Cui makes his point

One point, one missed free throw, yet a lot more buzz than he'd expected to spark with such an insignificant stat line — the Brooklyn Nets rookie Cui Yongxi's low-key start on Sunday in the NBA has drawn the attention of the league's biggest overseas market.

With the crowd at the Barclays Center clapping the Nets' first win of the 2024-25 regular season, those watching from China on Monday morning celebrated with a little extra pride, after Cui, a Chinese national team forward, ended the country's long wait to see another of its own to score in the world's top league, following on from former Houston Rockets' center Zhou Qi's exploits in October 2018.

Cui was subbed on with the Nets leading 111-92 against the Milwaukee Bucks and one minute and 58 seconds to go, becoming the seventh Chinese player to ever appear in a regular season game, before the 21-year-old drew a foul from the Bucks' Andre Jackson Jr on a lay-up attempt with 56.8s on the clock.

The big-time nerves kicked in, of course, as Cui missed his first shot on the line before nailing the second to help the Nets close out a 115-102 win against the Bucks, the franchise's first victory this season in its third game under new coach Jordi Fernandez.

The one-point finish made Cui only the second Chinese player in six years to score in the league since Zhou's two-point performance in Houston's 85-104 defeat by the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct 30, 2018.

Not the most talented, nor the most decorated — not even in China's domestic league — Cui's journey from going undrafted this summer to making his regular-season debut on Sunday, despite spending barely over a minute in action, has made China's young hopefuls dare to dream big again.

It was already quite a big boost for the sport's struggling profile in the country, with China's national program failing to keep up with the world in the fast-evolving game.

Cui has reiterated in previous interviews that it was the tough experience of missing out on the Olympics with his national squad, due to a disappointing campaign at last year's FIBA World Cup, that provided the biggest push for him to step out of his comfort zone and try to hone his skills in the world's most competitive league.

"I was kind of nervous with the first free throw, but feel much better after making the second," Cui said of the milestone moment in his fledgeling career.

"I approached the start of the game as I did with the preseason games: I would focus on playing the first one or two minutes well enough, and then try to do well in my next opportunity, whether playing more minutes or fewer, whether it's 30 seconds, or the last three minutes. I only focus on preparing myself to be ready all the time and to do the right thing on the court."

The Nets, owned by Joe Tsai, chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, announced on Sept 20 that it had signed Cui to a twoway contract as part of the franchise's preseason recruitment.

Twenty-one-year-old Cui, a versatile swingman, went undrafted in the summer, after training in the United States following the completion of his second season in the Chinese Basketball Association with Guangzhou Loong Lions in April.

Despite being given the cold shoulder at the 2024 NBA Draft, Cui chose to stay in the States to work out at trials with six different NBA teams, including Brooklyn, before he played in the Summer League, representing the Trail Blazers on an Exhibit 10 contract.

A busy off-season has seen the CBA's Rookie of the Year (2022-23) grow stronger and sharper, eventually helping him get a foot in the door of the NBA.

Third time's the charm

Cam Thomas scored 32 points as the top contributor in Brooklyn's demolition of the Bucks, which were led by All-Star combo Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, on Sunday night.

After second-half struggles in recent games at Atlanta and Orlando, the Nets gave rookie coach Fernandez his first career win by outscoring Milwaukee 32-24 in the fourth.

Dennis Schroder added 29 points to the team's tally. The veteran guard made 8-of-15 shots, and, along with Thomas, the duo combined to hit 18-of-36 shots and sink seven of Brooklyn's 16 3s, while going 18-of-19 from the free-throw line.

Noah Clowney and Cameron Johnson contributed 13 apiece for the Nets, who shot 42.9 percent overall. Nic Claxton contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Nets avoided their first 0-3 start since dropping their first seven games of the 2015-16 season under then-coach Lionel Hollins.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, but never got a chance to dominate. Lillard added 21 points, reserve Bobby Portis contributed 16 points and Brook Lopez, scored 15.