Will he be the next naturalized player in Chinese men's basketball team？

March 2, 2023, may be the closest David James gets to death。

In the Tianjin vs. Guangsha game, James was trying to finish an ordinary fast break and dunk, but Hu Jinqiu was hot behind him, causing him to lose his balance in the air, like a motorcycle rider who was about to start being rear-ended by a speeding car, spinning 180 degrees, and falling hard to the floor - on his face。

James' injury to the brain and visual impact are too strong, his face directly contact the ground, 2 meters 03, more than 100 kilograms of body folded into a V-shaped, after falling to the ground spitting blood foam, convulsions。The original high voice of the live commentary suddenly turned into a sharp downward spiral, and the home fans also broke out in panic shouts, which were then engulfed by a huge silence。

The players on the field were almost stunned, the Tianjin players and coaches on the sidelines were almost violent, and the coach Zhang Qingpeng almost did not suppress the excited emotions。

But right now, it's all about saving people。

That night, in the Tianjin team official announcement, the first sentence was: "James is not in danger.。”

It was a lucky break, as James gradually came to consciousness on the way to the hospital, and there were no more serious injuries other than temporary memory loss, concussion, broken teeth, broken nose, and facial trauma。

Between examinations, James, with his head full of gauze and nets, was still concerned about the team's performance, and even watched live video on his mobile phone when he was wheeled into the CT room。

The scene was like a lightning bolt that touched the hearts of all。During James' treatment, Tianjin converted his monthly guarantee contract into full season guarantee, and also contracted the full cost of James' dental visit to the United States (considering the degree of burning money in American medical treatment, this may be more sincere than full guarantee).。

Local fans are more enthusiastic, an endless stream to Tianjin hospital to visit James, send him messages, in the follow-up Tianjin team home games, fans will unified to chant "James recover soon" slogan。

This time of seeing the truth in need also touched James, the team doctor estimated that he would rest for 1-2 months, but after half a month in hospital, James came to the scene of the Tianjin team game: "Many fans continue to encourage me, which makes me through the most difficult time, I want to come to the scene to thank you.。”

As soon as James appeared, he was greeted by the enthusiastic cheers of the fans, and he and Zhang Zhaoxu enthusiastically interacted, picking up the microphone and Shouting "Tianjin come on" like the host, and taking a big photo with the fans。Not like a lone foreign aid who has only been in China for a few months, but a member of the Jin Men family。

One who survives, one who survives。Soon, James was back to his pre-injury form。His athleticism, brain and technique were not affected, and he was even stronger after coming back。

In the 2023-24 season, James fully broke out, he averaged 34 minutes per game, the three-point center increased from 31% to 37%, and the average of 26 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists with 58% of the true shooting rate。Cliff to become the largest Tianjin legs, the average score than another foreign aid Rochester 11 points higher。

He is still flying away, gliding again and again, he said: "As long as there is a chance to dunk, I will not hesitate, this has become my body's instinct.。”

"I'm not going to hold back from this injury。”

This is true, at the end of 2023, James scored 51 points and 15 rebounds in a game against Guangdong;Two months later, against the same opponent, he was on fire again, scoring a staggering 63 points and 21 rebounds, nearly half of the Tianjin team's score。

After he took off the rebound, he directly promoted a dragon, and the picture of cooperating with the defender to complete the air connection, an instant let people see the shadow of the peak Griffin。

As an edge swingman, his ability to finish near the box is very good, especially in the vicinity of the penalty area, whether it is shot after the pick-and-roll, or his own ball attack, it is always successful, and even in the case of being fouled and unbalanced body, he can still use a high throw to score the ball。

In addition to finishing in the near box area, James' shooting ability is also quite exaggerated, and last season he was able to shoot seven three-pointers per game with 37% of his heart。When it's hot, it's a step beyond the three-point line。

In the home game against Guangsha, he scored 56+12 in 12 3-pointers from 16 shots to stage the return of the king。

The guard's general three-point ability makes James's pick-and-roll attack more diverse, he can throw down, and he can also shoot from outside。No matter which choice, the opponent basically can not defend, can only bet on his feel。

