During last offseason, when Guangdong traded for Cui Yongxi from Guangzhou, many fans believed the team’s forward line had finally been strengthened. Even though Cui was recovering from a major injury, the expectation was that he would still bring value. However, in the regular season, Cui not only failed to earn Du Feng’s trust but also delivered the worst performance of his career with his new team.
In the crucial Game 3 of the Guangdong-Beijing playoff series, Cui Yongxi and Zeng Fanbo clashed again in what fans dubbed the “Nets internal battle.” Just like in Game 1, Cui was completely outperformed by Zeng. Cui played 13 minutes off the bench, attempted only one shot, and finished with zero points.
In contrast, Zeng Fanbo stepped up whenever Guangdong tried to close the gap, hitting key baskets to extinguish the opponent’s comeback hopes. Playing 26 minutes as a substitute, Zeng shot 6-of-4 from the field, including 3-of-2 from three-point range, finishing with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks—filling the stat sheet.
What made the situation even more striking was that in the final moments, with the game already decided, Du Feng sent Cui back onto the court. Still scoreless, Cui attempted to pad his stats during garbage time by taking an outside shot, only to have it emphatically blocked by Zeng Fanbo. This moment sparked heated discussion among fans, with comments like, “He’s not even close to Zeng Fanbo… trying to stat-pad in garbage time? Zeng wasn’t having it. So you’re the Nets legend?”
Comparing Zeng, who didn’t even make the Nets’ roster, Cui’s NBA journey, though brief, at least saw him play a regular-season game and score. Now both “Nets alumni” have returned to the CBA, with little chance of going back to the NBA. Cui, the “official Nets player,” being thoroughly dominated by Zeng, the “correspondence course Nets player,” is a stark contrast.
In this year’s playoffs, Cui averaged a meager 2.8 points in 15.2 minutes per game, essentially dropping out of the team’s main rotation. While this might be partly due to his recovery from a major injury, Cui cannot use that as an excuse. After all, when he chased his NBA dream, he charged ahead without holding back.
At just 22 years old, theoretically, he still has a chance to return to the NBA. But if he can’t even regain his pre-injury influence in the CBA, Cui risks becoming yet another Chinese basketball player who failed to live up to his potential.
As for Zeng Fanbo, his decision to re-sign with Beijing and stay in the CBA has effectively shut the door on the NBA. However, if he can make a name for himself in the CBA and help Beijing win a championship, he will have lived up to the expectations fans once had for him. Unlike Cui, who often mentions his NBA stint, Zeng’s low-key, self-improving approach has endeared him more to fans.