BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The most urgent task for the Chinese men's national basketball team is to readjust to top form ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, head coach Li Nan said here Thursday.
"Our priority is to re-adjust the team, for the lineup has been incomplete due to injuries. At this stage, grinding for competition and staying away from injuries are our biggest concerns," Li said.
With the opening game against Cote d'Ivoire in just over 20 days, the Chinese team has undergone a series of rearrangements. Chen Linjian, Hu Jinqiu and Wu Qian took temporary leave, while Ren Junfei and former NBA player Yi Jianlian rejoined after recovering from injuries.
Li, a former player for the Beijing Olympic Games, will take the helm of the Chinese national team for the coming World Cup to be kicked off on August 31.
"I will help our players shake off any pressure playing as hosts and take it as motivation to push for all efforts in every minute on the court," said coach Li.
In recalling the just-concluded NBA Summer League where China took one win and four losses, Li said that "our team has made steady progress across the five matches."
"Against teams with nimble moves, tough defense, speedy transition and strong contact, we can learn how to narrow the gap between us and finally try to win the game against them," said Li. "It was a very important experience for us and showed us where to work on in our future training."
The 45-year-old also noted that he has seen promising young players in Asian countries like the Philippines and Japan.
"We cannot stop our opponents from improving in any way, but instead have to rely on improving ourselves. We are having more programs in selecting and training the young talents, I believe Chinese basketball will get better and better," Li said.
