Is Zhang Ziyu a savior or a trap? The women s basketball team is overly dependent on the inside, and Li Meng s absence may become an opportunity for transformation

18-year-old Zhang Ziyu shined in the warm-up match, her 2.2-meter height and 18 points and 10 rebounds made her known as the "female version of Yao Ming". However, the excessive dependence of Chinese women's basketball on the inside also caused concerns: Can this "giant basketball" style of playing adapt to the speed and space trend of modern basketball? Li Meng's absence may become a key opportunity for tactical transformation.

data shows that in the game against Japan, the Chinese team scored as much as 74%, while the three-point shooting percentage was only 29.4%. Although Gong Luming's "two tower tactics" can suppress Asian opponents, when facing strong European and American teams, the opponent can crack through outside projection and rapid conversion. Basketball commentator Yang Yi pointed out: "Modern basketball emphasizes space and speed, and excessive reliance on the inside will limit tactical diversity." Li Meng's ball-holding ability could have been used as a "breaking point", but his absence forced the coaching team to explore new offensive modes.

Zhang Ziyu's rise also brings hidden dangers. Although she has dominance in the interior, her movement speed and defensive coverage still need to be improved. In the game against Japan, the opponent made open spaces through pick-and-roll and outside conduction many times, and the problem of slow rotation of the outside defense in China was fully exposed. In addition, young players' lack of psychological quality - only 48% free throw shooting percentage - may also become a fatal injury in key battles.

Gong Luming said in an interview that the Asian Cup is a "stress test" of the new system and the proportion of external tactics will be gradually increased in the future. If Li Meng wants to return to the national team, she needs to adapt to her off-ball play; while young players need to improve their shooting stability. This game between "inside dependence" and "tactical innovation" will determine whether the Chinese women's basketball team can break through the bottleneck.