The highly anticipated second stage of the CBA regular season has seen continuous battles, with recent attention focused on Guangdong Men's Basketball Team's easy victory over Shenzhen with a score of 91-84 in an away game. Although the score difference between the two teams was not significant, Guangdong managed to preserve its strength and easily defeat the opponent. In the game, Xu Jie, the main guard of Guangdong, was finally not overused by Du Feng, playing for less than 20 minutes throughout the match. Despite not overusing Xu Jie, Guangdong still managed to easily defeat Shenzhen, largely due to the outstanding performance of Zhang Haojia, the local forward, which provided the team with the leverage to hold out against Shenzhen until the final moments and allow Xu Jie to seal the victory.
In this game, Zhang Haojia, the main forward of Guangdong, finally had a big breakout, playing for 39 minutes and scoring 14 points with 3 rebounds. Zhang Haojia not only managed to break through Shenzhen's defense multiple times and achieve 2+1 plays but also demonstrated his three-point shooting and defensive capabilities. His versatility gave Guangdong the assurance that their forward line would not be overwhelmed by Weems and Zhou Peng, and also allowed Xu Jie more rest time. The absence of Hu Mingxuan put Guangdong's backcourt in trouble, with Xu Jie experiencing physical exhaustion in consecutive games and urgently needing rest. At this moment, Zhang Haojia's outstanding performance became the X-factor for the biggest win in the game.
Now, Zhang Haojia not only provides stable firepower output for the team in scoring but also showcases his superior physical endurance in defense. Zhang Haojia has evolved from a stationary shooter to a local mainstay in ball-handling offense, which undoubtedly compensates for the disadvantages of Du Runwang and Bazley's poor form. Du Runwang failed to score in this game, performing poorly and even being abandoned early by Du Feng. Bazley, on the other hand, did not live up to the level of a qualified foreign player, with Du Feng limiting his playing time to over 20 minutes. Zhang Haojia's excellent performance pushed out Du Runwang and Bazley, and together with Gillenwater, Ren Junfei, and others, they executed impressive spatial offense and smooth scoring tactics.
After this game, Zhang Haojia has basically secured his position as the strongest No. 3 position in Guangdong. In the future, Du Feng will undoubtedly be more inclined to give Zhang Haojia more tactical status and playing time. The victory in this game is significant for Guangdong Men's Basketball Team as it has basically preserved their overall strength at the lower limit. In the future, the addition of new foreign players and the return of star player Hu Mingxuan will significantly enhance Guangdong's offensive and defensive capabilities. If Zhang Haojia can maintain his competitiveness at the No. 3 position, Guangdong will definitely have a chance to challenge for the CBA Finals this season, and even compete with championship contenders such as Guangsha, Shanxi, Shanghai, Liaoning, and other teams.
In summary, Guangdong's forward line has shown signs of rising, and how potential forward Zhang Haojia performs in the future will directly affect the team's regular season and playoffs this season. As for whether Guangdong's potential rising star Zhang Haojia can maintain health and progress in subsequent games, let's wait and see.