I think the biggest improvement Yao can make from now is that one thing all great players do: Make his teammates better. Of course, no one can fault him for not doing this now because his supporting cast is just plain garbage. I have a feeling that once Tmac comes back, Rox will be a contender for the championship(If we can get a good pick and etc lol)
More than any other statistical categories, I would like to see yao improve in FG% and turnovers. Right now he is not doing bad in those categories, but if those two categories improve, scoring will improve as a result of those stats getting better. Not only improved scoring, but it will make him more effecient in turn his teammates will have more wide open looks, without sacrificing shot attempts.
I will think 25pts and 12 rebs are the numbers he will put up during his peak. When T-Mac is back and healthy, some of the offense will run through him and Yao probably won't get that many touches as he does right now. I expect him to continue improving his rebounding, shot blocking and stamina. And his FG% should be around 60% rather than 50%. One last thing, he should learn to ignore JVG's order and stop chasing small guards around the perimeter unless it is very end of the game. Every big guys have trouble defending the PnR, so what, punish the opponents at the other end.
What do you peaple mean with "peak"? I'm not expecting Yao's stats to get any better than what they've been in the last couple of months. I'd actually be very suprised to see him average more than 25-11 over a full season. Does it mean he won't get better as a player? No because, being the guy smart and willing to work on his game, he' will likely learn more and more how to use his strenghts and hype his weaknesses, how to save his energy to take over games, how and when to delegate to teamates. Think about jordon, his peak as a player was imo at 30: the best combination among his declining phisical skills and his increasing experience and maturity. Statistically, though, he had better seasons in the 80s. It could be similar for Yao (the shape of the curve, not the levl of the peak!).
I am talking about the Yao after all star break. He is averaging 27.7 ppg, 12.3 rpg on 54% shooting from the floor and 87.4% from the FT line. The overall stats (#1 ranking in efficiency, efficiency in 48 min; #2 in double double: #3 in rebounding; #9 in scoring; #11 in field goal percentage; etc) support the notion that he is, or close to be the MVP of the league since the ASG. He sure can improve on many aspects of his game. However, all that I am saying that he cannot get much better statistically. Otherwise, he will have to be considered one of the very all time greats at the center position.
I think he can get much better. Look at the numbers he is putting up NOW, while not fully understanding the game yet.
This is spot on. I'm not sure if he can have better stats in the following seasons. But obviously, he has just started to get the 'feeling of freedom' on court which is essential for every legendary player. We are certainly witnessing the head and chest of a giant ,not the back and tail of it. As mentioned by another poster, he wouldn't reach his peak until he become more vocal, ignore silly orders from coach and become totally confident in demanding the ball.
Which level in data Yao can reach depends on our trades and drafts in coming years. If we can obtain some valuable players from these, to share the burden now only on Yao, Yao may never reach the 28/13 height. He can spend more time on the bench for a rest. However, when our team needs him, Yao will appear in full strength and dominate the games. If he still play with our pure defender in next few years, yes, Yao will definitely get 28/13 or even higher. Which situation you want to see? Former one, we have a good chance to win a title as TD model; latter one, we can see KG for example.
Not yet. His doctor said he will continue to grow. By the time he is fully peak, he will be 8 ft tall.
Or put it another way, Rockets need to put some decent role players around Yao. Then Yao can make them really better.
Do you mean hide his weaknesses? Good analysis of the situation though. It's not realistic to think, as some do, that he'll average 35ppg 14rpg 4bpg. If he really dominates for a whole season the best we can expect is something like Shaq's best years, which would be great .
I think Yao has reached his peak at rebounding...he is not going to get the 15 boards per game, let's get realistic...I am happy enough if he can get 10-12rpg the rest of his career. But about ppg, he is far far away from reaching his peak....he is definitely capable of scoring 30+ points nights in and nights out.....he will develop some face up games, running hook shots, monster jams, etc. He has the potential to break the double teams in parts (he is already doing some of that). He will also learn how to protect the ball better.....bascially all I want to say is, he still has a lot of improving space in his offensive games
I agree. I think some of our fellow posters here have been playing too much NBA2K5. IIRC the best season of Shaq the MDP is below 30ppg and about 12rpg and Yao does not play as many minutes as Shaq did.
