Dallas Mavericks: Ding Yanyuhang struggles as China defeats Philippines

Dallas Mavericks offseason signee Ding Yanyuhang struggled in China’s win over the Philippines to open the 2018 Asian Games.

The Dallas Mavericks signed a Chinese star on July 23 in Ding Yanyuhang.  Yanyuhang is a 25-year-old wing that Mavs fans may remember from their 2017 summer league squad.

Before embarking on training camp with Dallas, Yanyuhang is playing for the Chinese National Team at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.  They kicked off the competition on Aug. 21 against the Philippines in group play.  Let us take a look at how he performed.

Rough night for Ding

Ding Yanyuhang played just under 18 minutes in China’s 82-80 victory over the Philippines.  He scored seven points with five rebounds but fouled out of the game.  Yanyuhang was three of six from the field and one of two on his free throws.  He also missed all three of his 3-point attempts.

It was a miserable night for Yanyuhang who is a starter and figures to be a significant part of the team that is favored to win the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games.

Their win over a Philippines team featuring Jordan Clarkson was significant, though.  The game had the only three NBA players in the competition (Zhou Qi led China in scoring on Aug. 21).

Next game

Ding Yanyuhang and China return to action on Aug. 23 against Kazakhstan.  Expect Yanyuhang to get back on track on Thursday.

Final thoughts

Ding Yanyuhang produced a poor performance in China’s win over the Philippines to open the 2018 Asian Games.

Yanyuhang signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Dallas Mavericks, so he is definitely a player to watch during training camp.  The Mavs head to China to play two preseason games against the Philadelphia 76ers, so expect him to be a significant part of those contests.  He faces an uphill battle to make the regular season roster, though.

Training camp begins with media day on Sept. 21.  Be on the lookout for how Yanyuhang is performing and who grabs the last few regular season roster spots for the Mavericks this season.

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