CBA Latest News: Guangdong Team Fully Promotes Formerly Overlooked Player, Yakovlevich Impresses

On September 7 Beijing time, the CBA offseason had not yet ended. Recently, Guangdong defeated Shenzhen 86-80 in a warm-up game between the two local teams, and new Hongyuan head coach Yakovlevich's player usage drew attention. With the help of new Guangdong head coach Yakovlevich, young players such as Yang Yi, Wang Hongze, and Chen Jiazheng all delivered solid performances. The most notable was young wing Huang Mingyi, who appears to have received focused development from Yakovlevich. In a series of recent games, Huang has been given sufficient playing time and tactical responsibilities, while his defensive coverage ability has been fully displayed.

In this game, Huang Mingyi almost single-handedly covered the defensive area from the three position to the five position around the paint, showing an unprecedented level of impact. During this summer offseason, Huang was unable to receive enough development opportunities from Guangdong and at one point sought a loan move to Jilin for further growth. He was even photographed playing in a warm-up game for Jilin. However, after taking over the team, Guangdong's new foreign coach Yakovlevich clearly rejected the loan plan. Yakovlevich not only promised Huang that he would stay with the team and receive playing time, but also treated him as a cornerstone for future team building. Recent warm-up games suggest that Yakovlevich is seriously following through on that promise.

Even when Huang Mingyi made some mistakes during games and was criticized by the coaching staff on the court, he still received ample playing time and tactical importance. This level of tolerance was something Huang could not receive under former Guangdong head coach Du Feng's system. As a player who was not heavily used in Du Feng's Guangdong system over the past few seasons, Huang could not even make the team's 12-man roster, let alone enter the rotation. Based only on talent, Huang's height, wingspan, and mobility are qualities worth developing for Guangdong, but Du Feng had a greater preference for using players such as Zhang Haojia and Du Runwang.

Now, Guangdong's new head coach Yakovlevich has helped Huang Mingyi finally demonstrate impressive defensive value, showing that this talented wing has an important role in Guangdong's roster. From the games, Huang's mobility, height, and wingspan allow him to cover a large defensive area, even moving from the three position to the five position defensively. Although players such as Wang Hongze and Zhang Hao also possess strong talent, Huang's ability is unique among Guangdong's wing options. Especially against opponents with strong wings or effective pick-and-roll offenses, Huang's switching and help defense abilities can effectively address weaknesses in Guangdong's defensive rotations.

In summary, Wang Hongze is more versatile offensively, but his athletic ability and defensive coverage are relatively limited. Zhang Hao's injury-prone profile also prevents him from providing consistent help to Guangdong. Jiao Boqiao has basically secured the position of Guangdong's starting center, and his offense-oriented, defense-limited style requires a large wing like Huang Mingyi to provide support. Beyond Guangdong's current four national team players Xu Jie, Hu Mingxuan, Cui Yongxi, and Jiao Boqiao, Huang Mingyi is considered by the article to be the most anticipated prospect.