11 shots for 16 points! Shining at the Asian Games! The max-salary core guard of the Beijing team

Here it comes, here it comes.

Without any noise, the basketball tournament of the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games in Japan has begun.

The Chinese Taipei team and the Jordan men's basketball team fought tooth and nail, eventually winning a narrow 83-80 victory.

In this game, Chen Yingjun, who signed a two-year D-category max-salary extension with the Beijing team this summer, went 4-for-11 from the field, contributing 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists. Lin Tingqian, who has left the CBA, shot 5-of-12 for 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.

It still takes players developed by the CBA to play the role of savior.

Having already been ruled out of the 2027 World Cup, this Asian Games has become the only major international competition the Chinese Taipei team can play in recent years. Therefore, they are going all out aiming for a medal, and this may also be 33-year-old Chen Yingjun's last Asian Games in his playing career.

The South Korean men's basketball team is also taking this Asian Games very seriously and has fielded their best players. In fact, no team is more desperate than them. Lee Hyun-jung, who recently signed an Exhibit 10 training camp contract with the Trail Blazers, is participating because winning a gold medal would exempt him from military service. In their first game, they beat the Saudi men's team 82-66.

On the other hand, the host Japanese men's basketball team is not very enthusiastic about the Asian Games held on their home turf. They are sending a second-tier or third-tier squad just to go through the motions. Naturally, well-known players like Rui Hachimura, Yuki Kawamura, Yuta Watanabe, and Josh Hawkinson are absent.

As for the Chinese men's basketball team, although the roster is based on the World Cup qualifiers, the lineup continues to get younger with an average age under 25, and most players are participating in the Asian Games for the first time. Ultimately, they are using these games to further refine the mentality and gain experience for their prospects on the international stage. Of course, the best outcome would be to conclude this summer's national team campaign with a gold medal.

The Chinese men's basketball team's group stage schedule is as follows:

September 11, vs. Kazakhstan men's basketball team;

September 12, vs. Bahrain men's basketball team;

September 14, vs. Philippines men's basketball team.

Speaking of which, the accommodation for this Asian Games is a bit shabby. Three tall basketball players are sharing a small room converted from a shipping container. Not even regular training is guaranteed, and they're afraid that one day they'll come back to find the room missing...

The Japanese version of "Lost on Journey" is officially underway~