It was unexpected that after becoming a target in the first stage, the Shanghai team jumped to become the team with the longest winning streak in the second stage. In particular, the performance of Lofton, a 22-year-old big foreign aid who went undrafted in the NBA, has made other teams in the league envious, jealous, and resentful. The key is that Lofton can play a decisive role in crucial games for the Shanghai team. In the game against Tianjin, Lofton contributed 14 points, 13 points, and 11 points in the first three quarters, totaling 43 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 assists, helping the team complete a 13-game winning streak. Can they defeat Beikong away from home to achieve a miraculous 14-game winning streak?
Compared to the first stage, the Shanghai team in the second stage feels like riding a roller coaster. They only won one game out of ten in the first stage, but surprisingly won 13 out of 14 games in the second stage. This contrast is quite unusual in the new season. The key is that although the Shanghai team appears to have four foreign players in terms of performance, only Bledsoe and the big foreign aid Lofton can maintain long playing times. Hawkins mostly plays during garbage time, and Wilson's playing time is also very limited. Moreover, the Shanghai team is not fully healthy. Besides the veteran Luo Hanchen who has been recovering from an injury, young player Liu Lijia has not returned, and Li Tianrong and Li Hongquan are also somewhat affected by injuries. Even so, the Shanghai team can still win big against opponents in consecutive games, and there are even some games where they rise to the challenge in adversity, ultimately maintaining the demeanor of a strong team.
It must be said that in addition to the outstanding performances of domestic players and the small foreign aid Bledsoe, the big foreign aid Lofton is even more impressive.
As an undrafted NBA player, Memphis Grizzlies offered him a two-way contract in July 2022, allowing Lofton to land in the NBA. Unexpectedly, in his first start, Lofton shot 17 out of 25, scoring an exaggerated 42 points and 14 rebounds, but interestingly, his plus-minus value reached the lowest at -17 in the game. In the fierce competitive environment of the NBA, Lofton found it difficult to gain significant playing time. In the 2022-23 season, Lofton played a total of 24 games, averaging 5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 7.3 minutes per game. Unfortunately, on December 19, 2023, Lofton was cut by the Grizzlies. Following that, the 76ers gave Lofton a two-way contract, but this time he only represented the 76ers in 2 games, averaging 1 point and 1.5 rebounds. In 2024, the Jazz offered Lofton a three-year non-guaranteed contract, in which he played a total of 4 games, averaging 13.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. On July 28, the Jazz cut Lofton, and on August 16 of the same year, the Bulls offered Lofton a one-year contract, but the result remained the same, and Lofton could not escape his fate of leaving.
In two years in the NBA, Lofton played a total of 45 games, averaging only 4.8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. When he was at a loss, the Shanghai team provided Lofton with an experimental job opportunity, and as a result, Lofton became the top foreign aid for the Shanghai team. After joining the Shanghai team, Lofton did not lead the team to victory in his first game against Shandong, but then he initiated a personal killing spree, especially with his all-around performance, becoming an indispensable core player for the Shanghai team in key situations. Although Lofton is only 198 cm tall, he has good fundamentals, solid low-post skills, and a strong ability to hold the ball and attack individually. His physical fitness is outstanding, allowing him to create damage under the basket. At the same time, he also possesses a certain three-point shooting ability, providing support for the team from the outside. Lofton's addition greatly enhanced the Shanghai team's interior strength. His presence forces opponents to invest more energy in defense, thereby creating more offensive opportunities for his teammates. In addition, Lofton's rebounding ability is also excellent, effectively protecting rebounds and争取更多的进攻回合。
Since joining the Shanghai team, Lofton has played 16 games, starting 8 of them, and averaged 24 points, 12.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block in 30 minutes per game. However, up to now, especially in the 14 games since Lofton joined, the strongest opponents the Shanghai team faced were Shandong, Zhejiang Chouzhou, Guangdong, and Beikong. They have not yet faced strong teams like Zhejiang Guangsha, Shanxi, and Liaoning in the top four, so it cannot be proven that the Shanghai team is truly capable of tough battles. On December 27th, in a home game against Beikong, the Shanghai team defeated Beikong by a 12-point advantage at home. However, to be honest, in that game, apart from Salinger of Beikong scoring a double-double with 28 points and 14 rebounds, other interior players such as Zou Yuchen and Shen Zijie performed very poorly. The key is that Salinger received a lot of playing time, reaching nearly 36 minutes, and also gained a lot of ball possession, causing almost all other players to become supporting roles.
Furthermore, the restrictions on the big foreign aid Lofton were not in place. Throughout the game, Lofton played 35 minutes, comparable to Salinger, but his efficiency seemed higher than Salinger's, scoring 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists. Beikong, which boasts the best frontcourt group in the league, allowed Lofton to wreak havoc in the paint, almost achieving a triple-double, which was the biggest failure of Beikong and also the main reason for their loss. However, ten days later, facing the same opponent again, the home team Beikong will definitely not become a double-killed target. Coach Min Lulei has expressed his intention to end Shanghai's 13-game winning streak. This time, it will probably be very difficult for Lofton to wreak havoc in the paint again, as Salinger, Shen Zijie, Zou Yuchen, and even Chen Guohao will work hard to surround Lofton in the paint. Once Lofton falls into an offensive crisis, relying solely on the old guard Bledsoe's breakthroughs to create damage or simply depending on outside three-point shots to defeat Beikong will likely be very challenging.
Although the Shanghai team has recently been in explosive form, with Lofton wreaking havoc, for the Shanghai team, Beikong may become the biggest stumbling block to stop their 13-game winning streak when playing away.