The Brooklyn Nets are leaving no stone unturned as they look to rebuild the roster with young talent. One of the latest additions is that of Chinese forward Yongxi “Jacky” Cui to a two-way contract. Cui went undrafted in this year’s NBA draft, but the 21-year-old brings potential and highlights Brooklyn’s international advantage as owner Joe Tsai’s connections to China surely helped entice Cui to sign with Brooklyn.
For those unfamiliar, a two-way contract gives teams up to three additional roster spots to use apart from the standard 15 to sign young players with three or fewer NBA seasons under their belt. These players are able to play in the G-League as well as play up to 50 NBA regular season games and are a mechanism to help teams develop young talent.
What can Nets fans expect from Jacky Cui?
While Cui is joining a crowded forward rotation, there’s a decent chance that Brooklyn will clear out space by trading their veteran wings at some point between now and the trade deadline. In a rebuilding year, playing time will go to the players who are not only playing the best but also exhibit the most potential which opens the door for Cui to get some run this season.
Standing at 6-6, 210 pounds, Cui has the typical size of an NBA swingman. Last season in the Chinese Basketball Association Cui averaged 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 46.1% overall and 36.5% from three. In an interview, Cui rated his best skill as his defense saying:
My strongest skill is defense because, in my life, I can’t let everyone beat me. I go into a focused, mental state. So, I can’t let a player beat me every time and score on me. Defense is my job.
While his 6-foot-9 wing span and 34-inch vertical do not rise to the levels of some of the more explosive athletes in the NBA, Cui is a skilled player capable of scoring on the move and displaying a silky touch on his shot. He may not be limited as simply a stationary three-point shooter on the offensive end and may be able to contribute also as a cutter and shooter off of screens moving without the ball in his hands, while also being able to attack closeouts.
Those offensive skills in addition to his tenacious defensive mindset give him intriguing potential as a developmental role player. We might not see much of Cui in the NBA until after the trade deadline as the Nets look to clear out veterans on the wing, but he is certainly more than a simple roster filler.
Cui’s impact will extend off the court
As one of the first Chinese players to get an NBA opportunity since the great Yao Ming, Cui will generate a lot of buzz back in his home country. The Nets are a very popular team already internationally, in large part due to owner Joe Tsai hailing from China, but having an actual player from the basketball-crazed country will open up new business opportunities for the franchise abroad.
Additionally, it will help make Brooklyn even more of a preferred destination for young basketball prospects in China and the region at large. The reaction from fans in China has already been electric, especially after Joe Tsai promised that he wouldn’t bring over a Chinese prospect unless they were ready to contribute in the NBA.
Expanding potential talent pipelines is never a bad idea, but it’s even more important for a team embarking on a rebuild. To that end, Cui’s signing represents much more than simply filling out a roster spot.