Strengths for a center This -7'6" giant but not arkward like Bull, Bradley or Muresun -Nice shooting touch even for a shooting guard -Great passing skills even for a point guard, but I think his height has some to do with that -Great BBall IQ, Rudy loves his IQ...each time Yao gets a pass, he always looks side to side for an open person. -Good attitude, has the burden of an asian community on his shoulders and shows that he wants to be the best. Big factor for his conditioning. -Decent post moves, could add some. Weaknesses -Strength, can be recitified with some training -Speed- look above -Explosiveness- look above -Stamina-look above -Confidence -The language and cultural barrier, can adjust, just takes some time. Maybe in 5 years, he'll sporting 25krt diamonds and driving Yukons with PS2's and 22"rims with Jay Z booming on his 14" inch subwoofers...who knows. People on this board may flame just because I listed some weaknesses but whatever. I am just curious as what you guys think?
He needs some serious coaching in rebounding and shot blocking. I say coaching because they must teach and not just expect. He rebounds with one hand or let's the ball come to him. Instead, Ming needs to rebound aggressively with both hands. Shot blocking will require him to move his feet more quickly. He needs to get in better position defensely. He must move across the paint and play more "upright" to take advantage of his height. Lastly, he needs to get used to the contact. As a big man, he'll have 2 or 3 people constantly slapping and pushing on him.
Ming needs to be more aware of guarding the basket, as well as his man. Lateral quickness needs a little more work.
Kidrock said it best. Lateral movement. That's what's causing the fouls. He can't move laterally, thus he reaches. FOUL! Strength is 2nd on my list.
Players who are foul prone are either tired, or out of position. He must learn to move his feet better. Positioning is the most important aspect of defense. If youre out of position, you must grab or reach. If you do that, you'll be whistled everytime.
And, if you're opponents are faster than you, then, you will never get into position. He needs power training, lateral training, fast-twitch and slow-twitch strength training. He'll get there.
After seeing the ESPN highlights. Yao kinda looked lost too. He just didn't know what to do, I guess 2 days of practice isn't enough. Despite that, his performance is not too shabby for a guy who might still be recovering from jetlag. I can't wait til the all star break and see Yao with more experience under his belt.
On offense he seems to have a nice turnaround jumper. He showed it in the World Championships and he surprised Robinson tonight. When he tried that shot again in the 4th quarter, Robinson challenged him and blocked the shot. He needs to learn to pump fake and drive to the basket. That'll give the option of going to the hole to score or attracting another defender and pass to the open man.
His dribbling looked adequate. He was just one step slow. Could be jet lag. Could be nervousness. Could be unfamiliarity with the speed of the game. Probably a combination of all the above. His turnaround jumper is automatic. If you watch him, he shoots that shot constantly, as easily as a free throw. if he learns a few pump fakes, he'll be on the line a lot. Plus since they have to respect his outside shots, he 'll attract that extra defender. If he does start going to the hole, he could really set up the outside shooters. It's at this point when we'll be truly dangerous.
I agree with what Bill said at the end of the game about that Yao may be a little bit fooled by the speed of the game. Yao's never played against NBA competition (except for the World Champ), and watching it on TV is just a totally different thing compared to when you are on the court playing. Then he needs to strengthen his upper body. We don't want a 7"5' Damn Lanky.
I didn't watch the game, but judging from posts in all the threads he did a fine job for his FIRST game. He seems (is this right) to have gotten a great deal of attention (double/ trip team) on the floor from the moment he entered the game. He has so much to learn and to already be causing stress for the opposition is in itself a major gain for the Rockets. Can't wait to see him in a month or two...
I actually thought Ming looked very good out there tonight. Did he look a little out of place and lost? Yes, but what do you expect from a guy who hasn't had but 2 (yes I said 2) practices with his new team. Did he show talent and potential? Of course, he wasn't picked #1 overall for nothing. The way he moved in the post and ran the floor alone proved he is already on a higher level than Bradley (or any other previous 7'5"+ players) ever were!
One observation that has stuck with me since the World Championships: Yao Ming has really thin wrists. In the World Championships he got slapped pretty hard and he winced quite a bit afterwards. Obviously, playing the low post, guards will continually slap at him as they come from behind or when they double team (especially if he holds the ball down low). Perhaps the Rockets should tape his wrists in advance to prevent injury. Frankly, my biggest fear is that he'll injury it either from continued punishment or if he lands hard after a fall.
Just from the little time he had tonight, you could see he has good fundamentals. I think the biggest weakness right now is just for him to feel out the game. He still seemed used to the international rules, such as the lane violation he had. Since he was still trying to feel out the game he did look a bit lost at times. It was almost as if he was tentative in his offensive moves, like he wasn't letting them flow naturally. I think that's why Robinson blocked his shot. Thinking too much messes up your game, but then again he's barely getting his feet wet. All in all he looked impressive to me tonight.
From what I saw of him in the World Championships he was playing too straight up in the low post on defense waiting for the attacker to reach him and didn't move his body to get in position for shot blocking and would swat away the ball if it came straight to him. On offense he needs to improve his footwork while posting up on the block,he did ok against Antonio Davis on the left block but travelled while he was trying to postup on the right block. Boxing out for rebounding is something he needs to work on as well. I didn't see the game today and I was wondering if he showed any improvement in his ability to postup in the paint.
Can't agree more. Lateral movement, Foot work, Foot work. In World Champion, he is already foul prone. No problem, he is a rookie, he is adjusting. KH
