Nothin' But Nets
Fansided

Brooklyn Nets: Summer League squad reportedly adds Chinese MVP Ding Yanyuhang

By Phil Watson

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 13: Ding Yanyuhang #8 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball against the Sacramento Kings on July 13, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 13: Ding Yanyuhang #8 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball against the Sacramento Kings on July 13, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

According to a report, the Brooklyn Nets have added Chinese free-agent swingman Ding Yanyuhang to their Las Vegas Summer League roster.

NL SportsGroup from Beijing was reporting Sunday that swingman Ding Yanyuhang from China will join the Brooklyn Nets in Summer League play in Las Vegas next month.

Ding, who was the domestic MVP in the Chinese Basketball Association for the second straight year last season, played in both Orlando and Las Vegas with the Dallas Mavericks last summer.

More from Nothin' But Nets

The report was posted on Weibo.com website, a Chinese microblogging site that bears an almost uncanny resemblance to a familiar site of a similar purpose in rest of the world.

The 24-year-old Ding got his first taste of NBA competition in Summer League play last year, averaging 6.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 16.3 minutes per game over 11 games. He shot .410/.227/.778.

Ding is 6-foot-7 and 200 pounds and was not chosen in the 2015 NBA Draft. He has played professionally for the CBA’s Shandong Golden Stars since 2011 and last season followed up on a strong  2016-17 campaign with an even better 2017-18.

Ding averaged 26.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals in 37.6 minutes per game on .471/.345/.774 shooting and helped Shandong to a fourth-place finish in the 20-team circuit at 27-11.

The Golden Stars were eliminated in the semifinals of the playoffs by the first-place Zhejiang Lions.

Shandong featured a couple of players familiar to NBA fans, point guard Ty Lawson and big man Donatas Motiejunas. Ding, meanwhile, was the leading scorer among domestic players in the league, but far behind Darius Adams of Xinjiang, who hung up 40.1 points a night.

Ding turned some heads last summer.

Summer League watches might remember Ding being something of a sensation in Vegas with his fancy passing and ballhandling, as well as his bold forays into the paint off the bounce.

Next: Nets 15 best draft picks of all-time

Ding, who did not get a training camp deal from the Mavericks last year, would have to be considered a long shot at best. But he’s again getting his foot in the NBA door, which is where any journey from China to the Association will have to start.

Home/Nets Rumors