Chinese basketball has been popping in online wires the past few weeks, particularly about 2015 NBA Draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay. The 6'5" combo-guard, who decided to forgo playing in the NCAA and instead immerse himself in international play with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), is a projected top-5 pick. However, Chinese fans and NBA scouts, have been raving about another player as of late. Someone with a 7'2" frame.

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According to an Epoch Times report, Zhou Qi, a 19-year old prospect from Henan who plays for the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers in the CBA, could be the better prospect coming out of China compared to the Congolese-American.

Unfortunately, it could take us at least a year before we could even see his full arsenal on display against legitimate NBA competition. As it is, though, even with his limited exposure at the 2015 Nike Hoops Summit, various mock drafts has him pegged as a late first round or an early second round draftee.

The young center's production in the past year, 14 points and seven rebounds per outing, as per Real GM, is certainly nothing to scoff at. Stat lines such as those, plugged into this year's draft could automatically make him a top-20 pick. But the most astonishing figures in his stats are his field gold percentage, which tops the league at 69.6%, and his blocks per game, which stands at 3.3 rejections. No wonder, his favorite NBA player at the moment is Houston Rockets All-Star center Dwight Howard.

Scouting reports about "Joe Chee," as his name is usually pronounced in international play, have mostly been positive. Zhou has been described by NBADraft.Net as a 7-footer that exhibits great mobility and end-to-end speed for his size. His shooting mechanics are also fundamentally sound, enough to get him to shoot from an NBA-three with consistency if he works on a proper training regimen. He also exhibits great timing on the defensive end. Overall, he could be a better than average two-way player in the future.

The biggest negative on his scouting sheet, however, is if his body can hold up to the rigors and demands of being a center in basketball's premiere league. Adding weight and muscle mass to his rail-thin frame could enable him to battle for rebounds, anchor his defensive position, and not be man-handled by today's muscular 6'9" or 6'10" pivot men in the NBA.

Again, NBA scouts love Zhou's potential and high ceiling. But some analysts suggest that he could be a perfect "draft-and-stash" candidate for a rebuilding team. They could draft him next year and leave him for more exposure and seasoning with the Flying Tigers until his contract expires. In between, he could be given proper game and weight-room training to better prepare him for prime competition. If that plan plays out, we could very well see the next basketball star out of China.

Tags2016 NBA Draft, cba, Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers, Zhou Qi, Dwight Howard, chinese basketball association, Emmanuel Mudiay, Guangdong Tigers