MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - With just six days to go till the tip-off of the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 in Beirut, it's time to take stock and see which new faces will potentially be breakout stars.

Most of the guys on this list will plunge into FIBA Asia Cup action for the very first time ever, but all of them are projected to have much bigger roles than they used to for their respective national teams. That can be for a variety of reasons - maybe some big stars are missing, maybe they have developed their games really well - but the reality is this is their time to shine on Asia's biggest stage.

Reuben Te Rangi (New Zealand)

At 1.98m, Te Rangi has great size for a small forward in Asia. He will be bigger than most wingmen, and his skill-set makes him a really dangerous player for the Tall Blacks. He was their third-best scorer in the FIBA Oceania Championship 2015, and as one of the most experienced players on this team, he should be a leader with great production.

Daniel Kickert (Australia)

David Andersen may be the marquee big man for the Boomers, but don't sleep on the 2.08m Kickert, who was a key player for the Brisbane Bullets in the NBL Australia 2016-2017 season. He finishes well around the basket and has a decent touch from the outside. If he can hit the three-ball consistently well, opposing defenses will need to stretch.

Han Dejun (China)

Speaking of big men, few are bigger than the man called the "Shaq of the CBA." At 2.15m and 136kg, that's what Han is, and now that he'll finally play at the highest level of FIBA Asia, we will all see just why he is maybe the second-best offensive center in the CBA after Yi Jianlian. He put up around 16 points, 12 rebounds and 1 steal per game for Liaoning last season, and he will be a beast for China at the Asia Cup.

Yuki Togashi (Japan)

It's a shame that this is just going to be Togashi's first foray at the Asia Cup, but he should make it memorable. Togashi is seen almost unanimously as Japan's best point guard right now, and the former NBA hopeful should be among the quickest and most exciting players in Beirut. Don't blink - not even once - or you'll miss him.

Matthew Wright (Philippines)

The Philippines have had some really impressive shooters in the past, but Wright may just be the best one yet. He hit 3 triples a game in the SEABA Championship 2017, hitting 55% of his three-pointers and scoring a dozen points per contest. There's a strong chance he will be the top shooter of Gilas Pilipinas in Beirut, and if he can drop those bombs, the Filipinos may go deep.

Chou Po-Hsun (Chinese Taipei)

No Quincy Davis. No Tseng Wen-Ting. No Tien Lei. That means the onus is on Po-Hsun to step up and step up big time. At 1.97m, he may not be the tallest frontline player out there, but his length, his instincts and his nose for the ball make him a valuable asset for the Taipei quintet. He won't drop a ton of points, but he can fight for those rebounds and play gritty defense.

Abdulrahman Mohamed Saad (Qatar)

If you are wondering about the next big Asian scoring machine, then you don't need to look further than Saad. This is a kid who lit up the FIBA U18 Asia Championship 2014 for 27 points per game and was a key contributor in both the FIBA Asia Championship 2015 and FIBA Asia Challenge 2016. He is only 1.88m, but his quickness, shooting, ball-handling and scoring ability are what make him so potent offensively.

Alex Zhigulin (Kazakhstan)

Zhigulin will be entering his third FIBA Asia Cup after debuting in 2013 and putting up improved numbers in 2015. This time around, the 2.05m 23-year-old player will be seen as one of the experienced leaders of Kazakhstan's frontline, and they will need him to play like the star he was projected to be when he came up from the youth team nearly a decade ago. I mean, this guy played in his first U18 tournament at just 14 years old - that's how much promise he has.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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