TOP 12 ASIAN PLAYERS UNDER 6’-3”

With the 2015 PBA Commish Cup elims and quarterfinals done and the 2015 PBA Govs’ Cup starting in about a month’s time, I felt it would be very interesting to talk about some of the top “small” cagers in Asia. This is, of course, because the PBA will allow each team in the third conference to employ one Asian import provided he is no taller than 6’3.

I initially had two reactions when this idea was first made public. I primarily thought it was a brilliant idea, especially because I’m a self-proclaimed Asian hoops geek. I relished at the thought of seeing some of the best Asian basketeers don the club colors of the PBA. My second thought revolved around the height limit. I felt that pegging the limit at 6’3 was a little too, well, limiting. Certainly, most game-changing Asian players were taller than that, and that height limit would prohibit many of the most iconic guys (e.g. Samad Nikkhah-Bahrami, Fade El Khatib, Yi Jianlian, Moon Tae-Jong, Lin Chih-Chieh, etc.) from competing. That’s not to say there aren’t any players who fit the bill and can make an impact in the PBA. As you will see here, there are plenty of U-6’3 players who can thrive in our local league.

The next problem? Plucking them out from their national team training duties. Good luck with that.

Oh, but that topic is for another conversation altogether.

For now, feast on the top 12 Asian players under 6’3 (measurements are based on Asia-Basket.com and FIBA).

Mahdi Kamrani (Iran) – PG – 6’0

Last played for Jiangsu Tongxi Monkey King in the CBA. Latest stats: 16.4ppg, 3.5rpg, 5.2apg, 2.8spg, 1.8 triples per game, 46.5 FG%, 33.9 3pt%.

Most hardcore Pinoy hoop nuts should be familiar with Kamrani, who has been a thorn on our national teams’ sides since 2007. Many times, he has stood toe-to-toe, if not outright outplayed, some of our best floor generals. He has a classic playmaker’s skill-set — great court vision, pin-point passing, aggressive slasher, strong finisher around the basket, and a consistent perimeter game. Put him in any PBA team — ANY PBA TEAM — and he can be considered an upgrade.

Behnam Yakhchali (Iran) – SG – 6’3

Currently playing for Petrochimi Bandar Imam in the IBF Superleague.

Latest stats: 11.1ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.9apg, 1.6spg, 1.6 triples per game, 45.8 FG%, 33.3 3pt%.

Yakhchali is one of the best young talents in Iran. At just 19, he is already considered the Superleague’s best shooting guard and is the heir apparent to national team sniper Hamed Afagh. In the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup semifinals, Yakhchali torched Gilas Pilipinas with 18 points on the strength of 4 three-pointers. He has good size at the wings and has no conscience when it comes to popping the cap on his jumpers. Imagine Ren-Ren Ritualo at his prime, make him a little taller, and, frankly, a little better, and you have Yakhchali.

Wesam Al-Sous (Jordan) – PG/SG – 6’2

Last played for Applied Science University in the Jordan Premier League.

Latest stats (Asian Games): 17.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 4.5apg, 3.0 triples per game, 34.3 FG%, 50.0 FG%

Al-Sous is maybe the most lights out shooter on the Jordanian roster. In the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championships, he burned Gilas Pilipinas with 3 treys despite losing. He has been Jordan’s #1 guard in the past two years, especially since the iconic Sam Daghlas has taken a sabbatical from the national team. Al-Sous is a solid playmaker who can get hot at the drop of a hat from long distance. Imagine a taller, more consistent JV Casio.

Liu Wei (China) – PG – 6’3

Last played for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the CBA.

Latest stats:12.9ppg, 3.6rpg, 3.2apg, 1.0spg, 50.7 FG%, 35.6 3pt%

Liu Wei was China’s go-to point guard for the better part of the early 2000s up till the 2012 London Olympic Games. He has since retired from international competition (though he was still named to the NT pool this year) and has handed the playmaking reins of the Chinese team to young guns like Guo Ailun and Liu Xiaoyu. That means he should be perfectly available in the Govs’ Cup, though a big barrier would be his salary, especially since he’s considered an icon in China and has experience in the NBA. If a team can afford to get him, though, he should be a great asset. His experience and top-level skill-set should make him an immediate-impact type of player in the PBA.

Guo Ailun (China) – PG/SG – 6’3

Last played for the Liaoning Flying Leopards in the CBA.

Latest stats: 13.7ppg, 2.9rpg, 5.1apg, 1.9spg, 1.3 triples per game, 49.8 FG%, 34.9 3pt%.

Guo is the de facto starting PG for the new-look Chinese national team. That puts his availability in peril, but it also validates his talent without question. The 6’3 combo guard has the chops to be a top-tier floor general in the continent (see his being able to guard Stephon Marbury with tenacity), and he has the shooting to be a solid two-guard as well. When he was in the Chinese youth team, he was their primary scorer, and he reminds me of how talented and aggressive our own Kiefer Ravena is. If Kiefer were 6’3 that is.

Yang Dong-Geun (Korea) – PG – 5’11

Currently playing for the Ulsan Mobis Phoebus in the KBL.

Latest stats: 12.4ppg, 2.9rpg, 4.8apg, 1.7spg, 1.2 triples per game, 45.9 FG%, 33.0 3pt%

Yang has been Korea’s #1 PG for the past 7 years or so. He is known for being a steady playmaker who rarely makes the wrong decision. He also possesses a solid midrange and perimeter game. Oh, and did I mention that he’s a proven winner? With Yang as the PG, club team Ulsan Mobis Pheobus has won four of the last eight league titles. He has also helped Korea win at the Asian level, as the team has finished in the top three of the last four major Asian tourneys (FIBA Asia Men’s Championships and Asian Games). Think of him as the Johnny Abarrientos of Korean hoops.

