The Chinese men's national basketball team finished their 38-day-long training trip in Europe on Sunday. They played a total of eight games and won three of them, including their final game which came against New Zealand (69-68) on Sunday.

The other two victories China secured were against Egypt (80-69) and Cape Verde (86-66). The team lost all five games against European opponents: Croatia (82-64 and 75-61), Slovenia (75-73), Italy (79-61) and Germany (107-58).

China's naturalized forward Li Kaier, formerly known as Kyle Anderson, played in three of the games, all off the bench. He scored 11 points and six rebounds against Italy, 10 points and six rebounds against Germany, and 18 points, five rebounds and four steals against New Zealand.

Li performed the best in the competition against New Zealand. China trailed by 11 points at most in the third quarter, during which Li went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field to get 10 points in this period alone. His steal in the final minutes of the fourth quarter was integral to the team's victory.

His biggest strength is the comprehensiveness of his skills. As a 2.06-meter-tall forward with good passing ability, he was supposed to play as the lubricant of China's new system under coach Aleksandar Djordjevic. However, judging by Li's role in the three games he participated in, the team seems in dire need of him carrying their offense.

That won't be a sustainable solution for China. Li has never been known as a productive isolation scorer. He doesn't shoot or make enough 3-pointers off the dribble to help enhance his threat as a slasher. Li's favorite offensive move is to attack smaller defenders in the two elbows. Unfortunately, there were too many moments in which his teammates couldn't pass the ball to him in the 49-point loss against Germany.

That loss was the biggest game margin between the two teams. China's guards were easily interrupted of their rhythm, in both dribbling and playmaking, in front of the opponents' well-coordinated defensive rotations. That's why they always seemed be to passing to each other without a clear intentions before finishing an offensive possession, typically with a brick or a traveling violation.

China's defense was disappointing too. Their defenders were too slow to follow their Italian counterparts who moved quickly and smartly in their give-and-go offense. They often miscommunicated in guarding off-ball plays, leaving open shots from deep or open cut-ins in the back door.

The Chinese national team will depart Europe for home on Monday. After that, they have one more friendly, against Serbia in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, to play on Sunday, before going to the Philippines for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

China are in Group B with Serbia, Puerto Rico and South Sudan. They will start the tournament with a game against Serbia on August 26.