In a China game, Zeng Fanbo did not play a single second.

Zero playing time, zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists — this was Zeng Fanbo’s stat line in his second China game. The arena was packed, and the crowd called his name several times, but the Nets ultimately never put him on the court.

In fact, judging by the details during the game, the coaching staff probably didn’t plan to play him from the start. Zeng Fanbo sat alone at the far edge of the second row; when his team scored, other teammates stood up to celebrate, but he remained seated quietly on the bench without warming up, showing a very different attitude compared to the first game.

According to some media present at the scene, after the game Zeng Fanbo walked alone down the tunnel to the team bus, and it was more than ten minutes before most of the Nets players arrived. Both on and off the court, Zeng Fanbo appeared clearly isolated from the team. From Yao Ming to Yi Jianlian, we have often discussed how a player’s personality influences many things, and personality is not something that can easily change.

Last year’s signing Xiao Cui and this year’s draft pick Yang Hansen both have outgoing personalities and get along well with teammates. Zeng Fanbo’s personality, while not extremely introverted, is definitely on the quieter side, and he also has spent less time bonding with these teammates.

In the first preseason game, Zeng Fanbo got some scattered minutes near the end of the second and fourth quarters, finally appearing in an official Nets game. Including a few minutes in overtime, he totaled only 10 minutes, without even attempting a shot, recording just 1 steal and committing 3 fouls.

On offense, Zeng Fanbo mostly stood in the corner, watching his teammates try to create plays. This reminded me of his role during his time with the Ignite team — a helpless position. Several times he actively sought the ball but received no response from teammates. The only time he caught the ball, possibly due to lack of recent touches, he hesitated and passed it away again.

On defense, which is supposed to be his stronger suit, his performance was also disappointing. His one-on-one defense has always been average; his strength lies in help defense. However, in his first game, he quickly accumulated many fouls, creating a poor impression. Even the opponent’s game-tying free throws resulted from a foul he committed.

Objectively speaking, if I were the Nets coach, based on Zeng Fanbo’s few minutes on the court, I would also not include him in the rotation. The Nets have too many rookies this season, struggling even to develop the five first-round picks, let alone a player like Zeng who doesn’t even have a guaranteed contract.

But no matter what, this was just a preseason game played in China — the outcome didn’t matter at all. Frankly, it was just an exhibition. With a Chinese player on the roster, not giving him even a minute of playing time is simply unacceptable.

In the first China game, the Kings specially signed Liu Wei, facilitating the first time Yao Ming and Liu Wei became teammates, and Liu Wei got considerable playing time in those two games. Later, Ding Yanyuhang only played in one of the two games due to injury, and his minutes were limited; the Mavericks allowed him to appear out of respect for the hometown fans.

As the fourth Chinese player to appear in the China game, Zeng Fanbo was not given even a second in the second game, which is frankly disappointing. Although tickets were sold out before signing Zeng, many attendees still hoped to see him play, as such opportunities are rare.

Although the China games are over, the Nets still have a preseason game against the Raptors on October 18, and hopefully Zeng will get some playing time then. In fact, the 10 minutes he played in the first China game was his first formal game since his injury in the CBA playoffs. Given the grand occasion, some nervousness was understandable. We all know Zeng’s level is not accurately reflected by that first game.

Zeng Fanbo’s basketball journey in recent years has been far from smooth. Initially, he chose Gonzaga but was unable to play in the NCAA due to a coaching change and the pandemic. Later, he joined the Ignite team, which proved to be a wrong choice, and his first attempt at the NBA failed.

After returning to Beijing, he suffered continuous injuries. Last season was his best career season, but he was seriously injured in the playoffs. He spent the summer recovering, missing national team and summer league games. Fortunately, he got a second chance at the NBA, but still hasn’t earned meaningful playing time.

This journey is not over yet. Zeng Fanbo still has opportunities to stay. Since he chose to try, he must accept all possible outcomes while maintaining hope. We wish Zeng Fanbo all the best in his upcoming journey.