Scouting Report: China

Enzo Flojo

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Get to know more about the China team participating in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships.

Moniker: Long Zhi Dui (Team Dragon)

Qualification: Placed second in the 2013 EABA Tournament, beating Hong Kong, Mongolia, and Japan, but losing to South Korea in the Finals.

Last FIBA Asia Appearance: 2011 – 9 wins & 0 losses – Beat UAE, the Philippines, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan (twice), Japan, Lebanon, and South Korea.

Roster:

Name, Age, Height, Position

Wang Zhizhi, 34, 7’1″, Center

Yi Jianlian, 26, 7’1″, Forward/Center

Sun Yue, 28, 6’9″, Forward/Guard

Zhu Fangyu, 30, 6’9″, Forward

Chen Jianghua, 24, 6’2″, Guard

Wang Zhelin, 19, 7’0″, Center

Zhou Peng, 24, 6’9″, Forward

Zhang Bo, 23, 6’6″, Guard/Forward

Wang Shipeng, 30, 6’6″, Guard

Guo Ailun, 20, 6’3″, Guard

Li Xaoxu, 23, 6’10″, Center/Forward

Liu Xiaoyu, 24, 6’4″, Guard

 

Key Players:

1. The two Wangs – There are actually three (3) Wangs on this team, but we’ll talk about just the two in the frontline – 34-year old Wang Zhizhi and his half-his-age-heir-apparent, Wang Zhelin. Zhizhi is obviously the more experienced one here, having played in the FIBA Asia or ABC tournaments since the early 90s, but Zhelin represents the promise of China’s continuing dominance in the future. The younger Wang had a great tournament in the 2013 EABA competition, but it’s clear he will need more experience and mentoring to help him blossom into a bona fide superstar.

2. Yi Jianlian – On Yi’s good day, I do not think anyone in Asia can stop him. His skill-set matched with his size is just something unparalleled. Maybe the only other big guy with such a feathery touch from mid to even long range is KAZ’s own Anton Ponomarev, but even then the Kazakh star doesn’t have Yi’s ability to create or his keen court awareness. Basically put, if Kevin Garnett were Asian, he would be Yi Jianlian. And just like KG for the T-Wolves of old, Team Dragon will only go as far as Yi can take it.

3. Guo Ailun – If the Philippine Islands have Kiefer Ravena, then the Middle Kingdom has Guo Ailun. Guo is as flashy and as gritty as Ravena. He sports similar handles, can shoot from distance, and is an aggressive slasher. This is his first time in the senior level of FIBA Asia, however, and that’s why he will probably play behind Chen Jianghua in the PG rotation even if there is no doubt Guo will be China’s chief floor general for years to come.

 

Points of Interest:

1. Repeat – After falling short in 2007 and 2009, Team China finally bagged the trophy again in 2011, narrowly defeating an inspired Jordanian quintet in the Finals. Many thought that would be the swan song for Wang Zhizhi and Liu Wei, but, as we all know now, Zhizhi, along with Zhu Fangyu and Guo Ailun, was recalled to the final roster after coach Giannakis Panagiotis dropped Liu, along with Li Muhao and Han Shuo, because of a nagging injury. If you ask me, however (and you should), this was merely China being cunning and playing possum.

2. Transition – By all intents and purposes, Wang Zhizhi, Zhu Fangyu, and Wang Shipeng are all probably playing their last FIBA Asia tournament. On the other hand, upcoming players like Wang Zhelin, Chen Jianghua, Guo, and Zhang Bo gave everyone a glimpse at the final rosters of each team.

 

Tournament Outlook: I love China’s chances to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, but I do not think they are the best team on paper. Despite having perhaps Asia’s best forward-center hybrid, China will have a not-so-easy time with the likes of Iran, South Korea, the Philippines, and maybe even Taiwan.

One big factor is the youth (read: inexperience) they have in the backcourt. What has essentially been Liu Wei’s spot since 2002 has now moved on to Chen Jianghua and Guo Ailun, and though both those guys are sick talents, they might be prone to pressure especially when the knockout stage begins. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!