By Lukas Peng
With the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association) well under way it’s time to check in on Emmanual Mudiay’s performances. Having played 7 regular season games we have seen him go up against ex-NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury, former first round NBA draft pick Dominique Jones, former NBA and successful Euro- league player Pooh Jeter, and household names in China like, Josh Akognon. Mudiay has shown his up and downs; inconsistencies of an 18 year old, and the superstar potential of why he is projected to be the top pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
In China pre-season is not seen as a big deal, but with Mudiay in the Guandong Lineup, the western world had its interest on the 18 year old’s first pro game. Mudiays performances where less than impressive, even fouling out very early in his second game. Chinese media quickly put question marks on his ability to play in the CBA although the season hadn’t started yet.
The opening ceremony game in the CBA was the perfect matchup, arguably the best 2 teams in China, The Beijing Ducks led by Stephon Marbury played the GuangDong Tigers, China’s basketball dynasty carrying half of the national team including Yi JianLian, and of course a future NBA player in Mudiay. With the entire country and NBA scouts in attendance Stephon Marbury is the one that stole the show in a convincing 103 : 89 win for Beijing. Stephon Marbury has embraced the Chinese culture and made it his second home, still showcasing his explosiveness and incredible drive at the age of 37. Marbury finished the game with 32 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, barely missing a shot or making a bad play. Mudiay on the other hand struggled most the game going 6 for 19 from the floor tallying 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assist. The youngster really struggled, couldn’t finish at the basket, couldn’t really make the plays he desired, and couldn’t carry his team. Import players in China don’t usually have time to prove themselves; one bad game is all it takes to get you cut. Luckily Mudiay is on the Guangdong Tigers, a squad that plays team basketball and doesn’t require their main import to score all the points. Nonetheless the media was quoted saying things such as, “Marbury taught the young kid a lesson tonight”, or “Although he is hyped to be the top pick in next year’s draft, we don’t see him being good enough for China, at least not tonight.” It was a tough start to his pro career, playing against a hungry former NBA pro twice his age in a sold out hostile crowd in Beijing, all cheering against him.
With the first game out of the way, it could only get better for Emmanuel, and it did. He quickly showed why he is considered a candidate for the top pick. With an array of crafty moves and his ability to penetrate the defense he got to the rim, finishing layups with ease and made plays for his teammates finishing with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 6 turnovers in game 2. Media and fans quickly gave him credit for having the ability that has been rumored before he came to China.
Two days later they played their home opener against Shandong, led by Pooh Jeter. In a slower paced game Mudiay ran the role of playmaker and didn’t get going offensively finishing with only 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. His American teammate Chris Daniels had an impressive performance with 27 points and 12 rebounds, only missing 2 field goals all game. Most importantly the team played disciplined team defense and won 96 to 85.
The next game, his fourth, would be Midiay’s best performance to date as a professional basketball player, putting on display a wide range of passes to all angles of the court and crashing the offensive glass he accomplished his first career triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists. To go with it he had 3 steals, no turnovers, and 7 of his rebounds were on the offensive end.
Going on the road again it would be the battle of the top two Bigs in China; Yi JianLian and Wang ZheLin. Emmanuel would struggle a bit, not hitting shots, but the great team player he is was always looking to get his teammates good looks. His 9 assists, many to Yi JianLian who finished with 34 points and 13 rebounds were enough for a 114 to 105 win, although the 7 turnovers would be something he can improve on.
The next two games resulted in early blowouts where Mudiay dominated early to put his team up by 20 early in the game. Playing the same style of team oriented basketball Guangdong was able to get open looks all over the court and dominate their opponents with ease. In both games Emmanuel Mudiay recorded over 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, a stat line that he will likely continue to produce throughout the season.
Overall, Mudiays performances have been very positive. He is not leading any statistical category in the CBA but that is also because he plays on the GuangDong Tigers. A team that evenly distributes their scoring and no single player forces bad shots. Emmanuel has been very good at playing his role, mainly getting his assists to Yi JianLian down low for easy buckets or Zhu FangYu for open spot up 3 pointers. Compared to other import players who are trying to score as many points as they can, Mudiay has been playing winning basketball, not forcing anything and always being in control. His calm demeanor yet explosive change of pace has him effectively outplaying his competition. His passing ability is truly special and is rarely seen in a league where import players usually are heavily relied upon to score. The league will slowly change as teams are showing that high level team basketball, and quality guard play, is the equation to winning in any league. Some negatives on his play so far in China is his shooting, it will be something that he will have to improve to be a top NBA Point Guard. In the US, he had a bad habit of fading too often on shots, and shot selection still can improve. His defense has not been tested yet as foreign players don’t generally guard each other until the playoffs or crunch time.
With a history of problems, import players have in China there were always concerns of a high school kid coming over to a foreign country like China and adapting to both the culture and style of play. But Mudiay has fit in very easily on and off the court making him an excellent signing. Emmanuel has adapted well to the culture in China and even manages to laugh at a miscall with his teammates as they are blowing out their opponent. With a 6-1 record and a 6 game win streak, the season is still young but looks very promising for the future NBA point guard and we will keep you updated on his upcoming performances over the coming weeks.
