42+8! China's top versatile player! Reveals he declined the Pistons' training camp offer

Shenyang, no, the Shanghai Bomber takes flight.

Zhang Zhenlin debuted officially for his new club, playing around 21 minutes off the bench, hitting 3 of 12 shots including 1 of 4 from beyond the arc, tallying 10 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists to lead Shanghai to a 95-85 win over Jilin.

But this time, the praise isn’t for Zhang Zhenlin, whose debut was merely decent; the focus is on another wing player, Guo Haowen.

Against the formidable Guangdong team, Guo Haowen nearly carried the team single-handedly,starting and playing almost the entire game for about 37 minutes, shooting 14 of 27, including 6 of 12 from three, and making 8 of 12 free throws, exploding for 42 points along with 6 rebounds and 8 assists, but unfortunately, Tongxi still narrowly lost 102-107.

Standing 2.01 meters tall as a versatile wing guard with strong ball-handling skills, Guo Haowen’s scoring ability ranks among the best domestic players; nowadays he also poses a significant threat from beyond the arc, not only confident in shooting but also accurate — overall, quite unstoppable.

Notably, in a previous interview,Guo Haowen revealed that he turned down the Pistons’ training camp contract this summer.

Born on January 31, 2000, Guo Haowen was once considered to be the next Chinese guard after Sun Yue (2007 second round, 10th pick) who could make it to the NBA. He entered the 2022 NBA Draft but went undrafted, and that year played for the Mavericks in the Summer League, averaging 9.2 minutes with 5 points and 1 assist over two games.

Youthful ambition is irreplaceable; now at 25, Guo Haowen has long passed the stage of chasing dreams recklessly. He now prioritizes financial stability, and since this season is a contract year, it’s understandable why he gave up the Pistons’ camp offer to return to the CBA, especially with a strong chance to earn a max contract next summer.

The question is, does Guo Haowen have a shot at the national team? In terms of skill, definitely yes — a ball-handling wing like him is one of the rare assets for Chinese men’s basketball. However, off-court issues have been serious; he’s been involved in two widely publicized scandals, which might cause the national team to exclude him.

On February 26 and March 1 next year, the Chinese men’s basketball team will play away games against Japan and Chinese Taipei respectively.