Not Xu Jie! Guangdong Men’s Basketball Team’s “New Leader” Emerges, Potentially Securing Hongyuan’s Future for the Next Decade

This year’s CBA preseason games are underway, and a fierce matchup took place between championship contender Guangdong Men’s Basketball Team and playoff-caliber Shenzhen Men’s Basketball Team. After four intense quarters, the stronger Shenzhen team defeated its city rival Guangdong 89-81, with Sun Haotian and others delivering strong performances. Notably, Guangdong was without its three core players Hu Mingxuan, Jiao Boqiao and Cui Yongxi, and also had no foreign players available. Despite these absences, Guangdong was still able to take the lead at times because young interior player Wang Hongze delivered a satisfying performance. Unexpectedly, Wang Hongze is regarded as Guangdong’s future new leader.

With no foreign player to create space and without major strengths such as Hu Mingxuan, the coach could only continue relying on Xu Jie to organize the offense. However, Xu Jie’s defensive weaknesses were targeted again, as he was repeatedly attacked by Shenzhen core guard Sun Haotian. Fortunately, Wang Hongze almost carried the team on both ends of the court, ranking first on the team in scoring, rebounding and efficiency. With enough opportunities provided by the coach, Wang Hongze once again showed surprising dominance. His technical qualities were fully displayed in this game. Offensively, Wang Hongze can score through low-post moves against interior defenders, while also possessing mid-to-long-range shooting ability and strong finishing skills. Defensively, his rebounding positioning and rim-protection awareness were also impressive.

From the game, Wang Hongze did not look outmatched when facing Shenzhen’s interior group, and his all-around ability on offense and defense is rare among young players. Although Guangdong ultimately lost, Wang Hongze’s performance clearly gave the Hongyuan management hope for the team’s future in the paint, and his development potential is worth long-term cultivation. Moreover, Wang Hongze’s rise has major championship-level strategic significance for a Guangdong team that currently lacks a true core at power forward. After Du Runwang’s departure, Guangdong can only rely on newcomers such as Wang Hongze, Huang Mingyi and Zhang Hao to shoulder the wing responsibilities. Meanwhile, Guangdong has national team-level players such as Xu Jie, Hu Mingxuan, Cui Yongxi and Jiao Boqiao at other positions.

Therefore, many fans have worried that Guangdong’s power forward position could become a target for opponents. Wang Hongze’s emergence has now given supporters more confidence. For Guangdong, Hu Mingxuan’s injury issues have continued in recent years, and his availability in the CBA has declined somewhat. Combined with the physical demands of national team games, it remains uncertain whether Hu Mingxuan can maintain his form. As a result, many fans believe Guangdong must find a new leader within the next two to three years. Even if Hu Mingxuan can no longer carry the team’s banner in the future, Hongyuan would still have a new leader to guide the team. Wang Hongze is seen as a potential leader Guangdong can rely on after Hu Mingxuan.

It must be said that Wang Hongze’s impressive performance in this preseason game once again showed that he could be the future answer for Guangdong’s interior position and the team’s new leader after Hu Mingxuan. If Wang Hongze can maintain this pace of improvement, he could become one of the top power forwards in the CBA.