BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Two windows have passed by in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers. As usual, we’ve seen some impressive teams as well as players so far.

While Asia basketball fans are familiar with the names of most of these outstanding players, there were some fresh faces that brought excitement to the games. And it’s always fun to look out for more.

With Window 3 of the Asian Qualifiers set to tip-off in less than a month, let’s take a quick look at some players that fans might be able to expect breakout performances when game-time comes.

Vote for your favorite to breakout in Window 3 BELOW!

Disclaimer: The final rosters of teams that will play in Window 3 have not been not finalized at the time of publication. The names listed are purely speculated based on the training camp rosters that have been announced by the National Federation and participation in previous windows and other competitions.

Make sure to check out the updates in these national federation announcements via the Asian Qualifiers Roster Tracker.

Derrick Michael Xzavierro (Indonesia)

Though Indonesia have not yet announced a preliminary or training camp roster, it seems most likely that Derrick Michael will be a part of the team in Window 3.

The 19-year-old has yet to have played in the World Cup Qualifiers and, as a matter of fact, has only played in one game - for 2 minutes - in the Asia Cup 2022 Pre-Qualifiers. However, Michael returned to play for the national team at the Southeast (SEA) Games and immediately shined as a stud in Indonesia’s historic run to a gold medal.

In 6 games, he averaged 14.8 points per game on 56.1 percent field-goal shooting, while grabbing 10.5 rebounds and blocking 2.5 shots attempts per game. The upcoming competition at the World Cup Qualifiers, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, might be a bit tougher compared to those he faced at the SEA Games, but it seems like a good guess to expect that he’ll have an impact.

Yuma Fujii (Japan)

Fujii has played in only one game so far in the Asian Qualifiers and logged only 11 minutes to end up with 5 points in a loss to China. It might seem a little farfetched to expect a “breakout” performance from a 30-year-old veteran.

However, the point guard has shown in the recent B.League seasons that he can be a late bloomer. After being named Best Defender, Sixth Man of the Year, and Best 5 in the 2021 season, the Kawasaki Brave Thunder star took another step forward and was named the MVP of the 2022 season. Fujii averaged 14.1 points, 5.5 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from the three-point line, and 80.9 percent from the charity stripe.

Fujii has mentioned that he might not have had enough time to adjust to coach Tom Hovasse’s system in the previous window. Now that he’s had more time, maybe fans will be able to get a glimpse of that MVP form against other national teams.

Tang Wei Chieh (Chinese Taipei)

Ling Ting-Chien immediately emerged as a hero for Chinese Taipei basketball when he made his senior national team debut at the Qualifying Tournament for Third-ranked Teams for Asia Cup 2022. Can his standout teammate from the U17 World Cup 2016 run, Tang Wei Chieh, have a similar impact in Window 3?

Tang has been named to the preliminary roster for the upcoming window and would be making a senior national team debut if he makes it to the final list. He’s been playing at the Virginia Military Institute for the past few years, logging nearly 10 minutes per contest in 26 games.

At the U17 World Cup in 2016, Tang was the second leading scorer of the team with 13.0 points per game, tied for most rebounds at 4.7 per game, and third in assists with 2.1 per game. It’s possible that he can provide something similar should he transitions well at the senior level.

Carl Tamayo (Philippines)

Asia basketball fans only got to see a quick glimpse of Tamayo at the Asia Cup Qualifiers late last year, as he played in only two games before being shut down with an ankle injury. Therefore, it might have been easy to forget how much of an impact the 2.03M (6’7”) forward can have on any given game.

Throughout the youth competitions, Tamayo has always been a star on the Philippines national team, most recently at the U19 World Cup in 2019 where he averaged 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds. After recovering from his Asia Cup Qualifiers injury, Tamayo also returned to the court to shine in the Philippines collegiate league, UAAP, to claim the Rookie of the Year award after averaging 13.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest.

The 21-year-old is expected be on the training camp roster for the Philippines heading into the third window and fans should be excited if he makes the final list of names.

Fan Ziming (China)

Fan is yet another 7-foot talent in China’s deep pool of tall centers to choose from. The 24-year-old has long been in the national team system, playing at the the U17 World Cup in 2014, U18 Asian Championship in 2016, and even the Asia Challenge in 2016. He’s been on the shortlist for the senior national team over the past few years and has a chance once again to make the final cut for this third window after being named to the training camp roster.

Fan has had a breakout season in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Beijing Ducks, where he was named All-CBA second team and a substitute all-star. In his sixth CBA season, the center averaged career highs in points (14.0 per game) and rebounds (7.7 per game), while also shooting 57.7 percent from the floor and 82.9 percent from the charity stripe (career-high).

Can he have a breakout performance with the senior national team as well?

Flynn Cameron (New Zealand)

When New Zealand announced their long list of candidates to play for the Tall Blacks in Window 3, Flynn Cameron stood out as a name that could turn some heads. The 21-year-old shined at the U18 Asian Championship when he recorded a triple-double in the Semi-Finals and averaged 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game for the runners-up.

The possible father-son, head coach-player combo of Pero and Flynn Cameron on the national team might be more than just a cool story if it happens, as young Flynn could be an impactful player from day one. The 1.96M (6’5”) guard had been playing for UC Riverside in the NCAA over the past two seasons, averaging over 10 points and 4 rebounds per game for the Highlanders.

Prashant Singh Rawat (India)

While it might be argued that Rawat might have already had a breakout performance in the previous window of the Asian Qualifiers, there’s no reason to not be optimistic about the chance of him being able to do more.

Rawat impressed fans with his effort in the game against the Philippines, where he put up a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. Even though that’s been his only big game statistically so far, he’s also won over the fans with his hustle and energy.

That might be what India needs in the upcoming game when they return to the Manila to face the Philippines on July 3.

Which player do you think can have a breakout performance in Window 3?

FIBA