Will the Chinese men's basketball team, which is in a period of deep transformation, suffer from "Li Kyle dependence"?
After narrowly beating New Zealand by one point in the final game of the 2023 German Super Cup, the Chinese men's basketball team ended this European training and left for Shenzhen today to make final preparations for the 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup.
In order to better prepare for the 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup, the Chinese men's basketball team has been training in Europe since early July. In the past month, the Chinese men's basketball team has played a total of 8 warm-up games and achieved a record of 3 wins and 5 losses. Among them, 3 teams won Egypt, Cape Verde and New Zealand, but they still showed a big gap when facing strong teams such as Italy and Germany, especially against Germany, the difference between the two sides reached 49 points (China lost 58:107).
On July 24, when the Chinese men's basketball team went to Euler to practice, Li Kyle (also known as Kyle Anderson), who played for the NBA, obtained Chinese nationality, becoming the first naturalized player of the Chinese men's basketball team. Two days later, Li Kyle went to Europe to join the Chinese men's basketball team. Less than 10 days after returning to the team, Li Kyle made his debut for the Chinese team in the match between the Chinese men's basketball team and the Italian team. Although the Chinese men's basketball team lost 61-79, Li Kyle, who came off the bench, performed brilliantly, contributing 11 points and 6 rebounds. As he became familiar with the Chinese men's basketball team, Li Kyle's performance gradually improved. Facing New Zealand, the last game of the European training of the Chinese men's basketball team, Li Kyle, who was still on the bench, contributed a game-high 18 points, scored 5 rebounds, and completed a steal in the final moments of the game to help the Chinese men's basketball team win by 1 point.
The European training tour of the Chinese men's basketball team allows us to see two sharp contrasts. On the one hand, Li Kyle's increasingly outstanding performance has brought rare victory and hope to the Chinese team. His scoring ability, his steady mindset in key moments and his leadership on the field have all breathed new life into the team. In the final game, his +19 plus-minus clearly showed his great contribution to the team. During his time on the floor, the Chinese team appeared more organized and determined.
However, the hidden problems behind it cannot be ignored. The Chinese men's basketball team is undergoing a deep period of transformation, trying to shift from the traditional tactics dominated by center and core guards to the "Europeanized system" advocated by coach Jordjevic. This transformation doesn't happen overnight and takes time, experience, and teamwork. Although Li Kyle's outstanding performance has brought victory to the Chinese team, it may also bring another hidden danger to the team - over-dependence.
This was especially evident in the match against New Zealand. When the other players can't find their form and don't attack well, they may instinctively look for Li Kyle in the hope that he can lead the team with a single play. This tendency may lead to victory in the short term, but in the long run, it limits the growth of the team and the development of other players.
Li Kyle's fitness management and strategy choices in the first two quarters showed that he was not just a scorer, but also excellent in strategy and scheduling on the court. But the question is, will the team really be able to take full advantage of this characteristic? We need to recognize that basketball is a team sport. When a team is too dependent on one player, problems can occur when that player's form slips or that player gets injured. But in this European training, there is very little "tacit understanding" between Li Kyle and his teammates that we are expecting. And teams need more time to adapt to the new tactical system, rather than relying on just one player.
Li Kyle's attitude to play for the country has won the love and respect of fans, and after the game, he also said that FIBA's rules are different from the NBA, and he needs to adapt as soon as possible and use the last opportunity to adjust his condition and prepare for the upcoming World Cup.
Li Kyle's performance did bring hope to the Chinese team, but it also exposed the team's problems in the transformation process. In the face of the next challenges, the Chinese men's basketball team must not only maintain the momentum of victory, but also find the true core and tactical positioning of the team.
It is reported that the Chinese men's basketball team returned to Shenzhen this time to participate in the "International Unity Cup" under FIBA, and the Chinese men's basketball team will face Serbia, the Olympic and World Cup runner-up team in this event, which is also the first opponent of the Chinese men's basketball team in this World Cup.
The 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup will start the group stage simultaneously on August 25 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, with the Chinese men's basketball team in Group B with Serbia, Puerto Rico and South Sudan. In this World Cup, the top two places in the European and American zones, and the first place in the Asian, African and Oceanic regions, will directly qualify for the Paris Olympic Games. Therefore, "direct access to Paris" has become the top priority of the Chinese men's basketball team in this World Cup.