NBA star Kyle Anderson makes international debut for China in humbling by Italy in Trentino Cup
- Anderson contributes 11 of the team’s 61 points but China are no match for the hosts in the final of the mini-tournament
- ‘We had been together for 10 days only – more training and matches will help us find some better form,’ Anderson says, with World Cup less than three weeks away
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Newly naturalised Chinese citizen Kyle Anderson made his long-awaited international debut in a mini-tournament in Italy on Saturday, but his presence could not prevent China suffering a convincing 79-61 loss to the hosts in the final.
The 29-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves forward, who sat out China’s 86-66 win over Cape Verde on Friday, finished with 11 points and six rebounds on 50 per cent shooting, while sinking five of his six free throws in 20 minutes.
“I am just trying to focus on the moment and try the best I can in what I need to do,” said Anderson, who had his Chinese name Li Kai’er printed on the back of his jersey.
Saturday’s loss, China’s fourth in six overseas games, also saw Serbian Dordevic ejected early in the second half for his second technical foul.
“We should have played better and worked harder [after that ], the nine-year NBA veteran added.
“We failed to do it this time, but I believe with this experience, we will be better next time.”
The Chinese – preparing for the Fiba World Cup, which starts later this month – lost to Croatia and Slovenia before defeating Egypt for their first win on their European tour.
In Sunday’s game, the visitors had a decent start, led by star centre Zhou Qi, but their momentum shattered as the Italians responded with a 13-2 run and were in front for the rest of the game.
Helped by a scoring drought for the Chinese in the second and third quarters, the hosts led by as many as 20 points at times, before raising the trophy in front of 4,000 fans.
“We need more confidence on offence, and we need to read the game better,” Anderson said. “We had been together for 10 days only – more training and matches will help us find some better form.”
Zhou chipped in a team-high 12 points to go with four rebounds in 17 minutes, while Hu Jinqiu added nine points off the bench.
The hosts had five players scoring in double figures at the BLM Group Arena in Trento, with 20-year-old Matteo Spagnolo leading all scorers with 13 points.
Fans on Chinese social media appeared to be happy with Anderson’s debut but were critical of the team’s performance.
“He was the only one who can dribble and run offence with ease facing Italy,” one user commented on Weibo. “He creates chances in isolation and plays defence. Anderson is a level above the rest.”
Another fan suggested that Anderson was still getting used to playing with his new teammates and expected him to “show his true value to the team going forward”.
“Same old China team, we were chaotic on offence and had too many [mismatches] on defence when playing the stronger team, and we hesitated too much on the court,” another comment read.
Turkey thrashed Cape Verde 90-63 to finish third in the four-team mini-tournament.
China will play in this week’s SuperCup in Hamburg, which also features Canada, New Zealand and Germany, before returning home to play Serbia in their final World Cup warm-up game in Shenzhen on August 20.
At the World Cup, taking place from August 25 to September 10, they will play Serbia, Puerto Rico and debutants South Sudan in Group B in Quezon City, in the Philippines – which will co-host alongside Japan and Indonesia.