Kim Sun-Hyung (Korea) – PG/SG – 6’2

Last played for the Seoul SK Knights in the KBL.

Latest stats: 11.5ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.1apg, 1.5spg, 1.4 triples per game, 43.3 FG%, 33.6 3pt%.

If Yang is the Abarrientos of Korea, this kid Kim is their version of Jayson Castro. Well, that’s if Castro could jump high enough to dunk in traffic. If you don’t remember this guy, go to YouTube and search for his dunking over a couple of Chinese players in transition in the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championships. This kid has hops, has shooting, and has great playmaking skills to boot. He’s great with the dribble-drive and finishes strong even against bigger guys. Definitely an impact player if he were in the PBA.

Cho Sung-Min (Korea) SG/SF – 6’2

Last played for the Busan KT Sonic Boom in the KBL.

Latest stats: 11.1ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.5apg, 1.8spg, 1.6 triples per game, 44.0 FG%, 35.5 3pt%

Remember the guy who drained a couple of dagger threes against Gilas in the 2011 FIBA Asia Men’s Championships in Wuhan? The guy who almost single-handedly brought Korea back from a double-digit deficit in the final quarter of the bronze medal game? Yep, this is THAT guy. Cho is widely considered one of the top five deadliest snipers in East Asia (the other four are Wang Shipeng of China, Kosuke Kanamaru of Japan, Lu Cheng-Ju of Taiwan, and our own Jeff Chan). It’s great that he’s under 6’3, but it will definitely be tough for any PBA team to pry him away from Korea’s national pool this summer.

Naoto Tsuji (Japan) – PG – 6’1

Currently playing for the Toshiba Brave Thunders in the NBL-Japan.

Latest stats: 13.4ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.2apg, 1.0spg, 2.6 triples per game, 41.9 FG%, 39.0 3pt%

Tsuji was Japan’s third-best scorer in the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championships and is being groomed to be the nation’s #1 PG for the foreseeable future. As his stats show, he is a deadshot from rainbow country and was very instrumental in Toshiba’s title romp (led by former PBA import Nick Fazekas) in 2014. He has good size at PG if ever he does play in the PBA, and he will certainly be great at stretching opposing defenses with that awesome outside shot. And here’s an added bonus — because Japan has been suspended by FIBA, most of its great players will be available this summer.

Keijuro Matsui (Japan) – SG – 6’2

Currently playing for Toyota Alvark in the NBL-Japan.

Latest stats: 9.4ppg, 2.2rpg, 1.2apg, 2.0 triples per game, 40.7 FG%, 43.1 3pt%

Matsui is one of only three Japan-born players to ever play in the US NCAA Division 1 (the other two are Taishi Ito and Yuta Watanabe). Nicknamed “KJ” when he was still in the States, Matsui is known as a three-point specialist, and he has shown this several times as a member of the Japanese NT. Any team that needs a guy who can light it up from long range in a snap can take comfort in KJ’s skill-set.

Yuta Tabuse (Japan) – PG – 5’9

Currently playing for Link Tochigi Brex in the NBL-Japan.

Latest stats: 9.8ppg, 2.2rpg, 4.0apg, 1.6spg, 44.3 FG%

Many will recall that Tabuse made a lot of headlines in the mid-2000s by playing 4 games for the Phoenix Suns. He didn’t make much of an impression, though, scoring under 2 points per outing in his short-lived NBA career. He remains, however, one of the most popular players in Japan and one of the NBL’s best playmakers. He is currently fourth overall in assists and has helped his club have the third-best record in the regular season. One shouldn’t expect much scoring from Tabuse, but what he lacks in that department he more than makes up for in terms of speed, defense, and ball distribution.

Tsai Wen-Cheng (Taiwan) – SF/PF – 6’3

Currently playing for Pure Youth Construction in the SBL.

Latest stats: 11.8ppg, 7.2rpg, 1.9apg, 1.2spg, 46.5 FG%

Yes, that’s not a typo. This is a guy who plays both forward spots for Taiwan and he’s just 6’3. He’s like a throwback guy to when similarly-sized guys played frontline positions in the PBA during the 80s and 90s. Despite his size, he can bang in the paint and worm his way to the basket. He can take a lot of contact and is deceptively agile, too. To illustrate, he scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds as Taiwan beat China in the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championships. That’s against guys like Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhizhi, Wang Zhelin, and Zhou Peng — all of whom are 6’10 or taller. Imagine what he can do in the PBA.

Other notables:

– Ali Mahmoud (Lebanon) – PG – 6’1

– Rodrigue Akl (Lebanon) – PG – 6’2

– Amir Saoud (Lebanon) – SG – 6’2

– Mousa Al-Awadi (Jordan) – SG – 6’2

– Mansour El-Hadary (Qatar) – PG – 5’11

– Rustam Yargaliev (Kazakhstan) – PG/SG – 6’3

– Daiki Tanaka (Japan) – SG – 6’3

– Yuki Togashi (Japan) – PG – 5’7

– Yang Chin-Min (Taiwan) – SG – 6’2

– Lee Hsueh-Lin (Taiwan) – PG – 5’10

– Liu Xiaoyu (China) – PG –  6’3

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