The Chinese men's basketball team defeated Australia! Wang Junjie remains a top-tier player.

I've grown a bit tired of watching the FIFA World Cup, so tonight I tuned in to a friendly match involving the Chinese men's basketball team.

They ultimately beat the Australian men's team 91-81, securing a strong start. This game served as an important warm-up before the World Cup Asian Qualifiers, with a match against the Dutch team coming up next.

Let's talk about the contest that just ended.

This Australian squad was no pushover—they were quite young, mostly under 24, though obviously not their full national team.

That needs to be made clear first.

Wang Junjie recorded 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals; Cui Yongxi had 12 points; Hu Jinqiu contributed 11 points and 6 rebounds; Wang Haoran added 10 points and 5 rebounds; Pang Zhenglin scored 9 points.

For the current Chinese men's team, Wang Junjie is undoubtedly a top-tier player in his position and the most versatile modern forward the squad desperately needs.

Today, he led the team to victory with the highest score of the game.

Standing at 2.06 meters, he possesses the ideal FIBA-standard forward size, allowing him to seamlessly switch between the small forward and power forward positions, adapting well to international small-ball systems.

Thanks to his long-term training in the American basketball environment, his physicality, game rhythm, and on-court decision-making far surpass those of domestic players his age. He never shies away from high-intensity international physical battles and demonstrates strong adaptability.

Compared to domestic star forwards like Zhu Junlong and Zeng Fanbo, Wang Junjie is more well-rounded and lacks any obvious functional weaknesses.

Of course, at 21 years old, he still has room for improvement.

His lateral quickness, finishing at the rim under pressure, rim-protection awareness, and ability to handle physical contact still need refinement. However, this doesn't change the fact that he's the most capable player we have in his position.

That said, I suggest lowering expectations and easing the pressure on him—it would be better for everyone.

Wang Junjie is a player who averaged 8.5 points and 3 rebounds per game in his junior year of NCAA—not a savior for Chinese basketball.

"Top-tier" is relative.

One more point I'd like to make: although the Chinese men's team has plenty of guards competing fiercely for spots, each of them has their own issues.

Zhao Jiwei excels in controlling the tempo, handling pick-and-rolls, and minimizing turnovers; his experience in organizing half-court offense is irreplaceable. However, his relatively thin frame makes him susceptible to pressure from high-intensity European and American defenses, limiting his ability to distribute the ball.

Liao Sanning is suited to be an attacking point guard, but his court vision and playmaking are lacking—he relies too heavily on his own ball-handling offense. Tonight, he often missed open looks and held onto the ball too long.

Cheng Shuaipeng and Gao Shiyan bring relentless defensive intensity and aggressive steals, but they have almost no ability to create their own shots or generate offense off the dribble, serving only as functional role players.

Pang Zhenglin is fast and explosive driving to the hoop, but you have to accept his turnovers. Whether he makes the final 12-man roster depends entirely on the coach's assessment.

If no roster changes are made, the upcoming World Cup Asian Qualifiers against Japan and the provincial team will present us with a completely new Chinese men's basketball squad.

There will be no Zhou Qi, no Zhao Rui, and no Hu Mingxuan.

Haven't we been calling for a generational transition for years now?

Personally, I'd really like to see some changes...

But if they lose, someone is bound to say, "We should have brought XXX!"

In this internet age, the media environment for Chinese basketball is far from friendly.