The Guangdong men s basketball team won the championship with six consecutive victories! Who is the biggest contributor to this gold medal? The answer is none other than Xu Jie!

First of all, I would like to ask everyone, who do you think is the biggest contributor to the Guangdong team’s gold medal? Welcome to discuss and exchange in the comment area! The final whistle of the National Games men's basketball gold medal game sounded, and the score was fixed at 101-65. The host Guangdong men's basketball team won the championship trophy with a 36-point victory. There was thunderous applause in the stadium, but the most dazzling figure under the spotlight was the shortest player on the field-Xu Jie.

In the entire tournament, the Guangdong team won the championship with an impressive record of winning six games, beating its opponents by an average of 24.5 points per game. In these six games, Xu Jie scored the highest points in the game twice and contributed the most assists in the game three times. He can be called the most stable engine of the Guangdong Men's Basketball Team on the way to winning the championship.

The East Men's Basketball Team's six-game winning streak may seem smooth, but in reality there are undercurrents. Especially when facing the challenge of the Liaoning team in the semi-finals, the Guangdong team entered the fourth quarter with only a slight advantage. At the critical moment, it was Xu Jie's stable performance that helped the team secure the victory.

In the National Games final, the Zhejiang men’s basketball team was not without resistance. Although the lineup was seriously incomplete, the Zhejiang team tried to narrow the point difference many times in the first and second quarters of the game. However, whenever the score is close, Xu Jie can always respond with a three-pointer. In the whole game, Xu Jie made 6 of 10 three-pointers, 18 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Behind his perfect control of the rhythm of the game.

In fact, Xu Jie’s performance is not accidental. During the entire National Games, he averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 44.3%. In the limited playing time, his efficiency value has always ranked first in the team. Some fans lamented: "Watching Xu Jie play always reminds me of Chris Paul in the NBA - a small man with great wisdom."

It is also worth noting that in basketball games, there is a value that cannot be fully reflected in data, and that is the ability to stabilize military morale at critical moments in the game. And Xu Jie is exactly such a player who can stand up in big scenes.

There was an impressive scene in the final: when the Zhejiang team narrowed the point difference to single digits in the second quarter, during the Guangdong team's offensive round, Xu Jie did not take a direct shot after using the pick-and-roll. Instead, he pretended to break through and quickly retreated to the three-point line, and hit a three-pointer with his open hand. This goal completely interrupted the Zhejiang team's point-chasing momentum.

"Xu Jie's key ball ability comes from his thousands of repeated trainings on daily basis," a reporter with the team once revealed. "After training, he often practices hundreds of three-point shooting, especially the technical action of shooting immediately after catching the ball."

Guangdong team head coach Du Feng once commented on Xu Jie in an interview: "Many players are very accurate in training, but it is different when there is pressure in the game. Xu Jie's characteristic is that the greater the pressure in the game, the more stable his performance will be." This trait has already appeared in the group stage. In the game against Jiangsu team, Xu Jie scored 14 points in a single quarter, including 3 three-pointers, which directly stopped the opponent's counterattack momentum.

It is undeniable that Xu Jie's height is not an advantage on the basketball court, but he makes up for his physical deficiencies with his super high basketball IQ. The data of 9 assists and only 1 turnover in the final is enough to prove his understanding and control of the game. A professional basketball analyst pointed out: "Xu Jie's playing style is very mature. He knows how to take advantage of the defender's mentality. When the opponent pounces too hard, he will choose to break through; when the opponent shrinks inside, he will fire from the outside. This ability to read the defense is rare among domestic defenders."

In the Guangdong team's tactical system, Xu Jie is both the initiator and the end point of the offense. His pick-and-roll cooperation with Shen Zijie has become one of the Guangdong team's most threatening offensive weapons. In the six games of the National Games, Xu Jie directly created points through pick-and-rolls, averaging more than 15 points per game.

What’s even more rare is that Xu Jie never slacks off on the defensive end. Although he is short in stature, his defensive positioning and timing are very good, and he rarely becomes a breakthrough for his opponents due to his lack of height.

Although Xu Jie's performance has been outstanding enough, looking back on his basketball journey, there have been doubts from the beginning. With a height of 1.78 meters, he looks particularly "inconspicuous" in the world of professional basketball. However, it was this kind of doubt that forged his tough character and unyielding fighting spirit.

From the CBA League to the National Games, Xu Jie has proven himself step by step with his strength. In the 2018-2019 season, Xu Jie made his CBA debut and won the championship with the Guangdong Men's Basketball Team. In the following seasons, he gradually grew from a role player to the team's main force. In the 2020-2021 season, Xu Jie had an outstanding performance in the CBA Finals, helping the Guangdong team win another championship. There were comments at the time that he was fully capable of entering the national team.

A senior basketball coach commented: "Xu Jie's success lies in his very solid basic skills, with no obvious shortcomings in dribbling, passing, and shooting. More importantly, he knows how to exploit his strengths and avoid weaknesses, and give full play to his own advantages." With Xu Jie's outstanding performance in the National Games, calls for him to return to the national team are getting louder and louder. So, can Xu Jie have a place in the Chinese men's basketball team?

Judging from the current guard line of the Chinese men's basketball team, players such as Zhao Rui, Hu Mingxuan, Gao Shiyan, and Liao Sanning all have their own characteristics and advantages. But compared with these guards, Xu Jie has unique value-stable outside shooting, extremely low turnover rate, and control of the rhythm at critical moments.

In international competitions, the Chinese men's basketball team often faces the problem of breaking through pressing defense. Xu Jie's ball control ability and calm mind can play a role in this aspect. In addition, his ability to run without the ball and catch the ball can also enrich the national team's tactical options.

Basketball commentator Su Qun once said: "A guard like Xu Jie is actually very suitable for international competitions. When the team's offense stalls, his outside shooting can open up space for the inside."

Of course, Xu Jie also has obvious shortcomings - his lack of height may be targeted on the defensive end.. But in a specific tactical system, he can play an important role. Considering that the national team's window period games are about to begin, the Chinese men's basketball team needs more unique players to enrich tactical options. Xu Jie is likely to enter the 12-man roster of the new national team.

Xu Jie’s success is not only a personal counterattack, but also a challenge to the traditional concept of talent selection in Chinese basketball. For a long time, Chinese basketball has focused too much on height and ignored the importance of technical foundation and basketball IQ. Xu Jie proved with actual performance that height is not the only criterion for measuring a player's value on the basketball court. His growth trajectory has set an example for young people who are not tall but love basketball.

On the podium, Xu Jie stood among his teammates, with a shy but confident smile on his face. The National Games gold medal is shining on his chest, but this may be just a transit point in his basketball career. The rally call for the new national team of the Chinese men's basketball team is about to sound. When Director Guo takes up the coach of the national team, he may not forget the little disciple who was as calm as ice and as accurate as an arrow on the National Games field.

Xu Jie used six games to prove that height has never been the only criterion to define a basketball player. Wisdom and courage can also open up a world in a field full of people.