MANAMA (Bahrain) & DOHA (Qatar) - Basketball may be a team effort, but there’s always usually a player (or players) on the team that stands out in particular. Even though each of the teams in the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers bubbles had brought along a roster filled with talented stars, here are some that shined brighter than the rest.

Here we take a look at the MVPs from each team in the bubbles.

The criteria taken into consideration for selection of each respective MVPs is a mix of Player Efficiency,  consistency  across all games in the bubbles, and overall statistics.

Philippines 

Juan Gomez De Liaño - PG / 1.80m / 1999

Statistics:  13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game / 50.0 percent three-point shooting

The Philippines distributed the production from their players quite evenly across the board as all but one player got on the scoreboard in the Bahrain bubble. However, it was the “Chosen Juan” who garnered the majority of the attention with his dazzling handles and timely three-point shots.

Indonesia 

Lester Prosper - C / 2.07m / 1988

Statistic: 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

When your first two points ever for the national team in the FIBA event is a thunderous throwdown on opposing team’s star player, that’s a good start. That’s exactly what Prosper did in his first game ever playing for Indonesia and he followed it up with a big time double-double to carry Indonesia to their first Qualifiers win. We already pegged him as one of the most improved players from this bubble, but he’s also emerged as Thailand’s top play as well.

 

Thailand 

Chanatip Jakrawan - C / 1.97m / 1997

Statistics: 18.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks per game / 50.0 percent field goal shooting

Jakrawan did get dunked on pretty badly (read above), but that meant that he wasn’t afraid of contesting the physically imposing Prosper which is a good sign. The young center was indispensable for Thailand and it showed when he had his best game of 34 points and 12 rebounds against the Philippines in 37 minutes played.

Lebanon 

Wael Arakji - PG / 1.93m / 1994

Statistics: 21.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game / 66.7 percent three-point shooting

The game just seems too easy for Wael Arakji at this point. He continued to showcase why he is the cream of the crop of Asia Cup point guards by effortlessly assuming the floor general role for Lebanon.

Bahrain 

Mohamed Kawaid - SF / 1.89m / 1989

Statistics: 15.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists per game

It was a triumphant return from an injury for Kawaid as he was one of the most productive player in both bubbles. His scoring efficiency might not be as flattering as his counting  statistics, but it was his on-court leadership and playmaking that made him the MVP for Bahrain in the bubble.

India 

Amjyot Singh - F / 2.03m / 1992

Statistics: 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks per game

This was obviously not the way Amjyot would have hoped his return to the national team would look like after suffering two straight losses in the bubble. Still, it was clear that the Asia  Cup veteran put in his best efforts in an attempt o prevent that from happening. He’ll have to keep it going in the next window with the opportunity to qualify for Asia Cup 2021 on the line.

Iraq 

Demario Mayfield - PG / 1.90m / 1991

Statistics: 24.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 8.0 assists per  game /  51.9 percent field goal shooting

Iraq were thisclose to being able to come out of the Bahrain bubble with a win. A large part of that is because they had Demario Mayfield knocking down big shot after big shot. Mayfield earns a spot on this list because of his clutch three-pointer to force overtime against Bahrain, but did a whole lot more than that for Iraq as well.

Iran 

Mohammad Jamshidi - G / 1.99m / 1991

Statistics: 16.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists per game

Jamshi is an Asia Cup veteran and played like one as he made clutch play after clutch play against Saudi Arabia. The forward took over in the fourth quarter and Jamshidi’s defenders just had no response.

Syria 

Trey Kell - SG / 1.93m / 1996

Statistics: 34.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists / 52.6 percentage field goal shooting

We guess it wouldn’t be too difficult to go in detail why Kell is Syria’s MVP. But to keep things simple, just take a look at that stat line and couple that with a win over Iran.

Saudi Arabia 

Khalid M Abdel Gabar - G / 1.83m / 1990

Statistics: 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game

We’ve shown a lot of love for Saudi Arabia’s big man Mohammed Alsuwailem, but it’s time to shine some of the spotlight on his teammate Khalid Abdel Gabar. He doesn’t put up head-turning number, but he’s been consistently productive for the “Green Machine” that is Saudi Arabia. More importantly, he’s been the one making big time clutch shots for Saudi Arabia as showcased in their win over Qatar.

 

Qatar 

Babacar Dieng - G / 1.95m / 1997

Statistics: 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds per game / 52.9 field goal percentage

Dieng was a consistant contributor for Qatar in the bubble, something that they desperately needed. Had they been able to pull of the win against Saudi Arabia, it’s possible that Dieng might have garnered a bit more attention from the fans.

FIBA