Top 5 Chinese Taipei players for the 19–20 CBA season.
Every CBA season we get to see the top Chinese Taipei talents perform and compete with some of the best talent in Asia. The CBA’s history is filled with great Chinese Taipei players from Zhejiang Guangsha Lions legend ‘The Beast’ Lin Chih-chieh and Beijing Ducks MVP Lee Hsueh-Lin.
Now lets look at the top five Chinese Taipei performers for the 19–20 season.
5. 胡珑贸 / Hu Longmao — 6’4 SF — Season stats: 41.4% From 3, 14.9 Mpg, 4.3ppg
Coming into the season, there was a lot of expectations on Hu Longmao because of his 18–19 season where he was without a doubt an important sixth-man. At the start of the season Hu had inserted into the starting line-up but Fujian’s turbulent start which resulted in a change in manger also meant Hu Longmao went back to the bench.
Fujian were able to take control of their own destiny though as they managed to sneak into a play-off place before being sent home rather quickly by the Beijing Ducks. Now looking at Hu’s performance over the season one must ask, aside from being a fantastic three-point shooter, just what else is there to Hu’s game? What many people saw as the reason to why Hu lost his starting gig and got relegated back to the bench was that it simply didn’t make sense for Hu to run with the starting unit because aside from his ability to space the floor he offered nothing else and was a liability on defence.
Still Hu is one of Fujian only reliable weapons of the bench so he does hold value and that’s why he’s number 5 on the list. The question for Hu though, is he content with a sixth man type role? His role isn’t going to dramatically change next season as Lin, Wang and which ever foreign player comes in will be getting most of the touches. Hu is entering his prime and while the money he’s on is great, he’s primed to take on a major role if he chooses to return to the newly developed P+ League.
Highlight of the season: Hu shooting was on full display as he poured in 4 three points to help Fujian put away a feisty Tong Xi team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H37iSj0KKw8
4. 周仪翔 / Zhou Yi-Hsiang — 6’2 PG — Season Stats: 38.5% From 3, 17.2 Mpg, 92% Ftp , 1.1 Ast, 3.8 Ppg
3 teams in 3 years, Zhou has had an interesting CBA career that has had him travel across China from Xinjiang back north. Having had deep play-off runs with Xinjiang and Beijing, Zhou’s got a reputation as a strong and tough on ball defender. Combine this with his ability to score from three and drive, Zhou is great addition to any teams with real championship or playoff aspirations.
This season Zhou has been an important member of the Beijing Ducks, playing and operating mostly off the ball, his ability to stretch paint complimented Jeremy Lin’s driving game. One of the few guards on the Ducks who can actually play defense, he was viewed highly as a legitimate two-way player.
Zhou’s real contribution came in the play-offs as he showed great play-making for Beijing as they annihilated Fujian and Zhou came up with the goods in the crucial Game 2 as Beijing took one game from the eventual champions.
His ability to play on both sides of the floor, shoot open 3’s and play-making as a third option should line Zhou up with plenty of suitors for the next season.
Highlight of the season: As already mentioned his Game 2 heroics, Zhou was the leading scorer of the SBL, since he’s gone to the CBA he’s had to round his game and he’s showed it when the stakes were at its highest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDkFcFvd9zY
3. 林韦翰 Lin Wei Han — 5’9 PG — Season Stats: 21.3 mpg , 6 ppg, 3 ast, 1.2 stl and 33.6% From 3.
Lin beats out Zhou to the third spot mostly for his performance in the CBA restart. Without Darius Adams and Dakari Johnson to support Qingdao’s play-off push many had written the team off.
As a result Lin’s play time increased dramatically and with him at the helm on the court, he was able to lead Qingdao successfully into the post-season. Holding out for 5 wins may raise eyebrows to how effective Lin was, but Qingdao were literally known too most CBA fans as Adams, Johnson + a washed up Zhou Tailong. The rest of the team was made of young players that had talent but weren’t expected to be battling for a play-off spot.
