AMMAN (Jordan) - Boyuan Zhang has been busy ever since last September.
He made his FIBA youth competition debut on September 17, 2023 in a win against the Philippines at the U16 Asia Cup, scoring 18 points and it's nearly been non-stop basketball from there.
From that competition in Qatar, it's been tune-up competitions leading up to the U17 World Cup, and some more preparation games, before landing here in Amman for the U18 Asia Cup. Fatigue can build up from playing so much basketball, no matter how young those legs are. Then there's also the added weight of representing a country, especially one as proud of its basketball tradition as China.
"Here in U18 Asia Cup, I'm not afraid."
It can get tiring, but Zhang doesn't let that get in his way of putting on that national team jersey when called up.
"I think I'm tired," he said. "But I want to play for my country and I want to play the international games and I want to play very well."
If he was indeed tired as he half-heartedly admitted, he did a very good job of hiding it in China's opening day win at the Prince Hamza Hall against Kazakhstan, 86-50.
Far from being tired, Zhang poured in 17 points… in the first quarter alone. In just 6:38 minutes, he singlehandedly outscored Kazakhstan (12 points) in that first quarter. That was on pace to surpass the most points scored by a Chinese player in a U18 Asia Cup since Zhelin Wang (36 points in 2012), before the tempo slowed down in the second half and Zhang would end up with 22 points on 7-9 shooting from the field.
Zhang put his sharpshooting on display (4-5 from three-point range in this game), confirming why scouts liken him as one of China's top young prospects alongside Hansen Yang. At the U16 Asia Cup, he shot a blistering 47.1 percent (16-34 from downtown). At the U17 World Cup, he'd still have the hot hand, going for 40.7 percent on 22-54 shooting from beyond the arc.
Despite lighting it up and leading the team across the two previous competitions for China, Zhang is still humble about his future and where it is headed.
"I'm too young," he says. "I'm not ready now to go to the NBA, but I can work hard to go to the NBA."
Making it to that stage would be a great accomplishment for Zhang, as it is a common goal for many of the young ballers in China. And it's understandable why he'd pursue that path, as he's only trying to follow the footsteps of his idol, Ding Yanyuhang. The 31-year-old and two-time CBA MVP came close to making it to the NBA with Summer League and G League stints.
"Ding is my idol," said Zhang. "I always watch his game and I learn from his shooting and driving."
"I can learn from his defense and offense and dunks and two points."
For now, however, his challenge is the U18 Asia Cup. Zhang and China did well to secure bronze at the U16 Asia Cup last year and a deep run here in Amman should not be out of the question. China will have to go through Japan in the Group Phase at the very least, with defending champions Korea and perennial contenders Australia and Iran potentially in the way.
But after all of the basketball he's played and the points he's scored over the past year, Zhang is up to the task.
"I've played a lot of good teams in good games," said Zhang of the competition he's faced sofar. "Here in U18 Asia Cup, I'm not afraid."
FIBA