As the runner-up of the World Cup, it is a fact that no fan wants to see the Chinese women's basketball team stop at the group stage of the Paris Olympics. After reflecting on this, what changes will the Chinese women's basketball team make in terms of lineup in the future? Or, what are the strongest player lineups for each position on the Chinese women's basketball team?
Center
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Center: Li Yueyu, 26 years old, 201 cm, 101 kg.
Li Yueyu, a former WCBA player and national team member, has played for Guangdong Women's Basketball and Inner Mongolia Women's Basketball. In the 2017-2018 season, she played 25 games in the regular season, scoring 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. In the 2018-2019 season, she helped Guangdong Women's Basketball win the championship. In 2020, she joined Inner Mongolia Women's Basketball and helped the team win the championship. In 2022, she went to the United States to join the WNBA Sparks and started her overseas career. She is currently playing in the Turkish league and has helped the team achieve good results.
Li Yueyu once helped the Chinese women's basketball team win the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games championship, Hangzhou Asian Games championship, and the runner-up of the Women's Basketball World Cup. She also represented the Chinese women's basketball team at the Paris Olympics and was the only player who performed above her level, becoming the team's top scorer.
Li Yueyu not only possesses an overwhelming advantage in the paint but also has proficient back-to-basket single-handed technology and under-the-basket footwork skills. Her scoring ability is super strong, and her rebounding and protection abilities are equally outstanding. Moreover, in 2024, she developed the ability to shoot three-pointers, making her a diligent and virtuous star player.
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Center: Han Xu, 26 years old, 211 cm, 96 kg.
Han Xu currently plays for Sichuan Yuanda Mele Women's Basketball and is a member of the national team. She officially joined the WCBA in 2018 and participated in the Jakarta Asian Games. In the 2020-2021 season, she won the scoring champion and block champion of the season and helped the Chinese women's basketball team win the runner-up of the World Cup. In 2022, she represented the WNBA New York Liberty to participate in the American professional women's basketball league. In 2023, she returned to the WCBA league, helping Sichuan Women's Basketball win the WCBA championship and participated in the Tokyo Olympics and Paris Olympics with the team.
Han Xu has flexible under-the-basket footwork and diversified offensive capabilities. Her mid-range shooting and three-point ability are also excellent. Her defensive coverage is large, and her rebounding ability cannot be underestimated. Han Xu also has good off-ball facilitation and ball-handling attack capabilities. When the team needs it, she can play the role of a power forward at the four-number position. Her superb personal ability allows Han Xu to easily cope with the positions of four and five.
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Center: Zhang Ziyou, 18 years old, 226 cm, 135 kg.
Zhang Ziyou is another rising star on the Chinese women's basketball team's front line in recent years. She is currently a member of the national youth team. Zhang Ziyou once scored 42 points, 25 rebounds, and 6 blocks in 26 minutes in the U15 women's basketball league. On June 24, 2024, Zhang Ziyou scored 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, and 36 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, as well as 44 points in the U18 Women's Basketball Asian Cup group stage match. She also scored 34 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists in the semi-finals and 42 points, 14 rebounds in the final, winning the MVP of the U18 Women's Basketball Asian Cup, and her abilities are unquestionable.
It is hoped that Zhang Ziyou will improve her athletic ability and lower body strength in future training and enhance her physical fitness. It is believed that in the near future, with Zhang Ziyou guarding the Chinese women's basketball team's front line, they will be able to take and demand scores and rebounds at will, invincible, and world domination of women's basketball will be just around the corner!
Forward
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Forward: Li Meng, 30 years old, 182 cm, 90 kg.
Li Meng currently plays for Sichuan Yuanda Women's Basketball and is a member of the national team. She joined the Shenbu Women's Basketball Youth Team in 2006 and officially joined the WCBA in 2012. She won the Most Valuable Player of the WCBA regular season twice in 2018-2019. In 2022, she helped the Chinese women's basketball team win the runner-up of the Women's Basketball World Cup. In 2023, she helped Sichuan Women's Basketball win the WCBA championship. In 2023, she joined the Washington Mystics of the WNBA and won the Asian Cup and Hangzhou Asian Games championship with the team in 2023.
Li Meng is physically strong, powerful, and does not lose out in physical confrontations. Her three-point shooting, movement, and breakthrough abilities are all very strong. At the Los Angeles Olympics, she will be 33 years old. As a veteran, when the national team needs her, it is believed that she can still help the Chinese women's basketball team and has the ability to fight.
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Power Forward: Luo Xinyu, 24 years old, 186 cm, 80 kg.
Luo Xinyu currently plays for Jiangsu Nangang Women's Basketball and is a member of the national team. She was selected into the national youth women's basketball team in 2018, started fighting in the WCBA in 2019, was selected into the women's basketball Asian Cup list in 2023 and won the championship, and was selected into the national team list for the Paris Olympics in 2024. She is also the second-highest-scoring domestic player in the WCBA.
Luo Xinyu is fast in movement, strong in confrontation, and has a good three-pointer. She is a good spatial power forward and shooter. In the future, she will be an indispensable strong power forward on the front line of the Chinese women's basketball team.
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Forward: Zhang Zhiyue, 19 years old, 186 cm, 68 kg.
Zhang Zhiyue joined the Guangdong Youth Team in 2019, then entered the women's basketball national youth team, and had a good performance in the U18 Women's Basketball Asian Cup, helping the Chinese women's basketball national youth team win the Asian Cup runner-up.
Zhang Zhiyue is tall and long-armed, with excellent physical quality, coordinated playing movements, a tough style, comprehensive skills, active defense, good offense and breakthrough abilities, and is another rising star at the small forward position of the Chinese women's basketball team in the future.
Guard
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Guard: Xu Fengwei, 19 years old, 172 cm, 60 kg.
Xu Fengwei was selected into the U18 women's basketball national youth team list in June 2024, serving as a point guard. In the U18 Asian Youth Championship against New Zealand, she contributed a comprehensive data of 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. The combination of inside and outside lines with center Zhang Ziyou and the combination of shooting and penetration left a deep impression. She is one of the outstanding players in the Asian Youth Championship.
Xu Fengwei plays with impact, has strong ball control ability, can dribble with both hands, and is not soft in key moments, daring to shoot. She will be a potential new star on the point guard line of the Chinese women's basketball team in the future. -
Guard: Zhang Mannan, 28 years old, 175 cm, 64 kg.
Guard Zhang Mannan currently plays for Sichuan Yuanda Women's Basketball. She participated in the WCBA league in 2017, was selected into the Chinese women's basketball national Olympic list in 2019, and has been selected into the national team training list many times.
Zhang Mannan is strong in breakthroughs, plays with wit, and has outstanding three-point shooting ability. She will have the opportunity to serve the national team at the Los Angeles Olympics. -
Guard: Wang Siyu, 29 years old, 175 cm, 60 kg.
Wang Siyu currently plays for Sichuan Yuanda Mele Women's Basketball and is a member of the national team. She joined Shandong Women's Basketball in 2013 and began participating in the WCBA league. She has won the league championship twice, the All-Star lineup three times, and the steal king twice. She has participated in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, the Women's Basketball World Cup, the Women's Basketball Asian Cup, the Tokyo Olympics, and the Paris Olympics successively.
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