He knows exactly how to take advantage of his shooting threat and misalignment, use the advantage of relative speed to accelerate the breakthrough against the interior player defense, and kill the penalty area to score safely。

This is the strength of David James, although he has the violent aesthetics of the American forward, but in fact more like the tall front line produced in Europe - accurate projection, play a variety of ways, both like the interior to cooperate with teammates, but also like the outside to run without the ball, shooting spot, driving the pick and roll。

The most important thing is that he does not stick to the ball and does not need a lot of strong play with the ball like some foreign aid。The coach of Tianjin team only needs to arrange some no-ball tactics for James, and he can see that he bypasses the screen like a shooter and quickly shoots after receiving the ball, which undoubtedly brings more possibilities to the team。

Unlike Machin, Sullinger, and lonely God, who have long been famous in the United States, David James is just an ordinary white forward。He played all four years of college and, despite becoming captain of his varsity team, was expected to fall short of the 2020 NBA draft。James then traveled to Europe, where he spent a year in Germany and a year in Israel, meeting different opponents and teammates like a Ranger。It was not until the end of 2022 that James came to China and joined Tianjin。

The accident was a catalyst for such a great and professional player, such a welcoming team and city atmosphere, and James' relationship with Tianjin quickly escalated to new heights off the court。

He brought his parents and wife to China and bought a house in Tianjin, where his wife gave birth to a baby girl, Meimei, in January。The pair, who had been dating each other since junior high school, finally settled down in Tianjin after circling the globe。

They spent Chinese New Year together, climbed the Great Wall, and James' family always attended Tianjin's home games。Look and ability aside, David James has almost to blend in with local players。

In that case, why not just naturalize James and turn him into a true native player？

Team Tianjin certainly thought of that。According to Zhang Zhaoxu, Tianjin team is naturalizing James through a number of ways, the two sides have been in contact, but there is no further progress。

If you can really naturalize James, it is definitely a big tonic for the Chinese men's basketball team, and its effect is even stronger than Li Kyle to join。Although Li Kyle is a regular NBA rotation level forward, he is more used to playing the role of the system, filling the offensive and defensive ends with a non-core identity, rather than like CBA foreign aid, with his own strength to reincarnation and reverse the situation。

Just so, David James is one of the most successful CBA foreign aid, for the Chinese men's basketball team, his style of play can seamlessly connect various systems。

The guard is not shooting enough, and the pick-and-roll attack is weak？James comes with shooting and pick-and-roll skills。The strength of the front line is not enough, can only catch the ball and eat cake？James himself is a power forward。He received the ball can shoot, pick-and-roll can be outside, with the ball without the ball is a threat, this does not pick the environment of the attack, simply too suitable for the body is soft underbelly of the Chinese men's basketball。

On the other hand, the men's basketball players are used to cooperating with foreign aid in the CBA and entering the national team, if there is a David James around them, they will immediately find the familiar feeling in the club, the team does not have to experience a long run-in, and can spend more time on polishing tactics, physical training and confrontation。

James, who was born in November 1996, is less than 28 years old this year and is averaging 27 per game so far this season.6分16.4篮板4.6 assists, if you can successfully naturalize, you can take over the class of Li Kyle, with the peak state to fight the Los Angeles Olympic cycle。From this point of view, the Tianjin men's basketball team's consideration is not inconsiderate。

But after all, maybe this is just our wishful thinking, people are the most complex creatures, and the idea of the time may not be fulfilled into the reality of the moment。James no matter how deeply moved, feel at home, and even set up home in Tianjin, in the face of such a major choice to bear more pressure, will also carefully consider the advance and loss。

James himself responded to the naturalization rumors by saying, "It would be interesting if it were possible, but I don't know much about it myself, it's all speculation right now.。”

In any case, David James is still the core of Tianjin, and the friendship between him and the team, the fans, and even the city will only grow deeper with time。

No matter whether the men's basketball team can successfully naturalize him, he has established a special bond with here, and this unique sense of belonging is also a precious gift belonging to Chinese basketball and fans。

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(Writing/Pan Zhili)