15 Hamed Ehadadi (IRI)
01/03/2018
Enzo Flojo's Asia On My Mind
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My top 5 players from the second Asian Qualifiers window

MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) - The second Asian Qualifiers window was lit, and much of it was because of the standout play of several elite players.

For this week's column, I'll look at the very best players from the second window - those who really picked up their production to help carry their respective teams to big wins. I will detail my top 5 players from the second Asian Qualifiers window here, and then I'll follow it with three players who were outside looking in.

Ater Majok (Lebanon)

Stats: 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals, 2.5 blocks, 92.3 FG%.
Majok was not a factor at all for Lebanon in the first window, but boy did he pick things up in the second. The 6ft 11in (2.10m) center averaged a nifty double-double for the Cedars, getting a lot of easy looks around the basket for layups and those emphatic jams. Aside from increased involvement on offense, though, Majok was also a lot more active on defense as proven by his steals and blocks numbers. Many have maligned Majok for not being a consistently dominant naturalized player for Lebanon, but simply put, his performance in the second window should prove the doubters wrong.

Dar Tucker (Jordan)

Stats: 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.0 steals.
Tucker was a little up and down in the first window, but he really tore things up in the second. The versatile 6ft 3in (1.90m) guard ran rings around the Indians and Syrians, leading Jordan to their third and fourth wins of the Asian Qualifiers. He struggled with his shooting against India, but he made up for it with his assists and free throws. In their second match against Syria, Tucker played his best game yet, though, unloading 28 points on the back of 8-of-14 field goal shooting and a flawless 10-of-10 free throw shooting. Jordan have never been the same since the departure of one of their previous naturalized players - Rasheim Wright - but they certainly seem to have found a gem of a player in the 29-year-old Tucker, who should remain among their finest players heading into the third window.

Hamed Haddadi (Iran)

Stats: 17.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals, 2.0 blocks.
It was clear that Iran were a much different team with Haddadi patrolling the paint. He recorded a whale of a game against Kazakhstan, putting up 20 points and 20 rebounds, and stamped his class against Syria as well, tossing in 15 points and hauling down 9 boards. Needless to say, Haddadi's performance in the second window was a stern reminder to the rest of Asia of how dominant he once was and can still be. It's crystal clear that even at 32 years old, the 7ft 2in (2.18m) behemoth can still carry Team Melli to a W, and it will be interesting to see how well he does in the third window against Qatar and Kazakhstan.

Yi Jianlian (China)

Stats: 24.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals, 2.0 blocks, 54.8 FG%.
As expected, former NBA player Yi Jianlian flashed fine form for the Chinese in the second window, but even his 37 points and 6 rebounds were not enough to tow the home team to a win over the Tall Blacks. As frustrating as that result was, however, Yi was still mighty impressive, and his brilliance carried over to their next game against lowly Hong Kong, where the 7ft 0in (2.12m) superstar coasted to 11 points and 5 rebounds in just 18 minutes of action. Yi can still obviously dominate a game, but it's also plain to see that he needs a lot of help if China are to defeat the best teams in the region. Yi just cannot do it alone.

Corey Webster (New Zealand)

Stats: 24.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 3.0 triples, 51.5 FG%.
The elder Webster was already solid in the first window where New Zealand split their games, but he leveled his game up this past week, leading the Tall Blacks to a 2-0 sweep of their second window fixtures. Webster didn't shoot too well against China in their first game, but he hit the shots that mattered most to finish with 18 points and hand the Chinese their first Asian Qualifiers loss in the process. The 29-year-old then exploded for 30 points in their pivotal encounter at the Jamsil Arena against Korea, drilling 6 three-pointers as part of a sublime 11-of-18 field goal shooting display. What we learned from his performance in the second window was that if Webster makes his shots, then the Tall Blacks are pretty much unbeatable. That's scary for the rest of the region.

Outside looking in:
Ricardo Ratliffe (Korea) - 21.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks.
Mitch Creek (Australia) - 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 77.8 FG%.
Quincy Davis (Chinese Taipei) - 15.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 3.5 blocks, 57.1 FG%.


Enzo Flojo

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.

Enzo Flojo

Enzo Flojo

Enzo Flojo, one of Manila’s top basketball bloggers, always has Asian basketball on his mind. His biggest basketball dream? To see an Asian team as a legitimate gold medal contender in world basketball. He believes it will happen in his lifetime. If you have big basketball dreams like he does, then you’re in the right place.