Back to the drawing board

For Chinese men's basketball, the end of a nearly five-month stretch of training and competition should not be treated as a rest stop. It should be treated as a warning.

China does not need another long camp. It does not need more repetitive drills, more closed-door training, nor more of the same old belief that endurance and hard work alone can close the gap with the world's best.

China's traditional advantages in size and interior play are no longer enough on their own.

What it does need, at least according to three-time CBA champion Li Qun, is a philosophical reset.

The result in Nagoya suggests he might be right.

China finished fourth at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after a 70-79 loss to Iran in the bronze-medal game. It is not the worst finish in China's Asian Games history, but it is another clear sign that the team's problems are structural, not accidental.

After the defeat to Iran, head coach Guo Shiqiang pointed to the team's youth and its inability to perform consistently in key games.

"The young players still lack experience in major tournaments and the ability to handle pressure," Guo said.

While there was evidence of that in both of China's final two games, when despite mounting strong comebacks against Japan and Iran and cutting sizeable deficits, China struggled to respond to changes in tempo, with turnovers, a stagnant offense and defensive communication quickly undermining its momentum, Li believes criticizing the players is not the answer.

"We have to change our mindset," he said during TV commentary of the Iran game, "and the mindset that Chinese coaches need to change is this: stop constantly pointing out players' mistakes.

"We need to recognize that our training philosophy is indeed lagging behind international basketball ... basketball today is based on fast-paced offense and defense, and then organizing the team's overall tactical play on the foundation of individual offense.

"Tactics need to serve our players and the coach's job is to help them become the best players they can be.

"Take good care of them, draw out their talent and enable them to become truly world-class players. Only then will Chinese basketball have hope."

That's not to say players shouldn't take their share of responsibility.

Captain Hu Mingxuan was quick to highlight the shortcomings of his side after the Iran game, echoing his coach.

"We didn't do well defensively or on the boards, and we didn't execute what we had prepared before the game. There was a period in the second half when we started to take control, but after turning the ball over, we failed to adjust in time," Hu said.

The issue, therefore, is not simply whether China can produce good stretches of basketball. It is whether the team can sustain them when games reach their decisive stages and the margin for error disappears.

The most visible weaknesses have been China's perimeter shooting and rebounding.

Against Japan in the semifinal, China made seven of 25 three-point attempts, compared with Japan's 12-for-30 performance. In the bronze-medal game, China went 7-for-21 from beyond the arc, while Iran made 15 of 33 of its 3-point attempts.

Poor perimeter shooting creates a chain reaction. When outside shots do not fall, opponents can collapse into the paint, reduce driving lanes and make it harder for China to capitalize on its size.

Rebounding has presented a similar problem. China narrowly lost the overall rebounding battle to Iran, 40-41, but was beaten 13-7 on offensive rebounds. Against Japan, China conceded 18 offensive rebounds.

Guard Cui Yongxi said it has become a recurring problem "that has never really been solved".

It is not a lack of awareness. China knows these areas need attention and prepares for them. The difficulty is turning that preparation into consistent execution once the game begins.

On top of that, China's 13 assists and 16 turnovers in the bronze-medal game compared with Iran's 21 assists and 11 turnovers pointed to weaknesses in ball movement and decision-making.

From the World Cup qualifying loss to South Korea, to these latest defeats against Japan and Iran, the same issues have repeatedly surfaced.

Asian basketball is becoming faster, more perimeter-oriented and more dependent on spacing, transition play and versatile players. Japan has combined pace, ball movement and 3-point shooting, while Iran has used physicality and offensive rebounding to pressure opponents.

China's traditional strengths in size and interior play are no longer the advantages they once had. The team must become more versatile, more efficient and more capable of generating quality looks from the perimeter.

Cui said the response must begin with individual development.

"To change a team and change the way everyone plays is not something that can be done easily," he said. "First, we need to improve individual ability. Everyone needs to be able to attack, pass and shoot.

"Basically, everyone has to be a versatile player."

China also needs to reassess its training methods, playing philosophy and talent-development system — from the structure of national-team camps and their coordination with the CBA season, to the ways young players gain high-level competition experience.

And so, with World Cup qualifying still a pressing issue, the hard work must again begin in earnest.

And therein lays another bone of contention, according to prominent current affairs publication China Comment.

Between the Japan and Iran defeats, Guo was quick to praise the "serious and hardworking" coaches and players. The magazine suggests that, for the fans, that might not be enough anymore.

"Questioning the 'hard work narrative' does not mean denying the value of struggle," it wrote. "That spirit of not giving up in adversity is still the most precious asset of the Chinese men's basketball team. But, if the direction of effort runs counter to the global trend, and if the results of training cannot be converted into points in games, then this kind of 'hard work without results' is not only unhelpful, but also a waste of resources and a missed opportunity."

The fans, it said, expect results, not just hard work.

"That may seem somewhat cold, but it is the most realistic motivation. It forces everyone to pursue true excellence.

"For the Chinese men's basketball team, we need to work even harder, leave our comfort zone to make up for shortcomings and face directly the gap between us and world basketball."

Guo has said that "the door to the Chinese men's national team will always be open to everyone" for the next World Cup qualifying window, and that he plans to select players based on their performances during the first eight rounds of the CBA season. But, while the roster will change, personnel adjustments alone will not resolve the underlying issues.

With the warmth of summer giving way to the cold realities of the fall and winter, it's time to heed the warning that familiar weaknesses can no longer be ignored and patterns repeated.