Qi was never a realistic option. The guy played a total of 124 minutes the whole season in 18 garbage time games and he never looked like he belonged. He simply wasn’t ready or anywhere close to being so. As off and putrid Ariza was... too bench him and throw in Qi in a pivotal game 7 for a trip to the Finals could’ve messed up Qi forever confidence wise and moreover it would’ve been a major slap in the face to Ariza and the rest of the team who got us so close to the finish line. Ariza held Durant in check for most of the series aside from games 1 and 7 and was a major factor in us taking a 3-2 lead. We had to ride and die with him. Not debatable IMO. It was a Fantastic Voyage until CP3 went down and we got Maure’d. Life isn’t fair but we did good.
He gave Jordan Clarkson a few blocks. Clarkson was't able to score in the paint when ZhouQi was on the court.....Besides ZhouQi hit a couple of 3s in the first half, which definitely would help Rockets go further in the future.
Caught that whole game. Shooting looked good and the length will always be elite but his movement still left a lot to be desired. I wish he could pick up some of the footwork of his other 7 footer teammate, that guy had some sick spin moves. Zhou's passing from the inside looked pretty good too but he obviously got gassed near the end as his defense and even his free throw shooting took a hit late.
If the rockets ever play the Filipino national team in the finals, between Greg Smith and Zhou we will dominate them
I think Zhou is definitely starting look good, sure the Filipino tean are midgets but Clarkson is a legit NBA talent and Zhou showed adequate paint protection. This game shows you big man defense isn't about running chasing pgs around the perimeter in a switch, it's about staying in the paint and bothering everyone with your length. I can totally see him now as our Ryan Anderson replacement, off the bench 3 pt spacer who can clog the paint on D.
Against teams like the Warriors, big man defense is absolutely about being able to defend guards and wings on the perimeter. Thankfully, the vast majority of teams do not require the defense to switch like crazy.
Stanley Pringle torched him a few times in the 4th though and he might not even actually be 6 feet tall. I think that was more fatigue than anything though cause he was moving well in the first half.
Zhou Qi's shooting and shot blocking instincts look great, but I'm still very worried about his rebounding. He just looks slow to figure out where the ball is going to be and even slower to get to the ball. Even his box outs are poor. If he's the only big man on the floor, then the Rocket will get demolished by offensive rebounds. I can see him taking the Ryno role at the 4 but with better shot blocking and switching defense. ZQ will get beat on the switches but he has enough length and foot speed to defend the shot from behind. He must bring his NBA 3pt% up to a respectful level though.
