he seems like the asian version of AK47. I think he'll do well in the NBA, his body is more built than Yao Ming's was when he first entered the league. Yao Ming was literally a 7'6" stick when he first came to the NBA, but through hard work, he's become a beast.
He's gonna be a PF if he ends up in a team that already has a great Center, and will be a C if they don't have a great center. That sounds stupid but it says the position he's most probably gonna play.
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/F0aQ9ILlP10"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/F0aQ9ILlP10" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
In case you did not know, Yao was out played by Wang when he was in China. Wang has not made much progress since he left China while Yao has made huge progress. Yi is not strong just like when Yao first came into the league and cannot yet push Wang around. The key here that P word again, he could be a Swift or a KG, it all depends on his progress in the future.
this guy might be worth a gamble if he falls to us.....hes is very athletic with a good jumper might not be reliable on d because he is not that strong but that can be worked on over a period of time and yao could mentor this kid and we could have the twin towers again pg hopefully someone else besidises rafer sg tmac sf battier pf yi jialan c yao
Where does the rocket pick? around 25 or something right? No way Yi falls below 20. Unless rockets some how trade up, but what do rockets have to trade to other teams? JHo?
Surfed around other team's forum and found ths: http://www.kingsfans.com/forums/showthread.php?p=438854 Seems that Yi has the skills and athleticism to be a KG/Amare type player but he doesn't have the aggressiveness and the killer mentality to dominate in the game.
Yao dominated the CBA back then and stats proved it all. Wang's Bayi defeated yao's shanghai team which can be considered 2 men team. Whereas yi's team which are full of china national team players defeated by wang's bayi which are considered much weaker compared to 5/6 years ago..... Yi should have entered the draft last year which he will be improved by now. Seriously, i didnt see much improvement in his games the last 2 years. He has been wasting his time playing in lowly CBA. Like others has known, he is too weak to play C/PF in nba now and he has limited post moves. He is athletic but compared to african americans, i dont know that will be considered advantages or not. Solid shooters and has quick hands. Most likely Golden state will pick him up due to the large Chinese populations plus their run and gun suit yi's games. Don Nelson knows chinese players well too! Right now, i dont think he worths lottery pick. He has potential, so does Stromile Swift, it all depends on his work ethics now!
If he works hard enough, he could become a Nowizki-like star player in the NBA. People say he could become KG too, maybe i'm wrong, but i don't see KG in him, maybe mentally, but physically not much.
Yi is all potential right now. If he works hard he can become a star by improve his strength and inside game, if not he will be Wang ZhiZhi II.
its funny how people dont remember KG when he came into the league... he was a stick!!! yi jian lian is stronger than KG was when he entered the leauge... of course yi is older than KG was. I think it is actually the mental side that yi is lacking, but even KG wasn't were he is at mentally back in his first couple of years. i think if yi wanted to, he can become like KG. very similar shooting touch, just as long, dunks a lot, and i think Yi even has the advantage with speed. ball handling is a question (dont think Yi can get as many assists as KG), but everything else is very similar, so the comparisons aren't unfounded thats for sure. If anything, Yi is more KG than Nowitzki. Bargnani, for example, and Nowitzki has awesome shooting touch, but both arent as smooth driving to the paint as KG is. Yi can drive to the hoop with ease, very quickly too, which makes up for his strength/weight disadvantage against bigger players. One big reason why KG is so good is because of the matchup problems he presents. He was a true 3/4 hybrid, and that is exactly what Yi brings to the table. And since Yi is 7 feet with speed, if you have him playing against a big and strong PF, he can use his speed to create open shots, even if he doesn't match up in strength or height (but there arent' even many PF who are 7'). And if you have him playing a SF, he should be able to use his height advantage, match up in strength, and maybe even match up in quickness. But, since he is a 3/4, he needs to be on the right team for this. Houston for instance is not suitable. Not only cause Houston needs a pure PF and already has a top SF, but JVG will probably bench Yi and not develop him. I love JVG, but when it comes to rookies, he wont help them grow, and Yi being from China will definitely need a lot of help, just like Yao did. This is what lottery teams are for. BTW, Yi will totally own wang zhi zhi. Since chinese players usually lack the strength and aggressiveness that is needed in the NBA, they need to make up for that with more than just shooting. Wang only had his shooting, and never used his height to his advantage. Yao on the other hand not only has excellent shooting, but has height, passing ability, provides defensive presence, etc. not to mention his world class work ethic, if there is such a thing. Yi brings 6'6 speed in a 7' body, and more importantly and already aggressive bball mentality. He of course has decent shooting touch, and can create his own shot.
^^^KG is a good comparison skillset-wise, but IMO Yi is a little short on hops and length compared to KG, plus KG always have great strength despite his lean built. BTW the scouting reports from kingsfans forum above are as good as you can get. Thanks for the link.
If they can believe this guy (Greg Oden) is 19...... I don't get why it's so hard to believe this guy (Yi Jianlian) is also 19...
