After helping the Liaoning men's basketball team win the championship and stand at the top of the CBA, Liaoning basketball forward Zhang Zhenlin also seems to be ready to impact the higher stage.
According to the famous basketball commentator Yang Yi recently revealed, Zhang Zhenlin plans to go to the United States to play the G League (development league) to see if he can impact the NBA, "everyone in the team knows, and the family has written an application for his mother." ”
This is the first time in more than a year that Zhang Zhenlin has heard about the NBA. Last year, around this time, the then 22-year-old Zhang Zhenlin was automatically qualified for the NBA, which once triggered discussions about his NBA prospects. However, because it is only automatically qualified for the election and does not have practical significance, and Zhang Zhenlin's name did not appear in last year's NBA draft list, the discussion about Zhang Zhenlin's NBA prospects also came to an abrupt end after last year's NBA draft.
Judging from Yang Yi's breaking news, Zhang Zhenlin is now ready to impact the higher stage. To this end, even by participating in the US G League to curve the impact of the NBA, Zhang Zhenlin seems to be at all costs. After helping the Liaoning men's basketball team win the CBA championship, it is natural for Zhang Zhenlin to hit a higher goal. It is not that Zhang Zhenlin already has the absolute strength to enter the NBA, but after the CBA really gained recognition and helped the Liaoning team to achieve its wishes, Zhang Zhenlin has more confidence and confidence to chase higher goals.
Zhang Zhenlin, who has been studying and playing in the United States since high school, although he has not publicly stated that the NBA is his goal in recent years, as the highest temple of the world basketball world, the NBA is almost any basketball player's dream, and it is obviously the same for Zhang Zhenlin, who has been immersed in American basketball culture for many years and is now a top player in the CBA. Zhang Zhenlin, who left the NCAA early due to the epidemic and sharing worries for the Liaoning men's basketball team (after finishing his sophomore year), this time can also be regarded as making up for the regret of not being able to actively impact the NBA.
Compared with Tulane University, Zhang Zhenlin, who returned to China for two years, undoubtedly showed more of his talents and abilities in the CBA. Last season, in the 2020-21 season, Zhang Zhenlin, who entered the professional league for the first time, quickly sat in the position of the main striker of Liaoning Basketball. Top physical conditions, good ball holding ability and rebounding ability, and all-round ability to play multiple positions have allowed Zhang Zhenlin to quickly gain the affirmation of head coach Yang Ming, and also let Liaoning, which is extremely short of frontal people, quickly fill the vacancy. In his first season, Zhang Zhenlin, who averaged 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, was elected the CBA Regular Season Star Sharp Player. In the past three years, Jin Jin, who entered the national team training in the name of being inspected, was selected for the first time in the national team's 12-member positive selection list last summer, and represented the Chinese men's basketball team in various competitions. Under the strict requirements of Du Feng, the head coach of the national team, zhang Zhenlin grew rapidly in the study with Zhou Peng and other big brothers.
This season, Zhang Zhenlin has made even greater progress. From the data alone, it seems that this is not the case, averaging 14 points and 4.6 rebounds per game is almost no improvement from last season, but it has declined slightly, and the shooting rate is also not as good as last season. But this does not reflect the real value of Zhang Zhenlin, as Zhang Zhenlin said: "Our goal is to win, and what I personally advocate is how to play more reasonably." If I wanted better data, I wouldn't be in a place where Liaoning was so strong and the squad was so thick. ”
Entering the playoffs, Zhang Zhenlin's performance proved that he has the ability to break out at any time. The second game of the first round sweeping Shanxi, the single game of 28 points and three-pointers 12 of 8, the semi-final sweep of Guangdong's third game, single game 33 points and 10 out of 6 output, is a better proof of Zhang Zhenlin. Especially in the semi-finals and guangdong matches, the young Zhang Zhenlin resisted the back singles of Guangdong captain Zhou Peng again and again, and entangled the strong attacks of Guangdong foreign aid Weems again and again, which further reflected Zhang Zhenlin's great progress.
Just one season ago, Zhang Zhenlin's defense was repeatedly criticized. It is easy to be shaken up, the defensive position selection is not ideal, and the confrontation ability needs to be improved... All of them limited Zhang Zhenlin's further promotion. Last summer and this season's World Cup window, Zhang Zhenlin, who played for the country, made mistakes on the defensive end, and he was replaced by Du Feng several times and taught him the opportunity. Fortunately, the young Zhang Zhenlin's learning ability is extremely fast, and in the playoffs a few months later, Zhang Zhenlin has built a wall for the Liaoning men's basketball team on his own at the defensive end, and the Liaoning front, which has been completely suppressed by the Guangdong front for many years, has also completely reversed the passive situation this season, including Zhang Zhenlin's great credit. This is also another surprise he brought to the fans.
Of course, with Zhang Zhenlin's current strength, if he really wants to impact the NBA, no one can guarantee how big he hopes to be. However, with Zhang Zhenlin's current playing style and characteristics, it is not without opportunities. The NBA's internal line has withered and the outside talent has blown up in recent years, which means that Zhang Zhenlin's competitive pressure is greater, but the most practical goal zhang Zhenlin is now striving for is obviously to be a role player who can get some opportunities. In a limited time, only if you can defend with your life, do dirty work, and grasp the limited fast attack and empty opportunities, it is possible to impress the head coach, which is precisely the characteristics of Zhang Zhenlin. Through the huge progress on the defensive end this season, combined with his excellent physical condition, good at fast play, and the ability to open three-pointers, Zhang Zhenlin is not without a chance to get the attention of NBA teams.
Taking a step back, even if Zhang Zhenlin failed to rush into the NBA, this is not a failure. The real improvement and harvest in this journey is what Zhang Zhenlin cares about most. What's more, he is still young, his career has just begun, taking advantage of this time to go outside to see, break in, and fight with stronger opponents to check and fill in the gaps, make up for the deficiencies, is the best choice. Moreover, he can choose to return to the CBA at any time and return to the Liaoning men's basketball team that is waiting for him to return.
Late last year, Zhang Zhenlin inspired himself on social media: "Learn, challenge yourself." Try new things and step out of your comfort zone. There are no failures on the way forward, just an apprentice's heart. "After winning the CBA championship, going out of the comfort zone to refresh the next upper limit, to become taller and stronger, to meet at the top of the mountain, has always been Zhang Zhenlin's goal."
After winning the championship, Zhang Zhenlin started a new training early the next morning after returning to Shenyang with the Liaoning men's basketball team. This is what he has always been used to, and it is also the reason why he can constantly improve himself. Now, Zhang Zhenlin is ready to start again, and he will bring us more surprises in the future as in the past.