This season, Guangdong Hongyuan has suffered many setbacks in the introduction of domestic and foreign aid, but there have also been some unexpected gains. For example, Zhu Fangyu signed two top-notch foreign players, Jilunwater and Morand, who are among the best in the league. Another example is Huang Rongqi, who Zhu Fangyu almost picked up for free during the offseason, and he has become an absolute mainstay of Guangdong. Many fans believe that Guangdong and Huang Rongqi have achieved each other. Huang Rongqi's defense and three-point shooting have made up for the biggest weakness of Guangdong's guard line. Through the stage of Guangdong, Huang Rongqi has played an extremely efficient performance and also saved his CBA career.
Last season, Huang Rongqi played 30 games for Xinjiang Men's Basketball Team, averaging only 2.9 points and 1.6 assists, making him a clear bench player. Although Huang Rongqi performed well in the playoffs, Xinjiang still chose to let him go after the season, even giving him away for free without considering a trade. After being abandoned by Xinjiang, Huang Rongqi could only try out with various teams, hoping to be taken in by one. However, after an entire summer, no team believed that Huang Rongqi could still play in the CBA league. Just as Huang Rongqi was about to give up completely, Zhu Fangyu contacted him. After Zhao Rui left, Guangdong had been unable to find a suitable third guard. Du Feng and Zhu Fangyu invited Huang Rongqi to Dongguan for a trial with the idea of giving it a try, and Huang Rongqi performed outstandingly in the trial, eventually staying with Guangdong Hongyuan.
At the beginning of his joining, fans had little expectation of Huang Rongqi, thinking that if he could make the 12-man roster, it would be considered good. After all, as a guard without a shot, he would seriously disrupt the team's tactical system. It's normal to think this way, considering Huang Rongqi's career three-point shooting rate is less than 30%, and when playing for Xinjiang, his three-point shooting rate was only 14%. However, shooting is something that gets better the more you do it, and the more you practice, the more accurate you become. Knowing that he didn't have a shot, Huang Rongqi started training crazily, not resting until he had shot hundreds of three-pointers every day. After a lot of practice, Huang Rongqi's three-point shooting rate this season reached 33.7%, which can be considered a qualified level.
This season, Huang Rongqi averages 21.3 minutes per game, scoring 6.4 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds, becoming an absolute mainstay of Guangdong's guard line. In Guangdong's big win over Fujian, Huang Rongqi scored 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in 22 minutes, hitting all four of his three-point attempts. With Hu Mingxuan out long-term due to injury, Huang Rongqi even started as the team's starting shooting guard, and he indeed did his homework on both ends of the court, delivering a very eye-catching performance. Some fans jokingly say that even if Hu Mingxuan returns from injury, he might have to play backup to Huang Rongqi, as Huang Rongqi's ability to "block the gun" and consume opponents could lead to surprising effects when Hu Mingxuan comes off the bench!
Huang Rongqi possesses explosive athletic ability and never conserves energy on the defensive end, earning him the nickname "CBA Westbrook" from fans, with a slightly lower configuration compared to Zhao Rui! Everyone marvels at Zhu Fangyu's most correct decision this season, which was to "pick up" an excellent guard like Huang Rongqi in the free agent market. Without spending a penny on training fees, only paying Huang Rongqi's annual salary of 500,000 yuan, this deal is simply too cost-effective!