Emergence of Hu Jinqiu and why China can be happy with Asia Challenge showing

REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - China finished fifth at the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 but their country's fans should be happy about the performance -  especially with the emergence of Hu Jinqiu. 

China only dropped two games in the biennial competition - against India in Second Round group action and versus Iraq in the Quarter-Finals - before finishing up with a second win over Chinese Taipei and a triumph over Japan for fifth place.

The FIBA Asia Challenge started less than three weeks after the conclusion of the 2016 Rio Olympics, where China slumped to a discouraging 0-5 record and last place in Group A. China have not really performed that well at the FIBA Asia Challenge, finishing fifth in 2012 and fourth in 2014. Chinese basketball leaders used tournament in Tehran as a testing grounds for the mix of inexperienced and young players. 

Li Nan's team featured three teenagers and an average age of 22.4 years. Five of the players on China's FIBA Asia Challenge squad had never played a FIBA competition and only two of them - Zou Yuchen and Tao Hanlin - had played at a senior event. 

Zou Yuchen (China No. 14) is one of two players from China's FIBA Asia Challenge team with previous senior national team experience.

The five national team debutants ranged in age from 24 to 26 years and all were guards or wings. The 25-year-old Liu Zhixuan nailed 48 percent of his three-pointers in scoring 10.1 points while coming up with a solid 3.8-to-1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Zou meanwhile actually was playing his second senior tournament in the last four weeks after appearing in Rio, where he averaged 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9 minutes a game. The 20-year-old center averaged 7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in the FIBA Asia Challenge and held his own against most of the other centers in the event. 

The 25-year-old back-up center Tao for his part averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds as he was playing in this event for a second time after 2014. 

This tournament was the next step towards the senior national team for some of the leaders of China's past teams at the FIBA U19 World Championships. 

Yuan Shuai and Wu Qian are both 22 year olds who played at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship in Prague and showed their leadership in Tehran from the wing. Zhao Yanhao turns 19 years in late October and played much less of a role after starring at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship.

Also playing a major role for China at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship was Hu Jinqiu, who was still just 17 years old but averaged 13.7 points and 9.3 rebounds at his second global event following the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship. And this was truly a breakout performance.

The FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 was a breakthrough tournament for Hu Jinqiu.

Hu was by far China's most productive and effective player at the FIBA Asia Challenge, averaging 17.9 points - seventh-best in the tournament - and 10.4 rebounds - good for fourth-most. His efficiency of 24.9 per game was fourth best. 

The Xinjiang native, who turns 19 on September 24, showcased a wide array of skills at the FIBA Asia Challenge - also his first appearance in a FIBA senior competition.

The 2.10m power forward has excellent footwork in the post with a good mix of moves to get to the basket. He has a great ability to get the shot up even if he gets very deep under the rim. Hu also does a very good job driving to the basket - not quite all the way out from the wing and really doesn't go left at all with the dribble. But he has a good powerful first step with the dribble and a great knack of finishing around the rim - hitting 58 percent from the field. 

He only attempted three three-pointers but an 81 percent free throw shooting percentage shows he could develop the long range shot if he works on it. Hu's jumper goes out consistently to about 17 feet.

Hu is an excellent passer from anywhere on the court and really showed he can work the high-low with the center in this tournament. He also did a good job moving without the ball and keeping the ball moving with his passing. He has really come a long way after picking up just two assists in 208 minutes at the 2015 FIBA U19 Worlds.

The Chinese coaches didn't seem to run any plays for Hu at all and still he averaged 17.9 points, thanks to excellent work when he did keep the ball as well as an average of 3.8 offensive rebounds. 

Hu is not a high-flyer but he can run the floor well and has good stamina - playing 32 minutes a game. He talks to his teammates on defence but is not an intimidator or real rim protector. He caused good pressure as the front man of the China's press after made baskets. 

Hu still needs to add bulk - which will also come naturally as he gets older - but he held his own defensively against the tougher teams in Asia like Jordan and Iraq. Hu is a bulldog fighting under the basket and he never gives up - diving for loose balls up 17 points inside the final minute of the game.

Again, Chinese basketball fans and officials can really be happy about this team's performance in Tehran. A couple of players stepped up and showed they can play at a high level with Hu Jinqiu being the biggest among them.

David Hein

FIBA 

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