China will start their 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign on Saturday in Manila, where they probably still recall a bitter memory -- their unexpected exit
While China head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic said he didn't want a "yesterday once more" in the Philippines, speaking after China's first training session on Thursday at Araneta Coliseum, the Serbian urged his side to "enjoy the moment, enjoy the game and show the best."
Djordjevic is likely to have mixed feelings when China take on Serbia in their Group B opener on Saturday. Obviously Serbia are the odd-on favorites, since in a warmup match five days ago, the European title contenders cruised past China by 23 points.
Looking to be the best-ranked Asian team in order to secure a place at the 2024 Olympic Games, and kicking off the tournament by playing the dominant team in the group may be frustrating, but it does give China a bit more time to prepare for games against Puerto Rico and South Sudan.
In 2019, as the host nation, China failed to beat Venezuela and Poland, settled in 24th place and the door to the Tokyo Olympics was slammed shut in their faces. Only four of the 2019 squad have come to Manila this time.
Even though veteran duo Yi Jianlian and Guo Ailun are not on China's roster, the call-up of NBA player Li Kaier has given the team a steady scorer and a tall commander on the court. But Li's chemistry with the team is only based on over a month's period, so just how the forward will help the team is yet to be discovered.
The team has a relatively balanced age structure and features new blood coming up from the domestic league. Zhang Zhenlin and Cui Yongxi help to boost the team's athleticism, which had been called into question by Djordjevic. The twin towers of Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin are still China's foundation, the question is how to make them reach the ball comfortably in the paint.
On the backcourt, Zhao Rui can either shoot long 3-pointers or drive in to attract double teams, and Zhao Jiwei, who left a deep impression on fans, can easily rotate the ball to the right teammate at the right time, but the team's height was a clear disadvantage defensively.
In the summer, China had an all-loss record facing European teams, and the games were not even close. But defeating Egypt, New Zealand and Cape Verde proved that China still have a chance to come back to their peak.
In the past three FIBA World Cups, Serbia have consistently ranked within the top five, securing the runners-up spot in 2014. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Serbia also achieved a second-place finish.
The current team, although missing key players like Nikola Jokic and Milos Teodosic, still possesses significant strength, with three NBA players in the roster, including Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Atlanta Hawks. They continue to uphold the typical Serbian basketball traits of being tall, accurate and fast, maintaining a balanced presence both inside and outside the paint, with no obvious weaknesses.
Overall, a greater significance of this game for China may lie in adjusting their form to prepare for the next two rivals. Confidence is key, as Djordjevic addressed: "Sometimes I felt that we were a little bit intimidated by the big teams that we played in this summer, and we just have to show the best game."
"Those three teams that we have to play, they also have to play us," China's head coach said, adding that he hoped to see a different squad at the World Cup.
