17 shots and scored 43 points, with a shooting percentage of up to 81%! The Chinese team will usher in a new era

With Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jianlian retiring one after another, the overall level of Chinese basketball once declined, and the once-anticipated Olympic stage seemed to be getting farther and farther away, even its competitiveness in Asian arenas. But as the saying goes, "The best is coming." After years of hard work and adjustment, with the emergence of a group of young rookies, Chinese basketball may be about to open a new chapter. In this new era, two young players will undoubtedly play a crucial role.

The first thing to mention is Yang Hansen. This 20-year-old talented player performed well in this year's NBA draft. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with a 16th place in the first round, becoming the third Chinese player to be selected by the NBA team in the first round after Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian. Yang Hansen's youth has opened up endless possibilities for his basketball career. As long as he can maintain his health, the future Chinese men's basketball team will definitely no longer be stretched in the inside position. Another protagonist of this event is her performance as dazzling as a beacon in the recent Asian Cup group stage, shooting 17 shots and scoring 43 points, with an astonishing 81% shooting percentage, helping the Chinese team achieve three consecutive victories. What's even more exciting is that she is only 18 years old.

In the women's basketball court, Zhang Ziyu became the absolute focus with a height of 226 cm and a weight of 300 kilograms, and he did not have the trouble of Giant disease. Such athletes are almost rare in the women's basketball national teams in other countries. It is not easy to reach an average height of 185 cm, let alone more than 2 meters. Zhang Ziyu undoubtedly has formed a giant advantage in the inside line. As long as she maintains her health, the impact she can bring may even surpass Yao Ming's importance in the men's basketball team, comparable to the 240-centimeter tall player in the men's basketball team, and is even better. And such an excellent player was born in China.

Zhang Ziyu, 18 years old this year, participated in the regular adult group competition for the first time in the Asian Cup of the Women's Basketball Team. In the three group stage games, she showed extraordinary dominance. When she played against Indonesia in the first game, she made 5 of 7 shots, scored 13 points and contributed 4 rebounds and 2 assists in the first game. In the second game, she played 8 of 8 shots without any suspense in the 14-minute game, scoring 18 points and 4 rebounds; in the last game against New Zealand, Zhang Ziyu easily scored 12 points and 4 rebounds through 4 of 6 shots in 10 minutes. In order to protect this young genius, coach Gong Luming arranged for her to play from the substitute many times, and the playing time in each game was controlled at about 10 minutes. Despite this, Zhang Ziyu's efficiency was still amazing. He shot 17 of his 21 shots in three games, scored as much as 43 points, and hit a shooting percentage of up to 81%, making great achievements for the Chinese team's three consecutive victories.

In the competition at the basket, as long as Zhang Ziyu stands firmly and can pass the ball smoothly to her, she will be an impeccable existence. However, after watching the national team game, people will find that the defender can give Zhang Ziyu a lot of opportunities, and the referee often turns a blind eye to the opponent's violation of her physical confrontation, which is obviously a potential red flag. At the same time, Zhang Ziyu is not without shortcomings. Her steps are relatively slow, which is more suitable for moving in the penalty area. She often needs the assistance of her teammates when defending from outside. Faced with teams with strong shooting ability, this will indeed cause certain problems.