10 Teams, 10 Days: Taoyuan Pauian Pilots

10 Teams, 10 Days: Taoyuan Pauian Pilots

Our East Asia Super League editorial staff breaks down the key storylines, players and statistics of each franchise as tip-off nears.

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Taoyuan Pauian Pilots

The youngest team in this year’s EASL field, the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots was founded in 2020. Originally dubbed the AirApes, Taoyuan rebranded in 2022 because of its sponsor’s role in constructing the Taipei Taoyuan International Airport.

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The Pauian Pilots compete in Chinese Taipei’s P. LEAGUE+ — a league formed during COVID-19 to give local teams a stage to play on. Taoyuan joined in its inaugural season and has stayed ever since. In the 2023-24 season, the Pauian Pilots won their first regular-season championship and reached the PLG Finals but ultimately lost to the New Taipei Kings in five games.

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Here’s everything you need to know about the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots:

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3-pointers

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1. Regular Season Champions

Taoyuan enjoyed a franchise-best 26 wins during the 2023-24 season. Despite losing their first two games of the year in November, the Pauian Pilots caught fire in March, finishing the month with an 8-1. 

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Victors in five of its last six games heading into the postseason, Taoyuan was named regular-season champions and received the No. 1 seed. From there, the Pauian Pilots took down the No. 4 seed, Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers, in five games to set up a finals showdown with New Taipei while qualifying for the EASL for the first time.

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Taoyuan practically swept the end-of-season awards as well. Point guard Lu Chun-Hsiang was named PLG MVP, center Jason Washburn earned Import Player of the Year, and head coach Iurgi Caminos received Coach of the Year honors.

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2. Lu’s MVP Campaign

At 6-foot-3, Lu is a crafty but controlled player. On top of being a talented three-level scorer, Lu’s prowess on both ends of the floor saw him make the PLG’s All-Defensive Team in 2023-24.

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During the regular season, he averaged 16.81 points but turned it up a notch in the playoffs. Lu’s 19.83 points per game — on 44% shooting — in Taoyuan’s series win over the Lioneers was a team-high, all while averaging just shy of two steals a game.

Lu also picked up two Player of the Week awards and was named Player of the Month for both February and March.

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3. Losing Washburn to New Taipei

Standing at 7-feet, Washburn was an extremely valuable asset to Taoyuan’s run to the PLG Finals. With the Pauian Pilots in 2023-24, Washburn averaged 21.9 points per game and pulled down 13.2 rebounds — both team highs.

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Now, heading into the 2024-25 season, Taoyuan will be without its premier frontcourt presence. Even worse, Washburn’s new team is the New Taipei Kings — the same team that beat Taoyuan in the PLG Finals.

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The Pauian Pilots and Kings will both participate in this year’s EASL field. And although the two teams reside in separate groups, a potential Final Four showdown between the PLG giants is mouthwatering.

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Players To Watch

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1. Lu Chun Hsiang

With Washburn’s departure, Lu will undoubtedly carry most of Taoyuan’s expectations on his shoulders. The reigning MVP, who re-signed with the team this offseason, had over 10 20-plus point games across the 2023-24 season and multiple 30-plus point performances, including a 40-point outburst on March 24 in a win against the Taipei Fubon Braves.

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2. Li Chia-Kang

Li Chia-Kang is Taoyuan’s starting point guard. The 6-foot-1 Chinese Taipei native averaged 7.8 points per game in the playoffs while shooting 50% from inside the arc. In the Pauian Pilots’ Finals series against New Taipei, Li upped his averages to 10.4 points — almost five points more than his regular-season numbers — and totaled almost five rebounds a game.

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3. Treveon Graham

Entering his second year with Taoyuan, Treveon Graham averaged a near-double-double in his debut season with the Pauian Pilots. Though Graham struggled with his shooting percentages throughout 2023-24, his stellar all-around play saw his minutes average jump to a team-best 39:53 per game. Graham re-signed with the team in July.

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After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015, Graham jumped between the NBA and the G-League for multiple organizations before joining Taoyuan.

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Taoyuan By The Numbers

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Taoyuan’s 2023-24 Season

• Regular season record: 26-14
• Finished 1st in P.LEAGUE+, named regular season champions
• Defeated Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers (4-2) but lost in PLG Finals to the New Taipei Kings (4-1)

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Taoyuan’s 2023-24 P.LEAGUE+ Statistic Leaders

• Points: Jason Washburn – 21.9 ppg
• Rebounds: Jason Washburn – 13.2 rpg
• Assists: Ethan Pai Yao-Cheng – 4.9 apg
• Steals: Justin Lu Chun-Hsiang – 2.0 spg
• Blocks: Alec Brown – 1.3 bpg

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Team Schedule

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