Yao in his prime could have been very effective up until about three years ago. He'd probably average 25mpg tops these days. Something like Roy Hibbert on D and Kanter on O. Not a featured player, but still a good secondary option on offense. Or maybe he'd be Boban. I dunno.
He would adapt to the new NBA. His minutes should be shortened. He should learn how to have better handles. His shooting is fine.
Yao would have adapted. I have no doubt Yao would have lost a bunch of weight and had a reliable 3 point stroke. No one is contesting a 7'6" guy with a jumper. Yao put on weight to compete with Shaq. In a league of Unicorns, Yao would have been a Pegasus.
Yao would have the same effectiveness against 99% of today's NBA except GSW. He would actually be better as there are no more Shaq of the world left. All bigs will have to draw Yao out of the from under the basket in order for their guards to cut and slash. However DA won't be a good coach for Yao as he may have the center setting picks and switches. Why not against GSW They can shoot the 3s better and at a higher efficiency. Yao may be able to limit KD shooting but Yso is slower than CC so he can be exposed by GSW.
You don't think he could have developed a 3 point stroke if it was demanded of him with his touch and work ethic? Look at Pau Gasol.
Did you any of y'all watch the jazz series with him trying to guard okur at the 3 point line? If boozer and Okur were giving him trouble I don't know how he would do today. The old bigman is dead.
I don't think so. Yao was great, but today's era is about going small utilizing mismatches. Teams like GS have basically killed the prototypical bigmen
Yao would still be effective, hypothetically, in the NBA. On the Rockets? Maybe. MDA and traditional centers aren't always a match.
Anybody who thinks he wouldn't be a huge defensive liability is the epitome of YOF circa 2002. Today's NBA has evolved not simply to be more about shooting and spacing, but also installing more complex defensive schemes, where everything gets switched and guys have to be able to defend off the dribble. The real question is, would Yao have been better off coming to the NBA 10 years earlier than he did... where the post-up game ruled, illegal defense rules were still in place, and the traditional center was the most straight-forward way to win. I'd say Yao would have flourished more in the 80's-90's vs any other era in NBA history.
The only team he'd have trouble playing against is GS. But there isn't another team like GS in the league. Just bc he'd have issues with that team just like many other players in today's league doesn't mean he wouldn't be effective against 29 other teams. They are the standard if you're competing to win an actual championship but not the standard of being able to play in this era. You still have to guard him and he'd have a field day against the majority of these teams and their "defense"
Can’t believe no one has thrown this comp yet because I think it’s the most accurate. He’d be a better version of Nikola Jokic. If Jokic can be effective in today’s NBA so can Yao.
Yao would actually have a longer career had he play in today's NBA. Remember he had to bulk to bang down low with the bigs? Well he won't have to bulk up as much in today's NBA and he will have a chance to show case his shooting skills. Being less bulky, he will be quicker and more versatile as a defender.
The Yao that came into the league skinny and faster because of less weight would have lasted longer IMHO by playing a Capella style game adding a mid and 3pt shot. It's when Yao started developing more mass and weight he started having foot injuries. So I think opposite and think if he came to the league today, he would benefit more. THe league back in the day would have took a toll on Yao which it eventually did. A skinny yao could defend. That part of the game he'd have to develop.
