Latest roster for China's men's basketball team! Xu Jie and Pang Zhenglin miss out! 14 players head to Japan

China's men's basketball squad is en route to Japan to get ready for the second window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying matches.

The official list of 14 players traveling to Japan is as follows:

Guards: Zhao Jiwei (Liaoning Bengang), Zhao Rui (Beijing Shougang), Liao Sanning (Beijing Beikong), Gao Shiyan (Shandong Hi-Speed), Hu Mingxuan (Guangdong Hongyuan), He Xining (Shenzhen New Century)

Forwards: Li Hongquan (Shanghai Jiushi), Zhu Junlong (Zhejiang Guangsha), Zhao Jiayi (Qingdao Guoxin), Wang Haoran (Shenzhen New Century), Zhang Zhenlin (Shanghai Jiushi)

Centers: Hu Jinqiu (Zhejiang Guangsha), Jiao Boqiao (Guangdong Hongyuan), Yu Jiahao (Spain's Cantabria)

In other words, Zeng Fanbo, Xu Jie, Cheng Shuaipeng, Pang Zhenglin, Qi Lin, Jiang Haoran, and Xu Xin are not included in this window's competition.

Some are sidelined due to injuries, others due to lack of experience...

Every time the roster is announced, there are controversies about who should or shouldn't be selected.

Predictably, if the guard line underperforms again, public opinion will claim Xu Jie and Pang Zhenglin should have been chosen, with those left out always seen as the "best".

Hindsight criticism holds little value in competitive sports.

The coach makes the selections and ultimately must take responsibility for the results.

As fans, what we know is that there is zero margin for error for China's men’s basketball in this second window.

In the first window of the World Cup qualifiers, they lost both games to South Korea, even Coach Guo Shiqiang admitted:

“Losing twice to South Korea has made it much harder for us to reach the World Cup final stage.”

Whether from the perspective of qualification or public opinion, the upcoming matches against Japan and the provincial team must be won at all costs.

During the holiday season, wins or losses will definitely attract trending discussions.

If both games are lost... the fallout might rival the national football team's defeat to Vietnam on Lunar New Year's Day.

At 6:05 PM Beijing time on the 26th, the match against Japan will be highly anticipated.

Here is a brief preview.

The opponents also face considerable pressure.

Last year at the Asian Cup, they performed poorly, finishing only ninth; they lost to Iran in the group stage and were crushed 73-97 by Lebanon in the knockout round, missing the quarterfinals.

Recently, the Japanese Basketball Association replaced their head coach, dismissing Howard and appointing Tsutsumi from Ryukyu Golden Kings, which could be seen as a gesture to reassure Rui Hachimura!

It is well known that he and Howard had longstanding conflicts.

However, due to NBA commitments, both Hachimura and Kawamura will not participate in the upcoming games.

Their core lineup mainly consists ofYuta Watanabe, Hokinson, Yudai Baba, and Keisei TominagaThese familiar players all have distinctive playing styles.

From our own perspective:

1. It is expected that China's interior defense will face significant pressure.

Hu Jinqiu, as a key player, must try to limit Hokinson while also delivering strong offensive performances.

If Hu Jinqiu gets into foul trouble... the team’s offensive system could collapse.

Hu has always been a player stronger on offense than defense.

2. Who will make the three-point shots?

This question likely worries many fans.

Basketball is a scoring game; if we cannot reach an 80-point level...

Who can carry the scoring load? China's scoring struggles are not new.

We need newcomers like Li Hongquan or Wang Haoran to bring surprises, similar to Wang Junjie in the Asian Cup.

3. Regarding Coach Guo Shiqiang.

In do-or-die games, most coaches trust their own players since loyal teams can give their all.

The team will surely emphasize maximum effort and discipline.

But judging from the two losses to South Korea, I simply feel:

Our problem lies in offense.