On April 11, Beijing time, according to a number of Japanese media reports, the Japanese star Hachimura Who plays for the Washington Wizards in the NBA League made it clear in an interview after the game that he would not participate in the training of the Japanese men's basketball national team in the offseason, nor would he play in the 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers and the Men's Basketball Asian Cup, and the main task of the offseason was to restore his physical condition.
After the end of the Tokyo Olympics, Hachimura suffered an unprecedented online storm attack, which caused his mentality to be seriously hit, and he was absent for a long time after the start of the season, playing in 42 games after returning to the team, averaging 11.31 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, still not in the best form. Whether Hachimura's non-participation in the Japanese men's basketball national team is related to this reason has aroused the speculation of netizens, and some netizens said that "they are all scolded and depressed, how can they participate in the competition for the Japanese men's basketball team again."
No matter what the reason for Yamura's decision, it is undeniable that his absence has a great impact on the Japanese men's basketball team, and without such a "forward arrow" figure, the offensive ability of the Japanese men's basketball team will inevitably be greatly reduced, which is likely to directly affect the record of the Asian Cup.
In 2021, the Chinese men's basketball team played against the Japanese men's basketball team 4 times, and the Chinese men's basketball team won a big victory. However, these 4 games Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe are absent, so the situation has caused many netizens to think that the gold content of the Victory of the Chinese Men's Basketball Team is not high, after all, the Japanese men's basketball team is not the main force. In fact, throughout the whole process of 4 games, the Advantages of the Inner Line and the Defender Line are obvious when the Chinese men's basketball team plays against the Japanese Men's Basketball Team, especially the inner line is completely crushing, Zhou Qi, Wang Zhenlin, Hu Jinqiu, Shen Zijie, no matter who is present, can completely explode the Japanese inner line and firmly dominate the forbidden area at both ends of the attack and defense. Defenders Guo Allen, Zhao Jiwei, Zhao Rui and Hu Mingxuan also surpassed the Japanese players by a lot, and the advantages were also obvious. Just the attacks of Yamura and Yuta Watanabe on the front line may create certain difficulties for the Chinese men's basketball team, and it is difficult to make up for the gap in the comprehensive strength of the two sides. Therefore, even if Yamura and Yuta Watanabe are present at the same time, the Chinese men's basketball team still has a greater chance of winning.
Due to the obvious gap in the game, some netizens began to ridicule after Hachimura made this decision, saying that this disappointed many people who believed that the Strength of the Japanese Men's Basketball Team with Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe was higher than that of the Chinese Men's Basketball Team. There are also views that the Japanese men's basketball team has another excuse for losing this part of the people. Of course, these are all ridiculous words, but for the current Chinese men's basketball team, doing a good job is the most important thing, and there is no need to be swayed by the opponent's mentality and preparation.
The Chinese men's basketball team has gradually come out of the throes of reform, and Zhou Qi, Wang Zhelin, Hu Jinqiu, Guo Allen, Zhao Jiwei and Zhao Rui can already become the backbone of the team. Young players such as Hu Mingxuan, Abdul Shalamu and Guo Haowen have also gradually shown strong strength. There are also rising stars with great potential such as Zhang Zhenlin, Yu Jiahao, and Zeng Fanbo. In the next few years, the Chinese men's basketball team should usher in an upward period, and the performance of the Chinese men's basketball team in this year's Asian Cup and Asian Games is very worth looking forward to.