On May 11, before Game 3 of the fierce CBA playoff rivalry between Guangdong and Beijing, the two teams faced off in another arena—the National U21 Championship. Guangdong Hongyuan’s U21 team suffered a humiliating 69-94 defeat, losing by 25 points and missing out on a winning start to the tournament.
Yang Yi managed 10 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds, but went 0-for-4 from three-point range. Li Yizhen was also disappointing, shooting 2-for-7 from the field and finishing with just 5 points and 3 rebounds. The bright spots were 17-year-old inside prospect Zhang Jiarui, who posted 13 points and 9 rebounds, and Xia Zhenfeng, a national youth forward recently traded to Guangzhou, who scored 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting along with 4 rebounds.
Looking at this performance, several first-team players struggled badly. Yang Yi has spent two seasons in the CBA without showing clear improvement. His shooting remains a glaring weakness, and his assist-to-turnover ratio continues to be problematic. Many fans have criticized head coach Du Feng for not giving Yang Yi more chances, but this U21 showing suggests he can’t even dominate at this level, let alone in the CBA. Short guards without reliable jump shots face an uphill battle in professional basketball. Even Xu Jie, a similarly undersized guard, only survived in the league thanks to exceptional three-point shooting and refined skills. Yang Yi lacks both the three-point shot and the height, making his CBA future increasingly uncertain.
Li Yizhen’s performance was equally disastrous. Shooting 2-for-7 overall and just 1-for-3 from deep, he managed only 5 points in a U21 game—a regression from his earlier promise. During his rookie season, Du Feng used Li Yizhen as a defensive specialist against Zhao Jiwei, but he was quickly phased out. It now seems likely that Li Yizhen’s training level failed to meet Du Feng’s standards, explaining why he rarely sees game time.
Several other eligible first-team players, including Chen Jiazheng and Wang Hongze, are not participating in the U21 preliminary rounds because they are preparing for the CBA playoffs. They may only join the U21 team for the final stage. However, even without them, Guangdong’s young core failed to impress. Talents like Zhang Jiarui, Xia Zhenfeng, and Tan Renkai all exposed their own shortcomings, failing to deliver the breakout performances that could have justified more opportunities under Du Feng.