From hell to heaven, Hu Mingxuan pulled himself out of the abyss.

Who attracted the most attention among the 12 players on the men’s basketball team during this Asia Cup? Clearly, from the first game to the final, Hu Mingxuan was the most discussed by fans. He also stood out as the player with the greatest ups and downs, and his erratic play kept him under constant scrutiny.

In the opener against Saudi Arabia, Hu Mingxuan found himself on the trending list after the first match. Offensively, he played nearly 29 minutes, missed all four of his field goal attempts, and scored just 2 points on free throws in the final moments due to intentional fouls. Defensively, Saudi’s naturalized player Rahman scored 12 points against him, making it a disastrous performance on both ends of the court.

In the next two group matches, Hu Mingxuan bounced back against India with 17 points, and in the easy win over Jordan, he tallied 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, somewhat improving his reputation. But then came an even tougher game.

In the quarterfinal against Korea, Hu Mingxuan had the worst game of his national team career, playing 17 minutes and 33 seconds, missing all 7 shots, including 5 three-pointers, finishing with 0 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 turnover, and 3 fouls, with a plus-minus of -11, the lowest on the team.

With just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Hu Mingxuan was stripped face-to-face by a Korean player and then committed a foul, after which Guo Shiqiang didn’t put him back in. After the game, I saw a stinging comment: “If Hu Mingxuan hadn't played, this game would have been garbage time much earlier.”

All these negative comments were visible to us, and also to Hu Mingxuan far away in Saudi Arabia. One can imagine the pressure he faced after the Korea game. Fortunately, Hu Mingxuan managed to pull himself out of the pit in just two matches, going from hell to heaven.

In the semifinal against New Zealand, Hu Mingxuan came on when the score was tight and quickly scored 5 points with drives and jumpers, even hitting a banked three-pointer in the second quarter. That shot showed me his touch was back, though I didn’t expect it to last through the final. He played just 14 minutes, shot 5 of 8 from the field, and made 3 of 5 three-pointers for 13 points.

In the Asia Cup final against Australia, Hu Mingxuan delivered the best performance of his national team career. He has always had a reputation for stepping up under pressure—many may recall that in the 2021 Olympic Qualifiers, he scored 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting. When the stakes are high, Hu Mingxuan rises to the occasion.

In the final, Hu Mingxuan went 7-for-10 from the field, and 5-for-7 from three, scoring 26 points, along with 3 rebounds and 3 assists. His points were extremely valuable; whenever the game got close, he’d hit a three, sometimes widening the gap, sometimes swinging the score back in our favor.

Hu Mingxuan’s performance in this game reminded me of Curry in Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals. The Celtics led almost the entire game, but Curry scored 14 of 26 from the field, and all 14 field goals came when the Warriors were trailing or leading by no more than 3. In the last four minutes, Curry scored 10 of the team’s final 12 points. If Curry had missed even one three-pointer, the outcome of the game—and possibly the series—could have changed.

That night, Hu Mingxuan was nearly in Curry’s mode, holding up the team when it was on the brink. With 2:12 left in the fourth quarter and the team down by two, Hu Mingxuan hit a three-pointer to take the lead, giving the team a shot at a last-second victory. Looking back, that final shot just needed a bit more power and luck.

Over the six Asia Cup games, Hu Mingxuan averaged 21.2 minutes, 12 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, with a field goal percentage of 44.9%, three-point shooting at 48.5%, and free throws at an impressive 92.3%, along with just 0.8 turnovers per game. Even with two poor performances, his shooting percentages were outstanding, showing just how high his ceiling is.

Hu Mingxuan’s playing style is highly dependent on rhythm; when he gets hot, everything falls into place. That step-back three-pointer against Australia in the final is something you rarely see from a national team guard.

Among domestic players, Hu Mingxuan is one of the most criticized, but he rarely uses social media and seldom makes headlines outside of basketball. When facing doubts, he always lets his performance on the court speak for itself.

He’s only 27 and made the national team’s red squad at 19. After the red and blue teams merged, he remained on the roster. Like Zhao Rui, during the darkest times of the team, Hu Mingxuan gradually took on more responsibility. Last year, Guo Shiqiang even named him captain of the team.

The title “Captain of China” seems to carry a special kind of magic. Just days after being named captain, Hu Mingxuan hit a game-winning three-pointer in a friendly against Joventut, shaking off his defender for the shot and sealing a valuable win to end the summer training camp on a high note.

During that period, Hu Mingxuan switched back to a clean buzz cut. Honestly, I prefer him with short hair—it brings back his youthful vibe. That summer, the team’s losing streak put everyone under pressure, and Hu Mingxuan’s game-winner was a huge release for both Guo Shiqiang and himself.

Looking back, the team’s real turnaround started with that buzzer-beater, which raised the team’s cohesion to a new level. My favorite moment of this Asia Cup was when, after Hu Mingxuan missed a three in the final, all his teammates came over to comfort him. Winning together and sharing the burden of defeat—that’s the power of a team.

After the Asia Cup, Hu Mingxuan posted on Weibo for the first time in over a year, writing: “The regret of missing by one point is also the pride of fighting until the last second as a team. Thanks to my brothers for standing side by side, and to the fans for your support all the way. We will turn this disappointment into motivation and keep moving forward!”

That moment when Hu Mingxuan looked at the championship trophy with a runner-up medal around his neck will surely be redeemed in the future.