On June 6, the list of five-man men's basketball talent pool of the Chinese men's basketball national team was updated: Du Runwang, Zhao Jiayi and Zhu Mingzhen entered the talent pool. The next day, news of major changes to the new Chinese men's basketball national team roster spread. With just over two months to go before the 2 FIBA World Cup, whether the Chinese men's basketball team can complete the task of going directly to the Paris Olympics is becoming more and more uncertain due to the uncertainty of the national team personnel.

The focus of major changes is on Liaoning men's basketball guard Guo Allen. In 2010, Allen Guo was selected for the national team for the first time, starting from the 2013 Asian Championships in the Philippines, Allen Guo gradually grew into the main guard of the Chinese men's basketball team, and in the 2015 Changsha Asian Championships, the dual point guard combination of Allen Guo and Zhao Jiwei helped the Chinese men's basketball team return to the top of Asia. On February 2 this year, Guo Allen played in the World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan.

Some media reported that another important reason why Allen Guo was not selected for the national team, in addition to his own injury, was different from the selection idea of men's basketball coach Jordjevic. This can be seen in the slight change in Qiao Shuai's management of the World Cup qualifiers.

In the two games of the sixth window in February this year, Guo Allen played only one. Against Kazakhstan, he scored nine points and two rebounds on 2-of-1 shooting in 18 minutes of playing time, had no assists but had four turnovers. Because Qiao Shuai asked the ball to move better in the game, Guo Allen played very awkwardly, and his teammate Zhao Jiwei in Liaoning team, because of his better ability to control the ball, was more favored by Qiao Shuai and entrusted with the responsibility of attacking the core of the organization.

In fact, from the lineup of the two national team games in the window, it can also be seen that due to the birth of young player Cui Yongxi and as a tall No. 2 starter, the competition for the point guard position of the Chinese men's basketball team will definitely become more intense.

Counting the top local defenders in China at present, whether it is Zhao Jiwei, Zhao Rui, Hu Mingxuan, Wu Qian, Cheng Shuaipeng, Guo Allen, or Fang Shuopeng and Sun Minghui who may return to the national team squad this time, the number is as many as 8. Obviously, Qiao Shuai can't bring everyone to the Philippines, so taking the initiative to do subtraction before training has become a must-do job - in the CBA playoffs and finals that ended in May, Allen Guo was not in good shape, and did not have much outstanding performance in the limited number of appearances. Similarly, Wu Qian of the Zhejiang men's basketball team may not be able to participate in the training of the national team, and thus miss the World Cup match.

Of course, the changes that can happen to the men's national basketball team are not just about the guard line. The rejuvenation of the forward line has actually been in the process of advancing.

During the window, the highly talented Zeng Fanbo was recruited to the national team, and his forward combination with Zhang Zhenlin was widely regarded by professionals as the answer to the future of the Chinese men's basketball team. If you count Zhu Junlong, who was recruited into the national team during Du Feng's period, and the changes in the talent pool of the national team, Qiao Shuai is actually "eclectic and downgrading talents".

Change also means risk and stress. From 2010 to 2023, Allen Guo's performance in the national team has been recognized and loved by fans, and if the rumors are finally confirmed, once the national team does not perform well in the World Cup, or even the state of "Allen Guo's stand-in" alone, Qiao Shuai and the Chinese Basketball Association will face pressure can be imagined.

On May 2019, 5, the Chinese Basketball Association announced the roster for the World Cup, and most of the 6-person squad at that time were old faces - Yi Jianlian, Zhou Peng, Ren Junfei, Zhao Rui, Guo Allen, Zhao Jiwei, Liu Zhixuan, Wang Zhelin, Chen Linjian, Wu Qian, Abdu Shalamu, Kelan Baike, Zhai Xiaochuan, Fang Shuo, Hu Jinqiu, Sun Minghui, Shen Zijie, Zhou Qi, Ding Yanyuhang, Zhang Zhenlin, so there was not much controversy, and the coach at that time was Li Nan. But Zhou Peng's injury before the tournament left the final 20-man lineup of the Chinese men's basketball team short of forwards, and finally broke the sand in the World Cup on his doorstep.

Four years later, the time left for the Chinese men's basketball team training is even shorter, and the foreign coach in just 4 months after taking over the team, using his own selection criteria to form a team for the World Cup, whether it is a successful replacement or a dangerous move, may only be the result of the game can give the answer.

Beijing, 6 June --

China Youth Daily / China Youth Net reporter Yang Yi Source: China Youth Daily