MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) - The FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers' first window already feels like it took place a long time ago, but that doesn't mean we've forgotten the top performers.

On the contrary, a number of players that stood out in that stage still leave quite the impression. In the previous edition, I looked at the best centers so far in the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers, but for this column's edition, I'll write about the FIBA Asia power forwards who were most productive for their respective squads.

Ryan Rossiter (Japan)

17.0 points, 19.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 66.7% FG shooting per game.
Talk about debuting with aplomb. That's exactly what Rossiter did in the first window as he anchored Japan's decisive victory over upstarts Chinese Taipei. The 30-year-old dominated on both ends of the floor, serving notice that even without Nick Fazekas or Rui Hachimura, the Akatsuki Five have an elite level inside operator to carry them in the Qualifiers.

Sani Sakakini (Palestine)

31.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 4.0 three-pointers and 50.0% FG shooting per game.
Long has Sakakini been among the best big men in Asia, and once more he showcased his sublime skill-set as the Palestinians settled for a split against Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka. As expected, he was unstoppable around the basket, finishing strong at the cup and grabbing rebounds left and right, but he also displayed terrific shooting, hitting 4.0 triples per contest.

Ali Haidar (Lebanon)

15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 50.0% three-point shooting and 60.0% FG shooting per game.
The 29-year-old Lebanese veteran continued to be among the Cedars' most reliable players, scoring 19 points against Iraq before tallying 12 points in just 13 minutes against overmatched Bahrain. Haidar now clearly understands his role has changed from one of the national team's up-and-comers to one of its seasoned leaders.

Chou Po-Chen (Chinese Taipei)

9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 60.0% FG shooting.
The 6ft 6in (1.97m) Chou has always played in the shadow of Quincy Davis, Tseng Wen-Ting and Tien Lei, but at least for the first window, the 29-year-old served as a pillar in the paint for the Taipei quintet. He recorded 9 points and 10 rebounds in a masterful win over Malaysia and followed that up with a commendable 9-point effort in a sorry loss to Rossiter and the Japanese. The most impressive part was in 34 total minutes, he shot 60.0% from the field and had exactly zero turnovers.

Karim Raphael Ezzeddine (Lebanon)

11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 three-pointers per game.
This former University of New Mexico Lobo made quite an auspicious debut for Lebanon in the first window, scoring 12 points and collaring 7 rebounds against the Iraqis and then tossing in 11 points and hauling down 4 boards in another win over Bahrain. At just 22 years old, Ezzeddine heralds an intriguing future for the Cedars, who will rely on the 6ft 9in (2.06m) power forward for even greater production in the near future.

Honorable Mention
Aravind Annadurai (India) - 10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game.

Mohammed Hammooda (Bahrain) - 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 69.2% FG shooting.

Kosuke Takeuchi (Japan) - 8.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 block and 60.0% FG shooting per game.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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