BEIRUT (FIBA Asia Champions Cup) - Top-level professional basketball leagues are vicious battlefields where even some of the most seasoned veterans can struggle. It usually takes time for players to get accustomed the level of physicality and talent before being able to realize their potential, especially for younger players who are getting their feet wet. Every now and then however, some young prospects will flash potential or even figure things out early on their way to stardom.

Here are some top young performers around Asia from this past week!

Information is updated up to January 7, 2019.

Abudushalamu Abudurexiti (Xinjiang Flying Tigers, CBA)

There is no one currently on a hotter streak than the 23-year-old star of Xinjiang. Abudurexiti is not your typical youngster, however, and is already pegged as a big part of the Chinese national team’s future. He has started all but one game and has seen his minutes nearly double from 19.1 to 37.0 MPG this season. The 2.03M forward has been consistently solid all season long for the 20-8 Flying Tigers, but it’s been this past week in particular where he has shined brightly.

In three straight wins over three strong teams, Abudurexiti averaged 25.3 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting a blistering 54.4% from the field. He’s also shooting 42.9% from downtown… because why not?

Already with 5 straight games scoring at least 20 points, it seems like it’ll be a tough job to slow him down.

Guo Haowen (Bayi Rockets, CBA)

The Bayi Rockets currently have the worst record in the CBA, but they might have one of the best teenage prospects in the entire league in 18-year-old Guo Haowen.

Guo started the year on a good note by dropping 27 points this past week, the most in his rookie CBA season. In the other two weekly games for the Rockets, Guo also reached double-digits scoring to average 16.7 points along with 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists. The U18 national team star has done a spectacular job attacking the basket for 10.7 free-throw attempts during the three-game stretch and is converting those attempts at a 78.2% rate.

His recent play might not be able to help the Bayi Rockets out of the basement of the standings this season, but it’s very promising for China at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup and the future of the senior national team.

Kumagai Ko (Seahorses Mikawa, B.League)

In just his third game ever of his professional career, 22-year-old Kumagai Ko posted an impressive 15 points, 4 assists, and 3 triples in the Seahorses win over Levanga Hokkaido on January 4.

The Daiko Bunka University senior had been starring at the collegiate ranks and was selected to the Japan Under-22 national team. Ko has been known for his shifty handles and sharpshooting and now he’s being able to showcase that in the professional level after being signed to the team on December 20 last year.

The depth at the point guard position is not too deep so fans can look forward to see more performances like this from the rising floor general.

Ali Mansour (Hoops Men Club, Alfa Lebanese Basketball League)

Mansour celebrated his 21^st birthday on New Years day and went straight to work 4 days later, leading Hoops Men Club to a win over Moutahed in the Alfa Lebanese Basketball League. The promising guard turned heads with a line of 12 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and a whopping 5 steals.

After playing in only 10 minutes during his rookie season last year, Mansour has emerged as one of the best guards in the league with a gaudy stat line of 8.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 3.4 steals per game. The rise of Mansour should come to no surprise after starring for the Lebanon U18 national team back in 2016.

Sang Dinh & Chris Dierker (Saigon Heat, ASEAN Basketball League)

This pair of 24-year-old rookies are stepping up rapidly as key pieces of the Vietnam-based ASEAN Basketball League team who are currently 7-4. In their most recent win over the Mono Vampire Basketball Club, both Dinh and Dierker either set or tied their season highs in points and rebounds.

Dinh scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds while Dierker put up a double-double of 18 points and 11 boards to go with 3 assists. Over the season, Dinh is averaging 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds while Dierker is averaging an impressive 9.9 points and 7.3 boards.

Ethan Alvano (San Miguel Alab Pilipinas, ASEAN Basketball League)

Imagine being a 22-year-old rookie point guard playing your first professionally and being the starting point guard of a defending championship team with the likes of PJ Ramos, Renaldo Balkman, and Ray Parks Jr. on the team. That’s the kind of pressure Ethan Alvano is facing in his first ABL season.

Regardless of the situation, Alvano has done well to spark the team recently the team's only game of the week against the Wolf Warriors which saw him record 21 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals. The youngster has been solid at the lead guard spot with coach Jimmy Alapag as his mentor, allowing him to average 6.4 assists per game with only 1.2 turnovers per contest.

FIBA