"Ronggang Group is very supportive of us, the team leader Zhang Zhihan has done a lot of work, the coaching team is very united, and every day they are making suggestions and studying techniques and tactics. Finally, the players are very hardworking, have upward desire, the training effect is very good, and the positive energy is very large. "--Zhang Degui
After beating the Beikong men's basketball team 116-112, the Tianjin men's basketball team rose to 18 wins and 18 losses, ranking 11th in the CBA, and almost locked in a playoff spot. Head coach Zhang Degui was also highly praised, which was the first time for him to be a coach in more than 20 years. Although the Tianjin men's basketball team has a good tuning, such as the team's average hit of 13.6 three-pointers per game, ranking first in the CBA, Zhang Degui did not give credit to himself, but affirmed the role of investors and players, and also mentioned the team leader Zhang Zhihan.
Zhang Zhihan's identity is the team leader, but he is responsible for all the affairs of the Tianjin men's basketball team first team, in fact, doing the work of the general manager. After the end of last season, Zhang Zhihan retired. After retiring, he transformed into team management, because he had no experience, Zhang Zhihan was not optimistic. But now it seems that the Tianjin men's basketball team let Zhang Zhihan control the management, is the right decision, he only took one season to make the team take off.
The Tianjin men's basketball team is a well-known fish belly in the CBA, with only 11 wins and 43 losses last season, ranking third from the bottom of the CBA. In the 2019-20 season, the Record of the Tianjin Men's Basketball Team was even worse, with only 8 wins and 38 losses, ranking second from the bottom of the CBA. This is also a portrayal of the Tianjin men's basketball team for many consecutive seasons, because it is often slaughtered and has the title of mixed team. The last time the Tianjin men's basketball team entered the playoffs was in the 2013-14 season, when it had three foreign aides. That is to say, if it is not dependent on the CBA's three foreign aid dividends, the Tianjin men's basketball team still cannot enter the playoffs.
Nowadays, the CBA has no three foreign aid policies, and the Tianjin men's basketball team can get rid of the role of fish belly and achieve a turnaround, in large part, because Zhang Zhihan did two things right after taking office. First of all, Zhang Zhihan relied on local reinforcements to solve the defensive problems that have plagued the team for many years. The Tianjin men's basketball team has been weak for many years because the interior defense is too bad, and the interior players are not only insufficient in height, but also have no excellent defensive skills. Zhang Zhihan knew this well, and he solved this problem by signing Zhang Zhaoxu, the former national insider, with the maximum salary.
At 2.21 meters tall, Zhang Zhaoxu has rich defensive skills and experience, and is the top defensive gate in the CBA. But when Zhang Zhihan signed Zhang Zhaoxu, he was questioned because the latter was past the peak, older and plagued by injuries. In the 2019-20 season and the 2020-21 season, Zhang Zhaoxu missed many games due to injury. This is also the key to the Shanghai men's basketball team's non-high-salary renewal of Zhang Zhaoxu after the end of last season. Public opinion also generally believes that Zhang Zhaoxu does not have much oil in the tank, and it is a problem to play a full season of health.
In the voice of doubt, Zhang Zhihan still used the top salary to recruit Zhang Zhaoxu, for no more than 2 reasons. Although Zhang Zhaoxu has missed many games due to injury, in the past two seasons, as long as he appears, he can play a huge role in the defensive end. Secondly, the Tianjin men's basketball team is a weak brigade, a high-quality internal line at its peak, it will not come, and Zhang Zhaoxu is one of the few choices.
Judging from the results, Zhang Zhihan also made the right decision. At the beginning of joining the Tianjin men's basketball team, Zhang Zhaoxu suffered injuries and missed many games. Zhang Zhihan was also pushed to the cusp of the storm and was approved to sign a sick number with the maximum salary. But after Zhang Zhaoxu returned from injury, he gradually showed his terrifying defensive ability. Can protect the penalty area impregnable, Zhang Zhaoxu can also defend his teammates, and the Tianjin men's basketball team relies on him to build an excellent defensive system.
With Zhang Zhaoxu, the defensive ability of the Tianjin men's basketball team has improved by leaps and bounds, and at the same time, Zhang Zhihan has improved the team's offensive level. This season, Zhang Zhihan's two foreign assistants, Rochester and Burton, are all offensive and all-round scorers, and they all have the ability to pick the main beam. Although Rochester averaged only 23.5 points per game, it is not uncommon for a game to reach 30 points per game. When the Tianjin men's basketball team encountered difficulties, Rochester was able to stand up and solve the problem. Burton averaged 22.1 points per game, but there were also many games with 35+ points, and he was also a role that could be attacked.
The presence of Rochester and Burton has greatly improved the offensive level of the Tianjin men's basketball team. More importantly, because the 2 foreign aides are all powerful, the Tianjin men's basketball team always has a main backbone on the field, which can create opportunities for local players. It is worth mentioning that this season, a number of local players in the Tianjin men's basketball team have completed the outbreak, especially MengZikai, who has played gorgeous data many times.
It can be said that Zhang Zhihan's 2 major operations have laid the foundation for the success of the Tianjin men's basketball team this season. With this foundation, Zhang Degui can take over the Tianjin men's basketball team in the middle of the way, through adjustments, so that the team burst out of a strong fighting force. After entering the third stage of the CBA, the Tianjin men's basketball team played a record of 7 wins and 1 loss, and played a beautiful turnaround battle in the playoffs.
From the perspective of Zhang Zhihan's operation, there is a lucky component, if Zhang Zhaoxu can not get rid of the injury, or the state after the comeback plummets, the top salary of the Tianjin men's basketball team will be given in vain, and it will continue to stay in the ranks of fish belly. But there are also Factors where Zhang Zhihan understands the ball, and he feels that Zhang Zhaoxu is suitable for the Tianjin men's basketball team and can continue to call the wind and rain on the defensive end. Zhang Zhihan is also a professional person who does professional things when he is in management, after all, he has also played basketball for many years, worked as the main force in the Tianjin men's basketball team for a long time, and has also entered the All-Star. After retiring, the star players have achieved great success in transforming into management, and Zhu Fangyu is the most well-known one, as the general manager, he helped the Guangdong men's basketball team win three consecutive championships and complete a new dynasty. Now that Zhang Zhihan has also successfully transformed, he is also expected to make greater contributions to the Tianjin men's basketball team in the future.