BASKETBALL/DeMarcus Cousins named T1 LEAGUE best import of the month for January

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) Former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins topped the other non-Taiwanese players to be named best-performing imported player in January, the T1 LEAGUE said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Boogie posted three double-double games in his four-game stint with the Taiwan Beer Leopards and averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds 5.5 assists and two steals per game, with 29 minutes and 59 seconds on the floor.

That number helped the Leopards win three games in that period and enters the Lunar New Year on top of the league with an 11-5 record, 0.5 games ahead of the defending champions New Taipei CTBC DEA.

However, it remains unclear whether the four-time NBA all-star will return to the team despite a mutual interest that has been confirmed by both sides.

Also on Tuesday, T1 LEAGUE announced Kaohsiung Aquas Chiu Tzu-hsuan (邱子軒) as MVP of the month.

Although the second-year shooting guard had only 5.9 points and grabbed 2.5 boards per game prior to January, those numbers surged to 17 and 5.8, respectively, and saw the Aquas tie the Leopards for the month-best 4-1 record, including a victory on Jan. 27 over the latter, ending its six-game winning streak.

In that game, the 24-year-old Chiu made five treys for 21 points to tie his season-high, before being carried off the court in the fourth quarter after a collision with the Leopards' small forward Lasan Kromah.

Chiu was later diagnosed as having a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will miss the rest of the season.

A social media post by the franchise on Monday indicated Chiu has undergone surgery and said he would work on rehabilitation to return next season.