Jimu News reporter Deng Pengwei
On April 25th, Beijing time, CBA Guangzhou team youngster Cui Yongxi announced through his agency that he had officially registered for the 2024 NBA draft. This is another time since 2021 that a Chinese player has actively signed up for the NBA draft.
Cui Yongxi, who was born in 2003, is just 21 years old this year and has only been in the CBA for two years. However, due to his excellent physical fitness and good athletic talent, Cui Yongxi was selected into the national team by the Chinese men's basketball coach Djordjevich early. He has competed in many competitions with the national team. It is not an exaggeration to describe Cui Yongxi as becoming famous at a young age.
Cui Yongxi
Although Cui Yongxi's statistics in domestic CBA games are not bad, there is undoubtedly a large distance from the NBA.
According to the analysis of NBA draft expert Wang Jian, unless Cui Yongxi performs particularly well in the G-League elite training camp, and then gets the opportunity for a joint trial, and performs well in the joint trial, he may have a chance to be selected in the second round. , for Cui Yongxi, every step is very difficult.
Judging from the NBA journeys of Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Sun Yue, Zhou Qi and others, only players who have achieved dominance in the CBA league can more easily gain a foothold in the NBA, especially if their overall strength is one level higher than that of domestic players. Under the circumstances, the road to sea is more stable. Previously, Yang Hansen of the Qingdao team was favored by many NBA scouts and hoped that he could participate in this year's NBA draft. However, after considering the opinions of all parties, Yang Hansen decided not to participate in the draft this year. The main reason is: the current level It still doesn't meet NBA requirements.
The last time a Chinese player was selected by the NBA was 8 years ago. In the 2016 draft, Zhou Qi was selected by the Rockets with the 43rd overall pick, and Wang Zhelin was selected by the Grizzlies with the 57th overall pick. Since then, Zou Yuchen, Zhao Jiwei, Tang Jie, Zhang Zhenlin, Zeng Fanbo, Yu Jiahao, etc. have all signed up to participate, but none of them succeeded.
Can Cui Yongxi get his wish this time?
"In foreign countries, a 20-year-old player is no longer considered a young player. I am in urgent need of a good confrontation and opposite environment to improve myself. This draft is also an opportunity, giving me a chance to go to the training camp to enrich myself in the summer, and then have Whether you can be selected for a higher promotion is one thing, but the challenge in this aspect still needs to be done." In the post-match interview, Cui Yongxi expressed his attitude: If there is no chance, what will happen if you don't try it. Do you know?
Some fans may also think that even if Cui Yongxi can be selected by an NBA team, his fate will not be much better than Zhou Qi. Zhou Qi was selected by the Rockets with the 43rd overall pick that year, but after joining the team, he mostly acted as a "water dispenser manager" (i.e., a bench player). In desperation, Zhou Qi chose to return to China.
Indeed, even if Cui Yongxi can enter the NBA, with his current strength, he will definitely not get too many playing opportunities. In most cases, he will be reduced to a "water dispenser manager", but the NBA is the highest level basketball competition in the world. Only by being in it can you experience the most advanced basketball techniques and tactics, encounter the most intense confrontations, and quickly improve your level. In other words, even if he can participate in the team's training, the intensity will definitely be much higher than the current CBA level. As a young player, Cui Yongxi knows what he needs.
As the current popular youngster in CBA, Cui Yongxi already has a core position in the Guangzhou team. He is able to step out of his comfort zone and dare to challenge himself. He really deserves everyone's praise for him!
(Picture source: Xinhua News Agency)
(Source: Jimu News)
