo, the competition for the forward line of the Chinese men's basketball team will enter a white-hot stage. Technical analysis shows that Zhang Zhenlin's average rebounding rate is 8.3 percentage points higher than Zhao Jiayi, and Zeng Fanbo's block data is three times that of him. On the tactical board of the training hall, the coaching staff has planned a set of forward tactics with these two players as the core, and the bottom corner three-pointers and empty cut run routes are clearly marked with a red marker. When Raymond stuffed the wet jersey into his bag, he found that the number at the collar was already blurred. This dark blue battle suit with "No. 6" was printed with witness to his return journey of the national team seven years later. As the oldest player of the Chinese team in this Asian Cup, 31-year-old Raymond averaged only 9.8 minutes of playing time in the 11-day event, but he maintained his signature tough style every time he made his debut.

At the Asian Championships of the Men's Basketball Team eight years ago, Raymond, who was still a young player of the Bayi team, had a dispute with his teammates due to a fierce confrontation during training. This scene was photographed by the media and caused heated discussions, which also put his national team career to a standstill. Before this Asian Cup, when Coach Guo Shiqiang called to invite him to join the team, he was doing strength training in the training hall of the Beijing team. His mobile phone was placed on the equipment stand, and the ringtone rang three times before he noticed it.

"I thought it was a scam call at the time. " Raymond later said with a smile in the interview. He specially rushed to the national team to report two days in advance, and his luggage contained a yellowed training note, which recorded the key tactical points he had when he participated in the national team training seven years ago. In the first training class, he took the initiative to help young players correct their defensive postures, explaining every detail very seriously at the angle of their arms spreading and the rhythm of their foot movements. In the Asian Cup semi-finals against New Zealand, Raymond made the appearance with 5 minutes and 22 seconds left in the third quarter. At this time, the Chinese team was in scoring drought. After receiving Zhao Rui's pass, he took action outside the three-point line without hesitation. The moment the basketball passed through the Nets, he clenched his fists and hit his chest. The goal helped the team break the deadlock, and the young players on the sidelines stood up and applauded him. Technical statistics show that his three-point shooting percentage in this tournament reached 33.3%, higher than the team's average.

However, the physical disadvantages caused by age are difficult to cover up. In the final against Australia, Raymond showed obvious shortness of breathing four minutes after appearing, and his footsteps were slower than his opponent when defending..

The player development department has proposed a compromise plan: establish a "national team reserve list", and Zhao Jiayi, Raymond and Li Xiangbo will enter this list and continue to participate in some training camps and warm-up matches. This list not only retains the depth of talent reserves, but also gives three players the opportunity to prove themselves. The coach in charge of youth training added: "Li Xiangbo's rebounding awareness is worth cultivating, and may be able to strengthen strength training in a targeted manner. "

On the other side of the training hall, young players are playing a three-on-three match. Wang Junjie's wonderful pass assisted his teammates in scoring, and cheers came from the sidelines. The forward player who performed well in the Asian Cup has secured a spot in the World Cup roster. A line of small words printed on his sneakers: "Practice 100 more shots a day" is a professional habit he learned from Raymond.

Zhao Jiayi was shooting training in the corner, and the assistant coach was helping him correct his shooting hand shape. His right elbow angle was always too large, causing the shooting trajectory to go to the right, and the coach tied his arm with a rope to fix it. Sweat dripped down his chin onto the floor, forming a small dark mark, and the timer next to it showed that he had been shooting for 47 minutes in a row.

Raymond is coaching young players in defensive skating training. His movements are not as fast as when he was young, but every step is accurate and in place. "Low the center of gravity when defending, like sitting in a chair." He said while demonstrating, his knees bent at an angle of exactly 90 degrees. Li Xiangbo next to him looked very seriously, and the notebook in his hand had already been filled with three full pages. On the bulletin board outside the training hall, there is a schedule for the World Cup qualifiers. The match against the South Korean team on November 28 was circled out by the red pen, which will be the first official debut of the Chinese men's basketball team after the adjustment of the lineup. On the wall of honor next to the bulletin board, there are group photos of previous national teams. The top one is the lineup of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the gap below is waiting for new faces to fill.

The sunset shines through the windows into the training hall, casting long light and shadow on the floor. Zhao Jiayi gradually found a feeling of shooting. The basketball passed through the Nets three times in a row, making a crisp "swish" sound. Raymond and Li Xiangbo finished their defensive training and were doing simple stretching. The shadows of the three were intertwined on the wall, slowly elongating as the sun sets. The sound of basketballs hitting the floor in the distance was regular and powerful, as if counting down for the upcoming challenge.