Can Pranav PRINCE Become India Basketball’s Scoring KING?
Touted as one of India’s brightest young talents, the 22-year-old small forward finished the 2025 FIBA Men’s Asia Cup with a modest 11.7 points per game.
Before the 2025 FIBA Men’s Asia Cup tipped off on August 5, Pranav Prince struck a team-first tone at a pre-event press conference hosted by FanCode.
Prince emphasized that working together as a unit was more important to him than personal statistics.
But once the tournament in Saudi Arabia got underway, Prince’s collective approach wasn’t enough to mask India’s shortcomings.
Drawn in a tough group alongside higher-ranked sides, the Cagers lost all three games, finishing second to last, above only Syria in the overall standings. The campaign once again exposed India’s lack of offensive firepower.
Forget Humility, India Needs a Volume Scorer
At the pre-event media interaction, Prince downplayed his scoring role, saying:
“Even I don’t think coach and me, myself have any expectation how many points I want to score. I just want my team to win, even if it means being outside on the bench and cheering. If that’s the role I need to fill, I will fill that as well. But if we accomplish this thing as a team, that’s what matters… even if it’s just scoring one point or two points, even if it meant just to play defense, I will do my role.”
While Coach Scott praised Prince’s selfless approach, he quickly added, “I hope he scores more than one and two.”
That is the reality: India needs Prince to step up.
For all his unselfishness, he is the one player with the singular tools - world-class athleticism and size (6ft 7’’) - to be India’s offensive focal point.
Prince vs Asia’s Elite
At the Asia Cup, Prince played a total of 103 minutes, recording 35 points, 19 rebounds, 14 assists, and six steals.
Respectable numbers.
But his scoring average of 11.7 points per game (PPG) is only 34th best overall, despite being top five in minutes per game.
By comparison, the tournament’s leading scorers, Saudi Arabia’s Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (26.0 PPG), Qatar’s Brandon Goodwin (25.3 PPG), Syria’s Keron Melique Deshields (22.0 PPG), and the Philippines’ Justin Brownlee (20.6 PPG) shouldered the offensive load for their nations and crossed 20 PPG consistently.
Moreover, of the 33-plus players ahead of Prince in PPG, all of them, barring two, have a higher field goal percentage than Prince, indicating that even the points Prince is scoring are not coming at a very high efficiency.
Almost every Asian team, even Syria, which finished below India, had a go-to bucket-getter.
India needs that from Prince. With his athleticism and ability to create his own shot, he’s arguably the only player on the roster who fits the profile of a ‘go-to scorer.’
History Proves India’s Success when Stars Score
Indian basketball history proves that the team wins when its stars take over.
Sozhasingarayer Robinson’s 36 points against South Korea in 2004 at the FIBA Asia Stanković Cup remains a benchmark of scoring impact.
Amjyot Singh averaged 20.9 PPG at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, ranking 4th in the tournament. He also produced 20-point outings at the 2017 William Jones Cup.
Amritpal Singh also crossed the 20-point mark in India’s games against China and Chinese Taipei at the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016.
So, for a player of Prince’s caliber, the challenge is no longer about talent, it’s about willingness and ability to put up at least 20 points per game. And on certain nights be capable of crossing even 30 points.
Gaps in His Game
That brings us to ability.
Even if Prince is ready to embrace the responsibility of being India’s scoring anchor, there are clear gaps in his offensive arsenal. While his athleticism allows him to rise above defenders and create shots, his lack of consistency from the three-point line is problematic.
For Prince to take the next step, he must become a consistent three-level scoring threat. That would attract help defense, create driving lanes, and open the perimeter for secondary scorers like Harsh Dagar, Gurbaz Sandhu, and Muin Bek Hafeez.
The Next Step
Prince finished 34th in efficiency among the tournament’s top 50 players, a nod to his all-round game. But efficiency isn’t enough to lift India.
So while Prince’s humility is refreshing, the Young Cagers don’t need him to just do a little of everything, they specifically also need him to score 20–30 points every time he steps onto the court.
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