Coming off the bench, Lin lead his team in assists and steals (if you don’t count the imports). What stands out to viewers when watching Lin in action is how measured and controlled he is with the ball. His calmness is almost pervasive as his teammates are more willing to run and cut because they know Lin will get them the ball. Being a smart player isn’t enough you also need to show tenacity, as Lin is limited in size he needs to make up his defense with effort and smart plays.
Highlight of the season: A crucial win to break a run of losses, Lin stepped up and delivered a huge double-double performance. 16 points, 10 assists, 3 steals and 7/7 from the line, Lin lead Qingdao over the Beijing Royal fighters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMlBlS75iQA
2. 陈盈骏 / Ray Chen — 6’0 PG — Season Stats: 34.8 mpg, 13.7 ppg , 4.8 ast, 3.3 reb, 35.5% From 3
Ray’s firmly established himself as the starting point guard for Guangzhou. Although Guangzhou again suffered a difficult season, their return in the bubble was quite impressive as they beat two of the top bubble performers Liaoning and Guangsha. The lack of depth and better coaching though, they still went 4–15 to finish the season, however their performance was much improved.
Although you can connote that Ray hasn’t really improved as Guangzhou again remained in the lowest echelon of the CBA table, his statistics have all improved minus his three-point(down 0.9%) and free-throw (down 9.2%) percentages. He’s doubled his assists average to 4.8, raised his rebounding to 3.3 and improved his points per game to 13.7. Well improving his field goal percentage to 42.6%. The vocation that Ray has to his game, will have fans excited to see his development.
Noticeable improvements to Ray’s game is his decision making on the court and his aggressiveness on the court. Last season where Ray would of settled for jumpers, this season he’s really taking the ball into the paint, creating more space and opportunities for teammates.
Highlight of the season: Swashbuckling with one of China’s premier guards, Guo Ailun. Ray went head-to-head in a cross-strait battle, triumphing with a 29 point explosion along with 8 assists, 6 boards and 12/20 field goals made. Let’s not mention the 8 turnovers as ultimately Ray led a much weaker Guangzhou team to victory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vpZuQuXr1A
1. 刘铮 / Liu Cheng — 6’2 SG/SF — Season Stats: 31.4 mpg, 12.3 ppg, 3.1 reb, 2.7 ast, 37.5% From 3
Without a doubt Liu Cheng has emerged out of the shadow of his close former teammate and mentor ‘The Beast’ Lin Chich-Chieh. Although Liu hasn’t hit quite the same heights from a scoring perspective, Liu’s more rounded game has many saying that his overall impact in a game is equal if not more to prime Beast Lin.
Guangsha surprised the entire CBA by opting to not bring a foreign import going with an all domestic line-up. They actually went on a huge roll in the bubble winning 8 games and sealing a place in the off-season.
Pairing with Sun Minghui, the two mercurial guards gave teams a lot of trouble due to both guards being capable ball handlers and passers. With Liu’s intensity on defense and often guarding the oppositions top guard, this allowed Sun to slack off, rest on defense and fully focus on offense.
Fans of the team can corroborate Liu’s importance with many crying out for the club to tie Liu back to the club. At 30, he is in his prime and will have another 3 years max at this level. As such this will be his last opportunity to sign a big long term deal. One of the biggest transfers was Liu signing for the Shanghai Sharks, already snapping up Makan Keilanbaike of Xinjiang, the Sharks tying up Liu meansthey possess most of the CBA’s top wing players. Watching Liu don the orange and purple colours of Shanghai, expect a deep run by the Sharks in the offseason.
Highlight of the season: My favorite performance for Liu was his 17 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists , 6 steals and 1 block come-from behind win against 吉林. He literally contributed in every category. An absolute gem of a player who can do everything to a high standard, it’s so rare among CBA’s specialization players.
