A 21-year-old rising star on the front line! Among the top five domestic scorers, surpassing Zeng Fanbo! Isn’t it time for him to join the Chinese national team?

Let’s begin by talking about last night’s football game.

China’s U23 men’s team held Thailand to a 0-0 draw in the last group match of the Asian Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

With one win and two draws (including a draw against Iraq and a win over Australia), accumulating 5 points and keeping a clean sheet, they qualified for the knockout rounds for the first time ever, ending the streak of five straight group stage exits since the tournament started in 2014.

The player who impressed me the most was undoubtedly goalkeeper Li Hao.

This guy’s performance was truly outstanding...

Led by Wang Yudong, the team is regarded as the strongest U23 lineup in the past decade.

Watching the match, I suddenly thought of a group of young talents from Chinese men’s basketball: the 2023 U19 national youth team.

Who were the main players?

Yang Hansen, Wang Junjie, Zhao Weilen, Wang Haoran, Xie Liyongwei, and Dan Houran.

They finished 10th in the tournament.

The 7th place at the 2013 U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup remains the best historical result for Chinese men’s basketball.

That team included Yuan Shuai, Zhou Qi, Zhao Jiwei, Zhao Rui, and Wu Qian.

What I want to say is, truly great talents have been outstanding from early on.

The last time the men’s football team played in the World Youth Championship was in 2005.

The men’s U18 basketball team hasn’t won the Asian championship for several editions now.

Competitive sports don’t often have miraculous breakthroughs or late bloomers as inspirational stories.

If they don’t perform well at age 20, how can we expect them to lead us to World Cup wins or Olympic appearances at 30?

There’s no hope for that.

Following this logic, the 2023 U19 national youth team deserves focused development by the national team.

Yang Hansen was drafted by the NBA.

Although he is currently struggling with the Trail Blazers, being selected in the first round shows he has exceptional talent.

Wang Junjie was a hidden gem and the best summer worker in the recent Asian Cup, making the tournament’s all-star team.

A few days ago, he also had a career night at San Francisco University in the NCAA.

Besides these two well-known emerging players, there is another 2023 U19 player worth attention:

Wang Haoran from Shenzhen Basketball Team.

Yang Hansen once said in an interview that among the players he has worked with, Wang Haoran left the deepest impression.

In the 7 games of the World Youth Championship three years ago, Wang averaged 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Remember that game?

With 1 minute and 42 seconds left in the third quarter, Wang Haoran made both free throws, putting China’s U19 men’s basketball team ahead 59-58 against the USA.

For this group of young players to briefly lead the opponent during the third quarter was definitely beyond expectations.

The USA team had Dylan Harper, the 2025 second overall pick, and Trey Johnson, the 6th pick.

Wang Haoran said he just played his game and scored 20 points, the highest on the team.

Two years later, although Wang Haoran’s brilliance might not match Yang Hansen or Wang Junjie,

don’t forget his outstanding performance this season with Shenzhen: averaging 16.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, with a three-point shooting percentage of 42.5%, ranking him among the top five domestic scorers.

In the game against Beijing, he shot 9 for 13 and scored 25 points.

On the other side, Zeng Fanbo was 0 for 5 from the field and scored 5 points from free throws.

In terms of playing style, Wang is not as explosively physical as Zeng.

However, Wang Haoran’s height of 2.03 meters and 2.08 meters wingspan make him more versatile and solid.

He is confident in shooting, steady in scoring, and has a great competitive temperament.

Before the new season started, he dominated the U22 category at the National Games...

If, and I emphasize if,

the national team’s 12-man roster is selected, he should be considered.

Wang Haoran may not necessarily be the “answer,” and he certainly has weaknesses, but at 21, he has great potential for growth.

His current league performance is in no way inferior to some national team players.

Within a system, whose role could he fill?

Denver Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon.