WUHAN (China) - It's a bold claim to start putting China's frontcourt into various brackets of possible greatness past or present, but they are undeniably in a class of their own when it comes to height, size and potential.
Riding past Mali 81-68 in front of their home fans in their FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament opener, the locals in Wuhan loved seeing their team's frontcourt machine getting into gear.
Not that it was the highest gear they have. And, that is the point.
The trio of Xu Han (2.05 m - 6ft 8in), Yueri Li (2.01 m - 6ft 7in) and teenage phenomenon Ziyu Zhang (2.20 m - 7ft 2in) stepped out for the first time together at the global level and it gave everyone more than a glimpse of what could be possible in the years to come - starting with challenging for the coveted silverware in Berlin.
Looking an absolute lock to secure their ticket and booking a return to the main event, China famously made the title game at Sydney 2022 and so only have one more upwards step to take when it comes to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.
Their two seasoned, but still relatively young centers Yueru Li and Xu Han wasted little time against Mali in reminding everyone of their qualities.
Li won TCL Player of the Game honors with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds ,while Han put on a third quarter shooting show that had the fans off their seats in appreciation - eventually harvesting 14 points.
But China are no longer all about their 'twin towers', they now have an amazing third dimension with their rising star Zhang. Already a leading contributor on the senior team having made a splash on her Continental tournament debut last year at FIBA Women's Asia Cup, now she has a foothold on the global senior stage.
That came via a typically eye-catching contribution in her first outing at this level of 12 points from a super-smart 6-of-8 shooting effort.
Individually talented, with an unprecedented collective height, their ceiling looks to be way up in the sky, since this is only the start of a possibly unrivalled and exceptional chapter of the trio playing together.
So, maybe asking if there has been a bigger and potentially more potent rotation in the history of the women's game isn't so fanciful after all.
Watch this space.
FIBA