In the first two stages, the most frustrated strong team in the CBA was the Shandong men's basketball team. Last season, the Shandong men's basketball team achieved a good result of 5th in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Shandong men's basketball team was an upset Xinjiang men's basketball team and broke into the final four. However, this season, the combat effectiveness of the Shandong men's basketball team has declined significantly, and after the end of the first two stages, the Shandong men's basketball team has only achieved a record of 15 wins and 13 losses, ranking 10th in the CBA, and the playoff seats are hanging.
Today, the Shandong men's basketball team in distress has ushered in rare good news, that is, the internal general Jiao Hailong has basically recovered. This means that Jiao Hailong's participation in the third stage of the CBA is a big supplement for the Shandong men's basketball team. In the first two stages, the Shandong men's basketball team relied too much on Tao Hanlin, who averaged 36.6 minutes per game, and it was not uncommon to play 40 minutes in a single game. After being overdrawn, Tao Hanlin could not maintain a high standard all the time, and there were also hidden dangers of injury. Jiao Hailong's comeback is expected to reduce the burden on Tao Hanlin.
Jiao Hailong has this ability, because he is a fairly all-round big man. Jiao Hailong, who is 2.09 meters tall, although not strong enough, can single on the inside line by relying on flexible footsteps. This means that Jiao Hailong can temporarily replace the picker and attack the basket in the penalty area. There is also a three-point shooting ability, Jiao Hailong can play with Tao Hanlin. In terms of protecting rebounds, Jiao Hailong also did a good job.
Because of his comprehensive technology, Jiao Hailong also picked a beam, when he played for the Qingdao men's basketball team. In the 2019-20 season, Jiao Hailong was one of the main internal players of the Qingdao men's basketball team, often playing the role of starting. Single-court double-doubles games are not uncommon, and Jiao Hailong has also scored 21 points and 11 rebounds in a single game, which is like a first-class local level. It is precisely because of Jiao Hailong's brilliant performance that the Shandong men's basketball team strongly demanded his return.
Of course, some people may say that Jiao Hailong performed dismal in the Shandong men's basketball team last season, such as the playoffs against the Guangdong men's basketball team, who swallowed eggs in 28 minutes of playing time. In the regular season, Jiao Hailong scored less than 5 points in a single game. But it is not that Jiao Hailong is sliding too fast, but because he is not accustomed to the system of then head coach Gong Xiaobin.
This season is different, Gong Xiaobin stepped down and Xu Changsuo became the new head coach. In the 5 games before the injury, Jiao Hailong was quite important, and all of them started the game. Jiao Hailong also did not live up to the trust of the head coach, and he did a good job of protecting the rebounds and shooting three-point shots. Two of the five games rebounded in double-figures, and two three-pointers were shot in both games.
Under Xu Changsuo, Jiao Hailong has the feeling of playing in the Qingdao men's basketball team in the past. After this comeback, Jiao Hailong is expected to play at the peak level. Once this is the case, the internal strength of the Shandong men's basketball team will also increase significantly, and the probability of entering the playoffs will also increase significantly.