Destroying Goodwin and Overwhelming Brown? NBA Combo Guard Could Be Signed by Guangdong, Is the Finals Secured?_Sumner_Foreign Player_Beijing

On September 10 Beijing time, the CBA offseason has entered its final stage. Recently, playoff contender Guangdong men's basketball team officially announced the signing of Croatian international Luka Bozic. However, after the strong addition of forward import Bozic, there is still no substantial news regarding Guangdong's remaining two foreign players. More surprisingly to fans, there has also been no update on the contract extension of last season's core small import player Sumner. This unusual silence has led many fans to speculate whether Guangdong may choose to let Sumner leave during the offseason and build a foreign player lineup that better fits new head coach Yakovlevich's fully European-style approach.

From Bozic's technical characteristics, he and Sumner do share the issue of lacking consistent shooting ability. Last season, Guangdong's three small imports Quinn, Sumner and McCall did not possess reliable three-point shooting, which allowed opponents to repeatedly target Du Feng's team in the playoffs. Only Quinn could be used with some effectiveness, while McCall and Sumner's three-point shooting was almost unreliable. Under these circumstances, it would clearly be unreasonable for Guangdong to pair Bozic with Sumner. It is reported that Bozic is 2 meters tall and has strong playmaking ability from the high post. In many ways, Bozic plays similarly to former Guangdong player Ren Junfei, but he has stronger interior attacking and low-post scoring ability, using physicality and changes of pace to create advantages in the CBA.

Therefore, Bozic's 'bulldozer-style' playing approach is considered more suitable than Sumner's for surviving in the physical environment of the CBA. However, Bozic's average three-point shooting percentage is only 32%, even lower than Sumner, Quinn and McCall. If Guangdong cannot bring in a small import player who can solve offensive problems from outside, the team's offensive fluidity next season could suffer. In addition, after taking over Guangdong, new head coach Yakovlevich has continuously promoted a transition toward a European-style tactical system. He values team basketball, spacing, ball movement and overall cohesion, so Bozic's high-post playmaking is viewed as highly suitable for Guangdong's wing import role. As for Sumner's isolation-heavy style, it may be abandoned by Guangdong's new coaching staff.

Of course, there are almost no small imports in the CBA who can clearly overpower Sumner. Even players as strong as Shanghai's Finals MVP Goodwin and Beijing Shougang's championship import Brown are not considered to be 100% stronger than Sumner. If Guangdong is willing to let Sumner leave, it would mean they have likely found a standout replacement. Many fans predict that Guangdong may pursue NBA free agent Jaden Ivey. Two seasons ago, Ivey averaged 17 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds per game. The 1.93-meter explosive combo guard still has the ability to compete in the NBA and could even start for a lower-ranked NBA team. However, due to off-court factors, Ivey has reportedly found it difficult to secure contracts in the NBA and European leagues.

In summary, if Guangdong can add an active NBA-level combo guard like Ivey at the small import position, the team would inevitably be able to overwhelm players such as Goodwin and Brown, helping Yakovlevich defeat top contenders from Beijing and Shanghai.