Compared to Zhang Mingchi and Zhang Hao, who are indeed like mud that cannot be made into bricks, Xu Xin, with his outstanding static talent, has not received the attention of Du Feng this season, which is indeed regrettable. After Zhou Qi's departure, Xu Xin has not been able to get enough attention from Du Feng.
After finally getting more than 15 minutes of playing time in several previous games and scoring in double digits in three consecutive games, Du Feng benched Xu Xin in the derby against Guangzhou, where he only played 4 minutes and scored 2 points with 3 rebounds. In the big win against Fujian, if the point difference had not continued to widen in the final quarter, Xu Xin might not have gotten any playing time at all.
In the final quarter of the game against Fujian, both teams sent out their substitutes, especially Guangdong, which even fielded an all-Chinese lineup. Xu Xin played for 9 minutes in this quarter, making all 2 shots for 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. He decisively seized the opportunity to score, protected the rim with rebounds, and facilitated from a high position, seemingly trying to prove to Du Feng that he deserves more playing time.
Currently, all three of Guangdong's foreign players are big men (Bazley, Morland, and Jilunwate), so it is indeed difficult for domestic big men to get many opportunities. However, if Guangdong wants to pursue higher goals this season, they will likely need to sign another foreign player with good scoring ability to share the pressure with Xu Jie and Hu Mingxuan. When the small foreign player is on the court, the importance of domestic big men becomes even more critical. Xu Xin, who already has good rim protection skills, would be wasted if Du Feng continues to overlook him.
This season, Xu Xin has played 22 games for Guangdong, averaging 4.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 9.7 minutes per game, with a shooting percentage as high as 76.9%. If converted to per 36 minutes, Xu Xin can average 17.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks. In terms of rebounds per 36 minutes, he ranks just behind Morland and Bazley, while in terms of blocks per 36 minutes, he leads the second-placed Morland by a wide margin (averaging 2.8).
Unlike previous seasons when Guangdong mainly relied on two foreign players, this season they have focused more on set plays and not on increasing speed. Their number of possessions this season is only 90.7, ranking 16th in the league. In this situation where they do not pursue speed, Du Feng should indeed give Xu Xin more room for error and opportunities to perform.
Judging from the game against Fujian, Xu Xin seems to have put in a lot of effort to prove his abilities to Du Feng. If Guangdong really does not plan to cultivate him, they might as well loan him out to exchange for some priority renewal rights for small foreign players. Sichuan could be a good choice. This team, which is at the bottom of the league, is in dire need of a capable big man. If they are willing to give their priority renewal rights for Samna to Guangdong, Guangdong could loan Xu Xin to Sichuan to help this promising big man gain experience.