Moreland named CBA Defensive Player of the Month

Moreland named CBA Defensive Player of the Month

Guangdong Southern Tigers power forward Eric Moreland was named the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Defensive Player of the Month on Monday.

From the 25th to

the 35th round of the regular season, Moreland averaged 8.5 defensive rebounds, which ranked eighth in the CBA, alongside the league's fourth-best defensive rebounding percentage of 30.5 percent. The 33-year-old also tallied 1.6 blocks per game (seventh-best), with an eighth-ranked block percentage of 6.0 percent.

Thanks to his defensive contributions, Guangdong enjoyed a nine-game winning streak at one point and currently sits eighth in the 20-team CBA standings with a 23-12 record.

The league also announced on Monday that Shenzhen Leopards power forward Wang Haoran tops the Most Improved Player rankings through the first 35 rounds.

In his third season, Wang has posted career highs of 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists across 33 appearances. Among domestic players for Shenzhen, only He Xining and Zhou Peng average more points than Wang.

After the second stage of the regular season, Shenzhen stands 13th in the league, one place below the playoff threshold, with a 12-23 record.

Shanghai Sharks small forward Li Hongquan and Sichuan Blue Whales power forward Li Jinxiao rank second and third respectively in the standings.