WOW. This is nasty.. Yao should average at least 3 blocks per game, and at least 10 offensive rebounds per game with 50 percent of it converted to field goal... That's all I ask from a 7.6 tower player.
Yao is 7'-6". The basket is 10'-0". If he jumps 1 ft, the top of his head is at 8'-6" If he jumps 2 ft, the top of his head is at 9'-6" (even if he doesn't duck) Still below the rim. I believe his reach standing flat footed is 9'-8" or 9'-10". The ball is 9" in diameter. He needs to jump at least 11" for the bottom of the ball to be above the rim.
This is what stops Yao from being a dominant shot blocker. In that picture, since the ball is 9" in diameter. It looks like Yao jumps maybe 1'-9", more or less. That is decent but not close to being exceptional. It's still enough to block shots except that he is too slow to get up there.
Being quick off the ground is not a prereq. to be a great shot blocker. Deke has forever been one who is slow to gather himself before he goes up. It was the combination of his reach and timing that made him so dominant. Yao has the length, if he can continue to hone his timing, he will become a great shotblocker. As he is right now, hes good.
I've watched video of Yao dunking, and he doesn't need that much air to dunk. The pic is misleading for some reason. Yao's arm is nearly straight. If that were the case, I think his feet would be a bit closer to the ground. If his shoes are over a foot long, it would appear that he is about 2 feet off the ground, at least....I don't think so.
Yao claimed in his biography that before he broke his foot (twice) he once was able to see the rim from above in a dunk. Too bad, he lost much of his lift after that. Plus, he true is a slow leaper, that is the main reason he loses most of the jump balls. Anyways the consolation is that it means less chance for injury for Yao because he can jump too high.
If you look closely at the photo, he's actually standing in front of the courtside seats...and he's 80 feet tall.
Yeah, but back then he was probably about 7'4 and 220 lbs. I bet I could dunk if I weighed 80 pounds less.
