#15 Wang Zhelin (7'0", China, 1994) - The World team's head coach, Roy Rana, suggested that whoever performed best during the practices would start for the team on Saturday, so I wasn't really surprised that Zhelin started at center. I was surprised on the other hand, that Zhelin absolutely annihilated the bigs on the USA roster. The 7'0" Chinese center scored an efficient 19 points on 8/11 shooting in just under 22 minutes of playing time. His immense size, strength and patience around the rim were far too much for the defense to handle. When his teammates were able to get him the ball under the basket, he used a series of fakes and pivot-moves to take advantage of an over-anxious defense, and get himself an easier look at the rim. During the practices, he looked uncomfortable turning over his right shoulder, but shocked me at one point in the game with a left-handed baby hook shot that looked both smooth and effortless. His size gives him a significant advantage on the glass, as he pulled down eight rebounds, four of which were offensive. He even showed off his athleticism at one point, erasing a Gary Harris dunk attempt with an impressive chase-down block that astounded most of us in attendance. He showed the same willingness to get physical as when he matched up with the Duke Blue Devils during the summer. Zhelin is only 18 years old, so his body is probably still developing, which is exciting considering how strong his legs already are. He stands a legitimate 7’0” in shoes, and has enough skill to get excited about. It will be interesting to see how teams gauge his NBA potential. If he continues to refine his scoring ability and upper body in China, then he’s a potential draftee in a few years. He’s already shown that he can bang in the post, shoot from mid-range and rebound at an effective rate. If he wasn't on the NBA radar before this event, he definitely is now. Zhelin has become all the rage in China, and while he's certainly not the next Yao Ming, at minimum he's got a bright future playing in China.
There will never be another yao ming, what he did for china and for the nba has already been done. There can and will be followers but they will always be in his shadow. Plus...yao was 7'6 not 7'0
Given the track record of Chinese players, wouldn't be surprised if he's already 20+. Seems to be a good prospect regardless, but the hype can be overwhelming too.
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wow, we coined a new verb, yaoming. yaoming vt: to be put in ones place. yaoming yaominged yaominging
He was impressive. On a side note his lower body is very similiar to Yao's but he has more quickness and atheticism. Interesting prospect.
I love how the title of the thread says "next Yao Ming?" and the last line of the OP says "and while he's certainly not the next Yao Ming..."
