On May 12, the National U21 Men’s Basketball Tournament continued with a lopsided showdown. The Beijing Shougang youth team crushed their Guangdong counterparts 94-69, winning by a staggering 25 points. Guangdong’s U21 squad featured several players who had already gained CBA playoff experience, including Yang Yi and Li Yizhen, but the team’s overall performance was disappointing. Yang Yi’s lack of shooting ability was fully exploited by Beijing’s defense, while Li Yizhen’s perimeter shooting failed to shine. It is worth noting that Yang Yi has spent two seasons on the Guangdong first team, but with established stars like Xu Jie and Hu Mingxuan ahead of him, his playing time has been extremely limited. 
Yang Yi’s continued poor performances in the U21 tournament have made it increasingly likely that Guangdong will move on from him. The team’s backcourt is already crowded with Xu Jie, Hu Mingxuan, and foreign guards like McCall and Samner, leaving little room for Yang. Only when Xu Jie was injured did Yang earn brief minutes on the court. More importantly, Yang’s playing style does not fit well with Du Feng’s fast-paced, small-ball system. Without a reliable three-point shot, he cannot play off the ball in the corner, making it nearly impossible for him to coexist with the foreign guards or alongside Xu Jie. As a result, Du Feng has clearly given up on him. 
Even recent additions to the Guangdong first team, such as Chen Jiazheng and Wang Hongze, have received more playing time and development opportunities this season. Staying with Guangdong would only waste Yang Yi’s potential. A more sensible choice would be to seek a team that can offer him consistent minutes. Interestingly, former Guangdong center Xu Xin, who left the team, has successfully developed with the Guangzhou Long-Lions, showing how a change of scenery can help a player. Yang Yi would be a good fit for Guangzhou, a team not under playoff pressure. Coach Mitchell of Guangzhou has a strong track record of developing guards like Zhang Xingliang and Zhang Wenjie, and even helped Xu Xin showcase NBA-level dominance. 
Guangdong, on the other hand, urgently needs to strengthen its power forward position. Du Feng has been forced to use Zhang Haojia at the four spot, revealing the team’s long-standing weakness at that position. During the offseason, general manager Zhu Fangyu must address this need. Yang Yi could be a key trade asset to bring in a quality power forward. There are even rumors that Guangdong might target Guangzhou’s top pick Chen Guohao, though he has not been particularly impactful for Guangzhou. In any case, Yang Yi’s struggles in the U21 games have sealed his fate—he will be completely abandoned by Du Feng and the Guangdong coaching staff.