Nets owner Joe Tsai has said in the past that he’d love to have a Chinese player on the roster in Brooklyn.
He might be getting his wish.Multiple reports out of China — and now stateside — have the Nets on the brink of adding Yongxi “Jacky” Cui on a two-way contract.
Cui — a 6-foot-8 Chinese shooting guard — had agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, but never officially signed it.
The Rose Garden report said he was pursuing a two-way opportunity with a different team.Cui graduated from the NBA Global Academy in Australia, where NBA Head of International Basketball Development Chris Ebersole praised his defense.
“He was really, truly like cracking jokes. I just thought he was so impressive, willing to make mistakes and take risks. Everybody, from our staff to all his teammates, thinks so highly of him because of that,” Ebersole told Hoopshype.
“He’s got really good feet and plays super hard. Those ingredients, for both on-ball defense and off-ball positioning, serve him well.”Brooklyn worked Cui out before the draft, but had no picks in June.
Cui went undrafted and ended up going to Summer League with Portland. The wing showed a nice shooting touch in Las Vegas — fully expected, considering he hit 23-of-25 in the 3-point shooting drill at the G League’s pre-draft workout camp.
by Goosedukee
1 Comment
Great pickup for you guys. As a Portland fan i was really excited to have him on a two-way but we let him slip i guess… He has good size, energy, and attitude. He can shoot the rock, but he really hangs his hat on defense. His nickname is the Chinese Kawhi Leonard…
He didnt get much run in summer league for us, but when he did he had this great sequence where he drained 2 3’s, then hit an absolute dime to Donovan Clingan in the post.
As far as 2 way guys go, hes an exciting prospect imo.