A game that was difficult for Du Feng to accept occurred in the contest between Guangdong and Shanxi. This was a heavy blow to his heart. At the beginning of the season, after the Guangdong team signed Zhou Qi and Waters, Du Feng confidently chanted the slogan of the championship. But unexpectedly, his team suffered a counterattack from Yuyu Shanxi in this game, and the 15-point lead disappeared in an instant, making Du Feng a little choked up when he faced the media.
Confident start to the season: Zhou Qi and Waters join to spark anticipation
At the beginning of this season, Guangdong's performance in the transfer market was remarkable, especially after the signing of Zhou Qi and Waters, the overall strength of the team has been greatly improved. Du Feng was full of confidence and unabashedly shouted the heroic words of the championship. Zhou Qi, as the core general, has become the stable fulcrum of the team's forward. However, this situation has changed radically in the face of Shanxi.
The forward line is unreliable, and the growth rate of young players is much lower than expected
Before the game, Zhou Qi, the core player of the Guangdong team, failed to play due to a truce, and Du Feng decided to leave the position to Xu Xin. Although Weems, who started two games in a row, performed well, the team's forward performance surprised Du Feng. In the interview, he expressed concern about the pace of development of young players, which was far less than he expected. In this game, the performance of the Guangdong team after the rotation in the second quarter was even more unacceptable.
Weems' all-round performance: Solid mid-range is the key to revitalizing the lineup
However, in the early stages of the game, Weems showed excellent all-around performance in the starting lineup. His composure and playmaking skills brought an orderly attack to the team, despite the poor form of the other starters. Weems contributed 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the last two quarters, showing his important role on the offensive end. Although his impact is not as strong as before, he still shows solid shooting skills in the mid-range, which is crucial to revitalizing the lineup.
Rotation leads to a decrease in offensive and defensive intensity: Du Feng's guidance is troubled
However, after the rotation in the second quarter, the offensive and defensive intensity of the Guangdong team failed to be continued. The opponent scored 44 points in the second quarter, quickly losing the 15-point lead. This scene made Coach Du Feng feel a little confused, and he made it clear in the post-game interview that he could not accept the opponent's single-quarter score. Du Feng pointed to rebounding and defensive problems, especially worried about the disastrous performance of young players such as Zhang Mingchi, Zhang Haojia, and Zhang Wenyi.
Disastrous performance of young players: What's the problem?
Coach Du Feng was particularly concerned about the performance of young players, pointing out that the performance of players such as Zhang Mingchi, Zhang Haojia and Zhang Wenyi in the game was simply disastrous. These young players were far from playing as expected, causing the team to fall into passivity in the game. At the same time, considering that Ren Junfei is a veteran player, Du Feng did not blame him too much for his performance. However, some decisions in this game have aroused doubts from the outside world, such as when Xu Jie scored 7 points in a row to lead the team to counterattack, Director Du Feng suddenly chose to replace him and chose to trust Hu Mingxuan.
Hu Mingxuan's state is average: the firepower of the guard line is significantly weakened
However, Hu Mingxuan's performance in this game was really average. He shot just 2-of-11 from the field, making him the worst performer of the team. This made the firepower of the Guangdong team in the back line significantly weakened, and there was one less major scoring point. Throughout the game, the three foreign aides in the team and Xu Jie performed well, but the performance of the other players was suffocating. In particular, the forward combination is composed of Ren Junfei, Du Runwang, and Zhang Haojia, but they are weak in the game and cannot fight hard.
Mistakes in reinforcements become defensive shortcomings: how can the team get out of the doldrums?
The article pointed out that the defensive end of the Guangdong team appeared so passive due to the mistake of recruitment. Du Feng mentioned that if there can be a defensive striker outside the team, the team's defensive performance will not be so passive. By looking at the past three matches, it is clear that the forward line composed of Ren Junfei, Du Runwang and Zhang Haojia has not shown enough toughness to gain an advantage against tough opponents. This made Du Feng feel very embarrassed, especially considering his tolerance for the veteran Ren Junfei in the game.
The most puzzling scene in this game was when Xu Jie scored 7 points in a row and led the team to counterattack, but Du Feng suddenly replaced him off the court and chose to trust Hu Mingxuan. The decision sparked a heated debate among fans and critics. Although Hu Mingxuan is the team's backcourt ace, his condition in this game is obviously average, with only 2 of 11 shots, becoming one of the worst players in the main team. Whether Du Feng's decision was wise became the focus of fans' attention, and in the post-match interview, Du Feng did not explain or defend this decision, which made the controversy even more boiling.
At the same time, the performance of young players has also become one of the reasons for the downturn of the Guangdong team. The disastrous performances of young players such as Zhang Mingchi, Zhang Haojia and Zhang Wenyi in the game have attracted widespread attention. Although these players are full of potential, their performance at critical moments has failed to meet Du Feng's expectations. It also makes one wonder if the team needs to focus more on the development of young players to ensure they can step up when it matters most.
In terms of the overall lineup, the performance of the three foreign players of the Guangdong team and Xu Jie was relatively qualified, but the performance of the players in other positions was not satisfactory. Hu Mingxuan's condition is average, and the weakness of the forward combination makes the team seem powerless against strong teams. This can't help but raise questions about the team's recruitment strategy. The article mentions that if a defensive striker joins the team, the team may not be so passive on the defensive end. This has led fans and professional commentators to wonder if there are some blind spots in the team's recruitment, which leads to a lack of support at key moments.
Overall, the problems that Guangdong have encountered in this game are multi-layered, not just the squad issues. From tactical decisions, player form, to recruitment strategies, all become factors that lead to failure. The loss of this game not only disappointed the fans, but also made Du Feng feel pressure. His previous rhetoric about the championship now seems a little too hasty. The team needs to seriously reflect and address the root causes of these issues, otherwise the season will be even more difficult.
Finally, there are different opinions on the decision of Xu Jie to be replaced at a critical moment. Some believe that Du Feng's trust in young players is right and that they need more playing time to grow, while others believe that more emphasis should be placed on players with better experience and form at such a critical moment in the game. This controversial decision became a highlight of the game, and it also became a topic worth thinking about for the Guangdong team to adjust their tactics and lineup in the future.