NBA Summer League: Zhou Qi manages 5 points, 8 rebounds in loss

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By CGTN’s Zhu Mandan

China's Zhou Qi got his first taste of the pro game at NBA's Summer League in the US as he suited up for the Houston Rockets in the Las Vegas tournament, but his team eventually lost to the Atlanta Hawks 86-92 on Friday.

The former Xinjiang Flying Tigers center scored 17 points in his debut, but had not been able to find the groove since.

In Friday’s game, Zhou's best chance to play for Houston was through his defensive effort, and he showed off his 7-foot-8 -inch wingspan to force a turnover early on.

Zhou Qi of the Houston Rockets during an interview after the game against the Denver Nuggets during the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League on July 7, 2017 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. /VCG Photo

The CBA's defensive player of the year was able to get one of his two blocks, swatting this effort.

The Chinese center was active down low and was fouled underneath, then calmly stepped up and hit the free throw for his first point of the game.

Zhou was on the glass, grabbing one of his eight rebounds — helping H-Town grab a 40-38 half-time lead.

Second half rolled around — Zhou was slow in rotating over, and Atlanta's top draft pick this year was able to throw it down.

Anthony Gill of the Cleveland Cavaliers goes up for a dunk against the Houston Rockets’ center Zhou Qi during the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League on July 8, 2017 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. /VCG Photo‍

Zhou managed to score five points, three coming off this long ball, but the Rockets fell 86-92, finishing the tournament with a 3-2 record.

“These games are of great importance for me. All of it is new to me, including the game intensity, the skills of the players, and the atmosphere," Zhou said after the game.

"There were many ups and downs in my own performance. After the first game, I did not play as well as in the last few games."

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