After four and a half months of contention, Chinese player Zeng Fanbo's season in the U.S. G League came to an end.
Next, Xiao Zeng is expected to train in the United States to prepare for the NBA Draft. Not surprisingly, the draft will be a watershed in his career. Do you rush into the NBA or do you want to go back to the CBA? This summer may have the answer.
Zeng Fanbo's dream
After playing the final battle of the season, Zeng Fanbo, who played well, summed up his personal experience on social media. He said: "The season is over, with ups and downs and full of grind. For the past two months, ankle injuries have been with me. But I never wanted to give up for a moment. I believe that these gritted teeth will not fail to live up to themselves. Near, Xiao Zeng also revealed the next plan: "I will still work harder, participate in all the trials I can participate in, seize all the opportunities I can grasp, be a better version of myself, and enjoy the process." ”
"Participating in all the trials you can participate in" is indeed the best way for Xiao Zeng to impact the NBA. Because in the first season of his career, Zeng Fanbo, who entered the G League from campus basketball, did not deliver a particularly convincing performance.
Throughout the season (preseason + regular season), Zeng Fanbo played in 22 games for the Ignition Team, averaging 5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in an average of 17.9 minutes per game, shooting 38.5% from the field, 31% from three-point range and 41.7% from the free throw line. Although he scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the final game, playing the best game of his season, this did not hide Xiao Zeng's bland performance throughout the season. To be fair, it would be extremely difficult to knock on the door of any team in the NBA with such a statistic. And Xiao Zeng's frequent injuries will inevitably make the team that is interested in him worry a little.
There are many factors that affect The performance of Xiao Zeng this season, injuries and limited opportunities, but the NBA team will not measure the factors behind this, after all, Zeng Fanbo's talent and prospects have not yet reached the point where the NBA team can look at it differently. To this end, hard training and active participation in all possible trials have become the best way for Xiao Zeng to show his personal talent and plasticity.
In addition to trial training, the operation of the brokerage team may also become an important factor in Zeng Fanbo's impact on the NBA. In the summer of 2016, Zhou Qi, who went to the United States for a long time for special training and tried out for multiple teams, was selected in the second round, and Wang Zhelin, who did not formally try, was also selected in the second round, which is the demonstration of the operation ability of Wang Zhelin's brokerage team. If the two (trial training + brokerage team) can be combined, I believe that although it is difficult for Zeng Fanbo to enter the NBA, it is not impossible to impact the second round.
Zeng Fanbo's situation
For Zeng Fanbo, this summer's NBA draft will be his letting go. Success will also be related to his career.
On August 19 last year, the Beijing men's basketball team and Zeng Fanbo both announced the completion of registration, and with the signing of a three-year contract between the two sides, Zeng Fanbo and the Beijing men's basketball team, which had been deadlocked for nearly four months, also received a relatively happy ending. Prior to this, the two sides had many differences because Zeng Fanbo gave up playing in the NCAA this season to go to the G League in the United States, as well as the potential changes in Zeng Fanbo's identity and the "training years". After several negotiations, the two sides reached an agreement, and it is reported that the time agreed that Zeng Fanbo's training in the G Alliance is still one year. Unless Zeng Fanbo can enter the NBA through the draft, Zeng Fanbo needs to return to China to represent the Beijing men's basketball team in the CBA.
In fact, the Beijing men's basketball team has hoped that Zeng Fanbo can enter the first team to represent them in the CBA this season. If Zeng Fanbo fails to impact the NBA, then his return to the CBA can indeed bring a lot of help to the Beijing men's basketball team. The Beijing men's basketball team has relied heavily on captain Zhai Xiaochuan in the position of the front line over the years, but after nearly 11 seasons of attrition, Zhai Xiaochuan has been injured continuously, and his physical functions are no longer as good as those of his peak. If it were not for the introduction of former Bayi player Raymond during last season's window, the Beijing men's basketball team would be very short of frontal positions.
If Zeng Fanbo plays in the CBA next season, then he will also ease the pressure on Zhai Xiaochuan. Even Zeng Fanbo, who can swing to the fourth position and even play center in a small lineup, is 2.10 meters tall and has excellent running and jumping ability, which will also enrich the offensive system of the Beijing team.
On the other hand, the Beijing team has also reached a time when it is necessary to train new successors. In the past decade, the local players of the Beijing team have been using the old team of the four-year triple crown period, and the main players such as Zhai Xiaochuan, Fang Shuo and Zhu Yanxi are no longer young, as a team with a relatively old average age of the local team, the Beijing team also needs fresh blood such as Zeng Fanbo. Although head coach Yannis has always disliked the use of young players, it is clear that players with visible talent such as Zeng Fanbo will still be treated differently by the Beijing team. If the Beijing team still wants to strive for the upper reaches, then seizing the few golden periods left by Zhai Xiaochuan and Fang Shuo and others to maximize the development of Zeng Fanbo's ability to hold the ball will also be an option for them to rush to the championship.
epilogue
For now, impacting the NBA and chasing dreams is still Zeng Fanbo's biggest appeal, and it will also be the biggest motivation for him to continue to work hard. If it fails, the more realistic choice in front of Zeng Fanbo is to return to the CBA to play for the Beijing men's basketball team, and at that time, it will also be the first time that the majority of fans will truly see Zeng Fanbo's talent.
But for now, there may be another situation to consider. That is, if Zeng Fanbo loses the draft, but a team offers him a two-way contract, like Japanese player Yuta Watanabe, he can enter the NBA through a relatively tortuous road. At that time, does the agreement between Zeng Fanbo and the Beijing team for "one year" need to be interpreted in a new way? This can also become a new question.