Since entering the 2023 season, the competitive state and points ranking of the CBA Beijing Holdings team have been relatively stable. They currently sit 9th in the standings with 14 wins and 12 losses, a step back from last season's 8th place, but still in the upper middle of the league standings. This is basically in line with the expected goal of Min Lulei, the head coach of the Beijing Control team, to "rebuild the team and stabilize the ranking" this season. If the North Control team can maintain this competitive form, the possibility of finally earning a playoff spot is still very high.
Height and defense are still the biggest problems, and it is difficult for Chen Guohao to recover his main force
In the rotation lineup of the Beijing Enterprises team, the three forwards Zou Yuchen, Zhang Fan and Liao Sanning have always been the core strength of the team. Among them, Zhang Fan can contribute an average of 16.5 points per game, and Zou Yuchen can score 13.8 points per game, and the two are the main pillars of the offensive end of the Beijing Control team. It is worth mentioning that Chen Guohao, a rookie who was optimistic at the beginning of this season, has declined in form and his playing time has been greatly reduced. In the first 11 games, he averaged 29.3 minutes per game and scored 13.5 points; However, from the 12th game onwards, the playing time was sharply reduced to about 10 minutes per game. The weakness of the defensive end became a key factor in Chen Guohao's loss of the main position.
Chen Guohao is a rookie player who joined the Beijing Enterprises team directly through the draft after graduating from Guangdong University of Technology. In college, he averaged 25 points and 14 rebounds per game to help Guanggong win the championship and joined the CBA league as the top pick in the draft. In his debut against the Qingdao team, Chen Guohao presented a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Over the next 10 games, he averaged double-digit points per game. However, soon the gap in strength and weaknesses were gradually exposed: Chen Guohao, who is only 2.01 meters tall, could not compete with the opponent's No. 4 position, and his style of play that relied solely on physical advantages to break through was also restricted; The range of movement and marking quality on the defensive end are easily interpreted by professional players.
Since mid-December, Min Lulei has routinely arranged for Chen Guohao to have only about 10 minutes of garbage time per session. Occasionally, it will increase against weaker teams, such as 37 minutes and 26 minutes against Sichuan and Jilin respectively. It can be seen that the amount of playing time has directly reflected the coach's evaluation and trust in the rookie. Chen Guohao wants to regain the main position of the Beijing Control team, and I am afraid that there is a long way to go. Improving the quality of the defensive end is the priority, and the performance on the offensive end cannot completely cover up the holes in the defense.
Of course, as a CBA draft winner and a local player in Guangdong, Chen Guohao's popularity should not be underestimated. If he can't gain a firm foothold in the Beijing Control team, the possibility of returning to his hometown to become a member of the Guangdong team is not small. Just to really contribute to the hometown team, it is not enough to rely on public opinion and feelings. As Du Feng has always emphasized, in order to gain a foothold in the Guangdong team, strength is the first priority.