With Zhou Qi absent, the men's basketball 12-man roster has finally been announced.

This year, the announcement of the Chinese team's roster for the Asian Basketball Cup was the latest among all teams. The reasons are multifaceted: on one hand, it’s due to Zhou Qi's injury, and on the other, the players within the team are quite evenly matched, making it hard to make selections.

A day before the first match, the men's basketball team finally announced the 12-man roster. The backcourt includes Gao Shiyan, Hu Mingxuan, Liao Sanning, Cheng Shuai Peng, and Zhao Rui; the forwards are Wang Junjie, Zhao Jiayi, Zhu Junlong, and Raymond; the inside line appears a bit weak with Yu Jiahao, Hu Jinqiu, and Li Xiangbo.

Xu Jie and Zhang Ning were the last two to be cut, with Xu Jie’s main competitor being Gao Shiyan. Defense was the primary consideration for Coach Guo Shiqiang, and Xu Jie’s height disadvantage was too apparent.

Zhang Ning's competitor is likely Raymond. While Zhang Ning can drive to the basket, overall, his 3D and utility attributes are not as strong as Raymond's. From the final roster, it's clear that Coach Guo Shiqiang emphasizes defense, making this a new national team focused on defensive strategies.

In the final 12-man roster, only Zhao Rui and Hu Mingxuan participated in the 2022 Asian Cup, while Hu Jinqiu played in the earlier 2017 Asian Cup. The remaining nine players are all making their debut in the Asian Cup, and some are even wearing the national team jersey for the first time, marking a completely new look for the men's basketball team.

Coach Guo Shiqiang's selection process was somewhat constrained; this is certainly not our strongest lineup at the moment, but with injuries affecting players like Zhou Qi, Zeng Fanbo, Zhang Zhenlin, and Zhao Jiwei, there weren’t many options available for him to choose from.

This is why we see Li Xiangbo's name on the roster; it’s not an exaggeration to say that many fans who don’t follow the CBA may be hearing this name for the first time. He is a player from the Guangzhou team and a protégé of Coach Guo Shiqiang, and his inclusion is mainly from a defensive perspective. Although Li Xiangbo has only played one year in the CBA, he has extensive experience in the NBL.

Initially, there were seven players listed for the inside position: Zhou Qi, Yang Hanshen, Hu Jinqiu, Xu Xin, Yu Jiahao, Liu Lijia, and Li Xiangbo. So, effectively, Li Xiangbo displaced the less experienced Xu Xin and Liu Lijia.

Many people say that the men's basketball team's forwards are the weakest point, but I believe the pressure on the backcourt is even greater. The warm-up matches revealed that our guards struggle with ball control, which needs improvement; at the very least, we must reduce turnovers and maintain possession.

Given the widespread injuries among the original national team members, the basketball association still approved Yang Hanshen's absence from this Asian Cup to prepare for the new NBA season, which is commendable. Of course, this also indirectly reflects that the established goals for this national team in the Asian Cup are not particularly high.

In a previous interview, captain Zhao Rui discussed the team's goals, stating confidently, "To win a medal and stand on the podium. There are no other goals; my goal, and the team's goal, is to stand on the podium. This is what the Chinese men's basketball team needs most right now."

In an earlier article, it was mentioned that the men's basketball team's goal is relatively realistic: to secure a spot in the top four. Given that the group stage is not very challenging, the match in the quarter-finals will directly determine whether this Asian Cup journey will be satisfactory.

Tonight at 11 PM, the men's basketball team will play their first match against the host country, Saudi Arabia. This is considered a good opponent to warm up against; in their last encounter during the 2005 Asian Championships, the men's basketball team won by 88 points, with a score of 98-10.

Twenty years later, Saudi Arabia has improved significantly, and with the home advantage, they should pose some challenges for the men's basketball team. Regardless of how the men's basketball team performs in this Asian Cup, as our only national team, we must support them unconditionally.

If the road is long and arduous, then with each step forward, we will get closer to the destination.