The 2022 NBA Draft was held on the morning of June 24, and Zeng Fanbo is the one with the greatest opportunity among the several Chinese young players who have impacted the NBA.
Zeng Fanbo did not participate in the Chicago joint trial this year, but chose to participate in the trial organized by his brokerage company CAA. Numerous scouts, general managers and bosses came to the scene to watch.
Zeng Fanbo played well, 18 consecutive three-pointers, draft expert Givony praised him: "CAA's Pro Day scene is full of decision-makers from various teams, giving Zeng Fanbo a platform to show himself well. The 211-centimeter-tall Chinese wing has shown its evolved physique, excellent shooting percentage and vertical explosiveness. ”
According to Zeng Fanbo's brokerage team, after the past 2 months of special training, his muscles have gained 12.7 pounds (about 5.76KG), while body fat has dropped by 4.5%. Before the draft, Zeng Fanbo had to try out 10-13 NBA teams alone.
However, some scouts believe that some of Zeng Fanbo's abilities in defense have reached the NBA level, but in terms of mobility of the defense, physical confrontation, and stability of the three-point shot, there are still doubts about whether he can adapt to NBA games.
Some people also believe that compared with Zhou Qi of the same age, Zhou Qi swept the youth team level competition at home and abroad that year, and was only selected by the rocket in the second round, and Zeng Fanbo's dominance has not yet reached the level of Zhou Qi.
Judging from the simulation draft ranking of the authoritative website ESPN in the United States, Zeng Fanbo's simulation ranking before the trial is 100, and after participating in the trial, the current simulation ranking is 87, although the ranking has risen, but there is still a distance from the top 60.
Zeng Fanbo graduated from high school last year, and on the AMERICAN draft website Rivals, he was named a 4-star high school student, ranking 99th in the class of 2021. That is to say, the experience of the development league igniting team in this year has not improved Zeng Fanbo's draft prospects.
Is choosing a ignition team the right path?
Last summer, Zeng And his team chose to drop the invitation of NCAA powerhouse Gonzaga University to move to the Development League Ignition Team. In order to impact the NBA, joining the Ignition Team is a faster and more dangerous path than playing the NCAA.
For example, Japanese striker Yamura, who graduated from Gonzaga University, basically did not play in the first year of Gonzaga University, and there was no data, and the university made progress every year for four years, and finally hit the main force in the senior year, and was finally selected by the Wizards in the 9th pick. The NCAA has more opportunities for trial and error and growth, and if it doesn't work in the first year, adapt first, and there is a chance to play for a few more years.
But the goal of joining the Ignition team is very clear, to brush up the data in this year and improve their draft rankings.
The most simple and rude thing is that the ignition team is not counting the record in the development of league games, that is to say, players play games, just brush their own data, and do not care whether the team wins or not.
This is obviously contrary to the basic concept of basketball as a team sport, which has created a strange style of play that ignites the team, where all players are playing alone and rarely see team cooperation. Rare passes are also for the purpose of accumulating assists.
Zeng Fanbo, who did not have the ball on the Ignition team, did not have many opportunities to perform, averaging 5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 blocks, 0.3 steals and 1.5 turnovers per game. The draft outlook has not been significantly improved.
If Zeng Fanbo and his team want to cut through the mess quickly, then some people are more anxious, this is Zeng Fanbo's old owner Beijing Shougang Team.
Beijing Shougang is in dire need of fresh blood
Last summer, the contradiction between Zeng Fanbo and Beijing Shougang was not small, until the Basketball Association came forward to mediate.
The core problem is that Zeng Fanbo envisions that if Zeng Fanbo loses the draft, he hopes that Zeng Fanbo will still have the opportunity to play in the summer league, go to various teams for trial training, and strive for two-way contracts, similar to the experience of Yuta Watanabe.
Shougang said that if Zeng Fanbo loses in the 2022 NBA draft, he will return to China to play the CBA as soon as possible.
A few years ago, Beijing Shougang carried out the "Young Eagle Plan" and sent young players to study and play in the United States, which cost a lot of money, and it can be said that Zeng Fanbo is the only remaining fruit in this group of players.
In the playoffs last season, Beijing Shougang lost 0-2 to Jilin, coach Yannis resigned, and the management pressure was not small.
Just yesterday, June 15, Beijing Shougang announced that all six teams of the Beijing Shougang men's and women's basketball first team and echelon team have changed coaches, and "youthfulness" and "sustainable development" have become the two key words.
Wang Xiaohui, a former main striker, retired as the coach of the second team of the men's basketball team, Chang Lin left the team, Zhai Xiaochuan grew older, and the Shougang front line became weaker.
Zeng Fanbo wants to seek personal development in the United States, and Shougang urgently needs to add fresh blood, this issue is not a debate about who is right and who is wrong, but both sides are striving to maximize their own interests.
Last summer, finally under the compromise of Zeng Fanbo, the two sides shook hands and made peace, and Zeng Fanbo signed a Class A contract with Shougang and went to the United States.
In the end, the specific date of Zeng Fanbo's return to China was not revealed to the outside world, but it was speculated that it should be after the defeat.
That is to say, whether he can be selected in the NBA draft has become a prerequisite for Zeng Fanbo to continue to stay in the United States.
Zeng Fanbo was most likely selected at the end of the second round
Lao Wu believes that in combination with the current situation, although Zeng Fanbo's simulation draft ranking has not reached the top 60, at the draft conference, his brokerage company CAA is likely to operate a signing position for Zeng Fanbo at the end of the second round with the strength of a big-name company.
With the development of the network now, potential new stars around the world can find information on the Internet at a very young age and be targeted by NBA scouts. Players like Jokic, Gasol Jr., and Ginobili were able to fall into the second round that year, and the probability of happening now is unlikely. You can look at the NBA second-round show list in recent years, and there are very few that can be played.
Therefore, the role of second-round signing for NBA teams is getting smaller and smaller, and there are also teams that have no favorite candidates to build a smooth relationship in order to maintain a relationship. A typical example is the 2016 Grizzlies' final pick of Wang Zhelin in the second round.
It can be said that this year's draft is a backwater battle for Zeng Fanbo to impact the NBA. If selected, he can also perform well in the summer league and team training, and strive for a place in the new season's big list.
If you are not selected, you will immediately return to Beijing Shougang to prepare for the CBA. Playing in the CBA for a few more years, his current age advantage is also gone, if you want to impact the NBA again, you must be able to play Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi's dominance in the CBA, or maybe it can work.