China Basketball Coach Guo Shiqiang Responds After Asian Games Loss

China men’s basketball head coachGuo Shiqianghas responded to his team’s disappointing finish at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, pointing to defensive problems, rebounding and poor decision-making as key reasons behind the defeats.

China finished fourth after losing70-79 to Iranin the bronze-medal game on September 20. The result means China will leave the Asian Games without a medal after taking bronze at the previous edition in Hangzhou.

Guo points to defensive problems

China had entered the tournament with ambitions of challenging for the gold medal. The team went unbeaten in the group stage and defeated Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals before facing Japan in the semifinals.

However, China suffered a heavy77-97 defeat to Japan, ending its hopes of reaching the final.

After that game, Guo gave a detailed explanation of what went wrong.

He said China's overall defense was not good enough from the beginning to the end of the game. In particular, the team struggled to contain Japan's fast breaks and three-point shooting.

Japan's offensive system heavily relies on transition play and perimeter shooting, and Guo said China allowed the Japanese team to find open three-point opportunities early in the game.

Rebounding was another major concern.

Guo noted that Japan had been strong on the offensive glass before the semifinal and that China's players had been specifically prepared for the threat. However, China still failed to control the offensive rebounds effectively.

Offense also suffered under pressure

Guo also acknowledged that China's problems were not limited to defense.

Because the team struggled defensively and lost the battle for rebounds, its offense was also affected. According to Guo, Chinese players became less patient when handling the ball and did not always make reasonable decisions when choosing shooting or passing opportunities.

“On both ends of the court, we had problems,” Guo said after the semifinal.

He emphasized that games at the semifinal and final stages require strong defense, physical confrontation and stability under pressure.

The loss to Japan therefore became an important test of China's ability to perform in high-pressure games.

Another setback against Iran

China had an opportunity to finish the tournament with a bronze medal, but Iran proved too strong in the third and fourth quarters.

China led31-29 at halftime, but Iran responded strongly after the break. China scored only 15 points in the third quarter while Iran produced 26, turning the game around.

China briefly reduced the deficit to one point in the fourth quarter, but Iran regained control and eventually won 79-70.

The result left China in fourth place.

Guo refuses to rate himself

Following the semifinal defeat, Guo was asked to assess his own performance during the summer.

He declined to give himself a rating.

Guo said he does not give himself or his players individual scores, but stressed that the coaching staff, support team and players had worked hard throughout the summer and had made serious efforts in training and competition.

His comments came after a summer that included several major international competitions and a heavy schedule for the national team.

What comes next for China

The fourth-place finish gives Chinese basketball another period of reflection.

China showed strong form during the group stage, but its performances dropped significantly in the two decisive games against Japan and Iran.

The results exposed several areas that will require attention, including perimeter defense, transition defense, rebounding, ball handling and decision-making under pressure.

For Guo, however, the focus remains on improvement rather than assigning blame.

After the semifinal loss, he said China’s goal had been to challenge for the Asian Games championship. Although that goal was no longer possible, he called on the team to perform well in the bronze-medal game.

China ultimately fell short of that objective as well.

The national team will now return to club competition before regrouping in November to prepare for the next stage of the2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers.

For Chinese basketball, the Asian Games campaign has ended without a medal. The challenge now is to turn the lessons from two decisive defeats into concrete improvements before the next international window.