He just looks like he is in better NBA shape and more self aware of the fact that he is the best player in these games, while still needing hard work to get into an NBA rotation. I see promise for him as a backup 5 later this season. Training camp will have a great impact on him, I'm sure. Just need him to shoot an ungodly number of 3's in the G League for 10 games or so and then bring him up and let him practice with the bog boys the rest of the season. He needs to practice with bigger and quicker players more than anything else.
I believe the only one that didn't get an invitation was Ryan Anderson. His invitation was lost in the mail.....
Last year, Morey was trying to trade Anderson, yet Anderson still went on the basketball retreat.. I seriously think he is going this year too... as a stow away
This mentality died with Roy Hibbert back in 2014. To be a good defensive big man you need to be able to guard both the perimeter and the interior. And as more teams are focusing on space and speed the former is becoming far more important than the latter. PJ Tucker can play center despite being 6'5" and providing zero rim protection. He can be abused inside, but not as easily as Roy Hibbert or Boban Marjanovic are on a pick and roll or switch. Fortunately for Zhou, he appears to be capable defensively on the switch and he can block shots. Let's hope his body and offensive game become NBA caliber.
Not calling you out or anything... but in general, I am so sick of people saying something is the only way to be successful.... like the flavor du jour is the Rosetta Stone... Oh, the only way to be successful in todays NBA is to have a high power offense that shoots a bunch of 3's... Oh, the only way to be successful in today's NBA is to constantly switch on defense... Oh, the only way to be successful is for every player to be interchangeable at every position... Oh, your 7 foot center has to be able to guard on the perimeter... I guess if Shaq enetered the league today, he would be a scrub.. cause obviously he wasnt gonna be able to go out and cover guys on the perimeter... There have been numerous strategies that have been successful over the history of the NBA... and at the time they were successful they may have seemed to be the final determination of how to run a team - until someone came along and did something different or personnel came on the scene that were able to excel doing something else... Everybody always wants to categorize everything and think that whatever narrative they are promoting is the final answer... its all fluid... ask Sweet River Baines... defense doesnt really matter was the narrative for the last few years... obviously solid d is a huge point of differential when utilized... I can't wait for the next big man phenom to come along... and hopefully he'll be wearing a Rockets uniform... end rant... lol
I think the kid will be something soon. Maybe not a all star, but he is long and fairly athletic with a good stroke from 3 pt range. He just needs to build up his body (like Clint) and get some confidence. He has already shown he can block and/or bother shots in the paint. Once he gets rolling I think Rockets fans will be happy with him. He will replace Nene on the big roster probably next summer. We will have 3 good young bigs in Clint,Qi, and Hartenstein. All of them are athletic.
he's got the skillset now on both sides of the court to earn minutes. what's missing is his strength and IQ. add more muscle to rebound and finish through contact. understand and make the right decisions in: defensive positioning during switching, 1-1 defense, PnR offense, and do it ON TIME. i think he's got a shot to play the same minutes black did last year. maybe next year if he gets some of the above he can be part of the regular rotation.
iono.. unless early 90s orlando magic shaq was walking thru the door, i wouldn't want shaq on my team in today's nba. lakers era shaq and beyond would be run off the floor, put on an island on the perimeter defensively, and he'd also clog the paint on offense.. and since the 2004 team usa debacle, zone defenses are now part of the nba. and bc of this, shooting really is at a premium because of the necessary spacing it provides. if you can't provide shooting, at least be able to screen and roll from the perimeter and provide a vertical threat to the rim just like capela.. something that post-orlando shaq and dwight, for that matter, have never really done trends in today's era of sports aren't formed bc someone just wanted to start a new fad. it's all based on statistical analysis on what is proving to be more successful. theres a reason why the teams that fail to adapt or are late to adapt to new trends are usually the ones at the bottom of the standings.
If he can hit that 3 at a good percentage then maybe some minutes but this team is pretty deep so who knows. Maybe he gets traded with anderson.
