Warm-up Game: Guangdong 81-89 Shenzhen! Player Ratings: Four Excellent, Two Good, One Below Standard

On September 4 Beijing time, Guangdong Hongyuan's first public warm-up game of the summer came to an end. After four quarters of play, Guangdong lost 81-89 to Shenzhen after holding a double-digit lead at one point before being overturned. In player ratings, Xu Jie, Wang Hongze, Chen Jiazhen, and Zhang Wenyu stood out, Yang Yi and Huang Mingyi performed well, while Zhang Haojia had a disappointing outing. The two young players newly promoted to the first team were not included in the ratings.

Xu Jie did not play many minutes in this game. He appeared in the first half and returned in the final moments of the fourth quarter to help guide the team, scoring 7 points. New head coach Yakovlevich places great importance on Xu Jie and gives him significant ball-handling responsibility and shooting opportunities whenever he is on the court. However, in this game Xu Jie focused more on connecting the team and adapting to the new system, with limited emphasis on his own scoring.

Wang Hongze was arguably Guangdong's most outstanding player of the night, scoring a game-high 24 points. In the later stages of the game, Guangdong's main tactical approach was to repeatedly feed the ball to Wang Hongze in the low post and let him finish plays. His improvement has been very noticeable.

The 19-year-old Wang Hongze continued to improve after completing his rookie CBA season. During the offseason, his strength and physicality increased significantly, and his finishing touch also became smoother. Wang Hongze has become one of Guangdong's key interior players, behind only national team player Jiao Boqiao. Chen Jiazhen also had an excellent performance, scoring the team's second-highest total with 14 points. His ball-handling and rebounding abilities have improved significantly this summer. Previously, Chen Jiazhen was mainly used as an outside shooter and rarely had opportunities to create his own offense. In this game, the new head coach designed several plays that allowed him to initiate attacks from the perimeter, and he successfully converted opportunities, including a mid-range fadeaway and a driving finish. Chen Jiazhen's future potential is highly promising.

Zhang Wenyu also performed well in this game. After Du Runwang's departure, Zhang Wenyu became one of the team's key three-point shooters. He took advantage of the opportunities provided by the new head coach, scoring 11 points and making three three-pointers. Although his defense still needs improvement, his shooting ability and decent ball-handling skills give him the ability to remain competitive in the CBA.

Yang Yi also played reasonably well, showing speed in transition, good passing and organization, and strong defensive energy. He also made one three-pointer. However, as a smaller guard, his shooting remains inconsistent and his perimeter threat is limited. Shenzhen heavily trapped Xu Jie, while Yang Yi was often left open. Although he made one three-pointer, Shenzhen continued to allow him to shoot, and he struggled to convert those chances. If Yang Yi cannot develop a reliable three-point shot, it will be difficult for him to secure a consistent role in Guangdong's rotation.

Huang Mingyi also provided a pleasant surprise in this game. The new head coach gave him significant playing time and even started him. Offensively, Huang Mingyi was still somewhat raw and rushed, going 1-for-4 from the free-throw line and missing several three-point attempts. However, he showed strong defensive ability, providing rim protection and rebounding while displaying good positioning.

Zhang Haojia struggled in this game. He missed open three-point opportunities on offense and made mistakes on defense, including missed assignments, handling errors, and unnecessary fouls, which affected the team. The performance may also help the new head coach further evaluate player usage.