Beikong vs Shanghai Preview: Wang Zhelin vs Shen Zijie & Zou Yuchen, Perimeter Shooting to be Key

On October 4th, the CBA preseason games continue, with Shanghai Jiushi facing off against Beijing Beikong in a match at the Yulin, Shaanxi venue. On the first day of matches, both Shanghai Jiushi and Beijing Beikong secured victories. Shanghai Jiushi easily beat Jiangsu Kandia 83-70, while Beijing Beikong staged a comeback in the second half to defeat Qingdao 81-67. In their match against Jiangsu Kandia, four players from Shanghai Jiushi scored in double digits. Both foreign players, Waters and Wilson, had outstanding performances; Waters shot 6 out of 9 for 14 points and 13 assists, his passing and playmaking made Shanghai’s game very smooth, Wilson contributed 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, Wang Zhelin scored 17 points and had 3 blocks, Li Tianrong added 13 points, Liu Zheng scored 9 points, although Li Hongquan only made 1 out of 8 shots for 2 points, he grabbed 13 rebounds. In the game against Qingdao, three players from Beijing Beikong scored in double digits, including the newly returned small foreign player Riley, who shot 10 out of 21 for the highest individual score of the preseason opener with 34 points. Liao Sannin contributed 16 points, and Meng Zikai scored 12. The main changes for Shanghai Jiushi this season are reflected in their foreign players, none of last season’s foreign players stayed, and Blackney also missed out due to certain reasons. The arrivals of Waters and Wilson are good additions, however, the other two foreign players, Billy Baron and Egbernu, have not yet joined the team. Beijing Beikong underwent significant roster changes during the off-season, with Shen Zijie and Salinger joining from Shenzhen, Trelle and Zhu Songwei also joined Beikong, and Liao Sannin has shown greater improvement, significantly enhancing the overall strength of the team. However, Salinger, Zhu Songwei, and Trelle have not yet debuted, making it impossible for Beijing Beikong to showcase their full strength. In terms of the current roster, Shanghai Jiushi appears more complete and theoretically has some advantage. However, Beijing Beikong’s interior strength has been significantly bolstered, with Shen Zijie, Zou Yuchen, and others matching up well against Wang Zhelin. When it comes to perimeter shooting, whoever performs better will have a greater chance of winning.