Young guns set to take their shot

Coach Guo acknowledged the value of the challenging warm-up. "We thank them for making it hard for us today, helping expose our two biggest problems in control of turnovers and rebounding," he said.

Hu Jinqiu, a two-time league MVP with CBA club Zhejiang Lions, agreed, stressing the urgency for the team to play with more care in the hustle.

"Under high defensive pressure, we made too many unnecessary errors. That's something we'll have to learn from and adapt quickly," he said after scoring a game-high 16 points in the final scrimmage.

Throughout the warm-up series, Team China, however, showed positive signs of progress in offensive efficiency and accuracy, highlighted by its 40 percent shooting from the 3-point line, while also seeing several talented youngsters step up to the challenge.

Point guard Liao Sanning, a 24-year-old starter for CBA club Beijing Royal Fighters, delivered an impressive performance in China's first win over Bosnia on July 27, tallying 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. Equally notable was 20-year-old forward Wang Junjie, who put up 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the July 25 win over Venezuela, showcasing a composed style of play on his national team debut.

"It's a team sport, and we'll need all 12 players to pull together and cover for each other. We will go all out, and compete for the best possible outcome for sure," said Guo.

The top team from each of the four groups at the Cup tournament will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while the second- and third-placed teams will compete in a play-in round for the remaining four spots.

Team China has claimed the continental title 16 times, including at the former Asian championship, but failed to reach the semifinals at the last edition in Jakarta in 2022, landing in 8th place — its second-worst finish ever at the continental showpiece. The country finished 10th at the 2007 edition in Japan, where it only sent a reserve team after having qualified for the 2008 Olympic tournament as the host.

Jiang Xinyu contributed to the story.