CBA Latest Rankings! 2 Teams Compete for the Top Spot, Shandong Rises to 3rd, Liaoning Plummets, Guangdong at 10th
The CBA season 24-25 is in full swing, with 20 teams vying for playoff spots. As the season progresses past the halfway mark, the competition for rankings has intensified, with teams dropping and rising, causing a chaotic ranking situation: two teams competing for first place, Shandong rising to third, Liaoning experiencing a steep decline, and Guangdong ranked tenth.
Two Teams Compete for First Place!
In the CBA so far, only two teams are qualified to compete for the top spot: Guangsha and Shanxi.
Guangsha, as a veteran powerhouse in the CBA, has reached its peak this season! The team's two domestic core players, Sun Minghui and Hu Jinqiu, have not encountered major injury issues and have remained healthy, ensuring the team's stability! Moreover, Guangsha's foreign aid selection this season has been excellent, with Brown, Carton, and Knight all delivering outstanding performances, providing significant support to the team, especially with the signing of Boban, which further enhances Guangsha's interior defense!
Other domestic players of Guangsha have also performed well, including Zhu Junlong, Zhao Yanhao, Zhao Jiayi, etc. The team is truly strong this season, ranking first in the league with a record of 21 wins and 4 losses!
With a record of 21 wins and 4 losses, Guangsha is playing so well that they still have competitors, and that opponent is Shanxi! Shanxi is the dark horse of this season, securing a record of 19 wins and 5 losses, ranking second in the league, just 1.5 games behind Guangsha, and also has the potential to take the top spot!
Shanxi's excellent performance this season can be attributed to two main points! First, the team's sharp offense, averaging 115.1 points per game, ranks first in the league in offense. The team's two foreign aids, Goodwin and Diarra, are both offensive powerhouses, difficult to stop, and Zhang Ning and Yuan Shuai are also offensively capable, with numerous scoring points, making it hard to form defensive pressure!
Secondly, rebounds. Shanxi averages 50.1 rebounds per game this season, ranking second in the league, with an impressive 16.9 offensive rebounds, ranking first in the league. The team not only protects the basket well but also creates many second-chance scoring opportunities, greatly enhancing the team's offense! Shanxi's rebounding prowess is largely due to the key roles played by Liu Chuanxing, Faye, Jiao Hailong, and others.
Such sharp offense and rebounding have greatly increased Shanxi's combat effectiveness, giving them the strength to challenge Guangsha and a good chance to take the top spot.
Shandong Rises to Third!
This season's CBA has seen many dark horses emerge, with Shandong being one of them, securing a record of 18 wins and 7 losses, ranking third in the league!
Last season, Shandong hit rock bottom, ranking only 15th and failing to make the playoffs. However, under the leadership of Qiu Biao this season, the team has undergone a complete transformation, reaching third place, a true explosive growth. Qiu Biao's strategic deployment, tactical improvements, personnel utilization, and training enhancements have been immense, revitalizing Shandong and making them an influential force in the CBA. This season's Shandong has the opportunity to achieve an outstanding result.
Liaoning Experiences a Steep Decline!
Prior to this season, Liaoning had achieved three consecutive championships, and this season they were aiming for a fourth. However, this process has proven to be more challenging than expected, with Liaoning experiencing a steep decline this season.
So far, Liaoning has achieved a record of 17 wins and 8 losses, with a win rate of less than 70%. Although they are ranked fifth, their win rate falls short of Xinjiang and Beijing, suggesting a real ranking of seventh, which is Liaoning's worst performance in recent years!
Why is Liaoning performing so poorly? The reasons mainly lie in two points! One is the excessive number of injuries within the team, particularly to the two domestic core players, Zhao Jiwei and Zhang Zhenlin, which has significantly reduced the team's defensive, offensive, and organizational capabilities, causing considerable damage to the team's tactical system!
Secondly, Liaoning has yet to find suitable foreign aid this season. Han Dejun and Li Xiaoxu are too old to hold up for extended periods, leaving the team's interior vulnerable and severely reducing their combat effectiveness!
Liaoning's problems are clear, and for the team, the priorities are to wait for Zhao Jiwei and Zhang Zhenlin to recover and actively seek suitable foreign aid. If these two conditions are met, they still have hope of defending their title this season!
Guangdong Ranked Tenth!
Liaoning is not doing well, and their old rival Guangdong is also struggling! Guangdong currently ranks tenth in the league with a record of 14 wins and 11 losses. However, Shanghai is coming on strong from behind, making it difficult for Guangdong to maintain their tenth position, possibly dropping to eleventh. This means that in the first round of the playoffs, they will face tough opponents without home court advantage, and this season they may suffer an early exit in the first round.
Latest CBA Rankings:
- Guangsha
- Shanxi
- Shandong
- Xinjiang
- Liaoning
- Beijing
- Guangdong
- Shanghai
- Zhejiang
- Jiangsu