2+0+0! Completely incomparable to Zhang Zhenlin! The Chinese men's basketball team confirms its debut in the World Cup qualifiers.

One point remains in the past, and it also belongs to the future.

The Australian Basketball Association's official Twitter paid tribute: "The Chinese men's basketball team delivered an incredible performance, wishing you all the best in the future."

Gaining sincere respect from opponents is something earned through play; only one can redeem oneself.

The Chinese men's basketball team, which won the runner-up at the 2025 Asian Cup, had the highest shooting percentage (49.1%), three-point shooting percentage (39.9%), and free throw percentage (80.3%) in this tournament. In the past, this was unimaginable, which also indicates that we are gradually aligning with the current trends in world basketball.

Now that the 2025 Asian Cup has concluded, does that mean the Chinese men's basketball team's journey for this year is over?

No, it is not, and we will soon meet again; we can continue to enjoy the wonders that basketball brings.

On November 28 of this year, the Chinese men's basketball team will face Korea in their first World Cup qualifier match at home; on December 1, they will challenge Korea away.

In this year's Asian Cup quarter-finals, the Chinese men's basketball team defeated Korea 79-71, causing their star player Lee Hyun-jung to break down in tears. It is worth mentioning that Lee Hyun-jung was also brought to tears by the Chinese youth national team in the 2018 Asian Youth Championship.

The Asian Cup is a minor test, while the World Cup qualifiers are a mock exam that concerns whether we can go directly to the 2027 World Cup and then aim for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

For the first stage of the 2027 Men's Basketball World Cup qualifiers in Asia, the specific groups are as follows:

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Guam;

Group B: China, Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei;

Group C: Iran, Jordan, Syria, Iraq;

Group D: Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, India, Qatar (the host).

It is easy to imagine that in about two months, the Chinese men's basketball team will once again gather for training in preparation for the World Cup qualifiers. However, before that, some players will participate in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Games held from November 9 to 21 this year, and the new season of the CBA will start on December 12 this year.

By the time the World Cup qualifiers arrive, key players like Zhang Zhenlin and Zhou Qi should be fully healthy and return to the Chinese men's basketball team. Zhang Zhenlin may be controversial, but think about it; he is certainly better than Zhao Jiayi,who scored 2 points, 0 points, and 0 points in the three knockout games of the Asian Cupand failed to play a positive role as a backup power forward. There is no doubt that this guy's national team career has come to an end.

Moreover, Zhang Zhenlin's performance on the Asian stage is not bad: in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, he averaged 11.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks, with shooting percentages of 42%, 25%, and 58%. The Chinese men's basketball team urgently needs his athletic talent to enhance the depth of the wing position and not let Zhu Junlong struggle alone.

As for Yang Hanshen, he will not participate in the World Cup qualifiers as he prepares for the 2025-26 NBA season. Zeng Fanbo is working hard for the last two-way contract spot with the Nets, while Lin Wei, who was selected 8th overall by the Mavericks' G League team, the Texas Legends, also has an uncertain future...

Additionally, the biggest surprise for the Chinese men's basketball team this year, Wang Junjie, has returned to the University of San Francisco to begin his third NCAA season. Zhao Weilen, who also plays for the University of San Francisco, will start his first NCAA season, and it is estimated that neither will participate in the World Cup qualifiers.

Therefore, the Chinese men's basketball team competing in the World Cup qualifiers will still face serious personnel shortages, but relying on the big-name veterans remaining in the CBA to deal with Korea should be more than enough, provided that Zhou Qi and Zhang Zhenlin can indeed return on schedule!