Since the level of the men's basketball team has improved, the strength of the opponents in the warm-up matches has also increased.

Moreover, because the Olympic Games were held in Japan, many teams arrived in Japan early. Many teams played their warm-up matches in Japan, and some went to China.

The quality of the men's basketball team's warm-up matches this year is comparable to that of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

After welcoming back the six-man NBA group, the team reported frequent victories.

Among them, the two most outstanding players were Ding Yanyuhang and the newcomer Lin Yi.

Ding Yanyuhang made it into the rotation for the Pelicans last season, averaging 8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, with a 43% shooting percentage and a 36% three-point shooting percentage.

The data is not eye-catching, but it is worth mentioning that his performance is the best of any domestic guard since Tang Tian.

Moreover, after being tempered by the NBA, he has become stronger, faster, and more confident.

Especially because he was a teammate with Tang Tian on the Pelicans, he and Tang Tian had a great understanding on the court and played with ease.

Lin Yi has not played in an NBA game yet, but his ability and role are very obvious.

He has a stable outside shot that can open up space on the court, and he has height and confrontation on the defensive end. His defensive ability is not inferior to Zhou Qi. In addition, he has a breakthrough ability that does not belong to big men and a solid rebounding ability. He quickly replaced Zhou Qi as the starting center.

Many fans even gave Lin Yi the title of "Big Devil," which originally belonged to Zhou Qi, saying that he was the one who really deserved the nickname.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was the eve of the Olympic Games.

The men's basketball team completed the final cuts and also determined the final 12-man roster.

Guards: Tang Tian, Ding Yanyuhang, Fang Shuo, Wu Qian, Guo Ailun

Forwards: Yi Jianlian, Abudushalamu, Zhou Peng, Wang Quanze

Centers: Lin Yi, Zhou Qi, Shen Zijie

It is worth mentioning that Guo Ailun, after failing to be selected for the 2019 World Cup squad, went back to practice passing hard. He has made obvious progress in the league, and his performance in the warm-up matches was also remarkable. He finally successfully returned to the roster.

Wang Quanze also made obvious progress in his second year in the NCAA. As a reserve talent, he was also kept on the national team's roster.

This time, the men's basketball team has a six-man NBA group, as well as Shen Zijie, Guo Ailun, Wu Qian and others who performed well in the CBA, as well as veteran Zhou Peng and young player Wang Quanze.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is a stronger Chinese men's basketball team than last year's World Cup.

Of course, on paper.

No matter how the men's basketball lineup changes, the foundation of everything is Tang Tian, and Tang Tian has not played a professional game for more than a year.

Although his figure looks very good, perhaps because he has been away from the game for a long time, Li Chunjiang did not let him play much in the warm-up matches.

This is undoubtedly worrying.

As the Tokyo Olympic Games kicked off, authoritative Japanese sports media also ranked the strength of the men's basketball team.

1. United States

After their defeat at Wukesong last year, the American Basketball Association recruited all of the strongest athletes in the country this year. This is a galactic warship.

James, Durant, Leonard, George, and Jimmy Butler, this is a front line that is so strong on both offense and defense that it is suffocating.

Curry, Harden, Irving, and Thompson, this is a backcourt that is enough to crush everything.

Plus Davis, Drummond, and Towns, three super inside players.

No one can beat them, and winning the Olympic championship with a perfect record will be their only goal.

2. Australia

Ben Simmons continues to play for Australia. They have also added guard Exum, plus Joe Ingles, Baynes, Mills, Dellavedova and a host of other NBA players, as well as Landale and other outstanding players. They will be the biggest challenger to the United States.

3. Spain

As the third-place team in the World Cup, Spain has also recruited almost the strongest athletes in the country for this Olympic Games. In addition to the old faces such as Gasol, Rubio, and Fernandez, the Hernangomez brothers have also performed better in the NBA last season, and Avrinez has also put on the national team jersey this time.

4. China

As the seeded team of the tournament, the champions of the Rio Olympics and the 2019 World Cup, they should be ranked higher, in the same tier as the United States.

Especially in the just-concluded NBA draft, Lin Yi was successfully selected, becoming another Chinese状元 (zhuangyuan, top pick) since Yao Ming.

But their biggest problem is Tang Tian, the former world's number one basketball player, who has not played professional basketball for more than a year.

We can't see his state from the few warm-up matches, we can only learn from Jordan's comeback season.

His performance may be good, but like Jordan's first season after his comeback, he was frustrated. After being assigned to a group of death, they are at great risk.

5. France

6. Serbia

7. Slovenia

8. Japan

We have enough reasons to put the national men's basketball team in this position, because we have harvested the greatest NBA player in the history of the country in the past year.

Rui Hachimura, in his first season with the Wizards, he averaged 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds, with a 46% shooting percentage!

This is the best rookie season performance among Asian players!

He surpassed Yi Jianlian, surpassed Yao Ming, surpassed Tang Tian!

His playing style will be more comfortable on the FIBA court, and we will see his crazy performance in front of the people of the country.

In addition, there is Yuta Watanabe, who plays for the Grizzlies, Yuta Baba, who plays for the Dallas Mavericks, as well as Makoto Hiejima and Fazekas, who perform well in the local league.

This is the strongest national men's basketball team in history, and with the home court advantage, we have ample reason to believe that the men's basketball team can make history.

9. Greece

10. Cameroon

11. Lithuania

12. Argentina

After the ranking was reported, it caused a sensation in Japan.

Basketball is not the most popular sport in Japan, not even in the top three. Baseball, soccer, and tennis are all ahead of it.

The root cause is that the Japanese themselves are relatively short, and the ceiling for playing basketball is very low.

On the other hand, Japan does not have a leading figure like Yao Ming, and the national team's record has not been strong.

But this time these are no longer problems.

If the genes themselves are not good, then go mixed-race. The emergence of Hachimura has allowed them to find the best way to break the ceiling.

Moreover, Hachimura's rookie season was hot, and he has become the leading figure in Japanese basketball.

Like Yao Ming in the beginning, he has already set off enough basketball fever in the country.

Now what they lack in the end, and what the Japanese people are most looking forward to, is results.

This year's Olympic Games are being held at home. If the Japanese team can reach the top eight like the Chinese men's basketball team in the Beijing Olympic Games, or even boldly reach the top four, then the impact it will bring will be extremely huge.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the revival of basketball in Japan will be just around the corner!