When I see Hartenstein I see a guy that has the it factor for rebounding. His desire and timing and size are perfect. He is starting to get confidence in his shot now. If he isn't traded he'll see 10-15 minutes this year and I think he could be serviceable by the end of the season.
Make whatever derogatory comments you like. Zhou Qi STILL has NBA DPOY potential. Additionally (and still) because he is a threat from 3 SB's because he can dribble drive from the arc to the rim he is a much better offensive option than Capela ever was. And because he is so much longer than Capela and has more stamina than Capela and is quicker than Capela he is also a better switch defender, help defender, and rebounder than Capela. Zhou Qi is a legit NBA center and somebody is going to get a bargain with him, especially if they can control him for 3 years on a low salary. Zhou Qi and Anthony Bennett are the best values in free agency left. Laugh all you want. I'll be laughing last.
He doesn’t even start for China in summer league Glad to see that the old rockets team still got love for him
Serious here... Have you watched him in Summer league? He’s almost always out of position, gets moved out of his space easily by much smaller players. The confidence, agression and strength needed are not there. He is a solid help and weak side defender, but that’s about it. He has skills on the offensive side of the ball, but he’s just too soft overall. He shows very little in being able to create his own shot. Again, I don’t see enough aggression on this side of the ball either. He seems to be thinking too much before shooting and then it’s too late. I get why you like his potential, but he’s so far from being a real contributor that I wouldn’t take a flyer on him again. He needs a crazy amount of reps on an NBA team with the right people making him a much tougher player. Quite frankly I’m surprised because I thought he had a ton of potential when drafted. I actually think playing in China hurts his development. I think he needs to play in a much tougher league. Point is, he should be much further along in his development. He just isn’t and that gives me great pause.
He should dominate summer league for China since he’s been here twice but he isn’t. There are other players on China who are better shooters Charlotte played without their best summer league player. They might be better than rockets summer team though
Some legit points here. He does get out of position and he does get dislodged. I see that. What i also see is enough length to make up for it right now. Zhou often looks to be out of position when he really can take one step and recover. His length is very intimidating and the more he plays and his opponent is exposed to his recovery the more they hesitate. And that kills their efficiency against him. He's a guy that gets better and more effective the longer he's in there. I don't understand why more NBA people can't see that. I think the real knock on Zhou is his true age. I think we're being lied to on that. But his shooting. His handle. He's got enough shot to make opponents react and then he can go past them on the drive. That's all NBA stuff. And the recovery and help defensively is NBA stuff too. Some of you are making a big deal of minutia. Look at the overall picture. Look at what a 7 foot shooter than can also drive and finish does to a defense. Set shot? So what? They've got to come up and jump to get it. That's all he needs. And then he becomes a foul magnet going to the rim. Gets caught out of position? So what. We're paying Capela $15 million and he gets caught and is too slow to recover. I mean let's get real here.
He’s not a starter for the Chinese team. And someone here thinks he can defend Durant? The drug use is strong here
I don't want to give up on the kid, I really don't. But the thing is, even most Chinese bball fans who have closely followed Joe Chee's career have come to the conclusion that despite all his freakish physique, he's not going to amount to anything in the NBA unless something dramatic happens in his life that lights a fire under his ass. And even if that happens there's no guarantee that he'll be successful at all. The way I see it, there are two things holding him back. 1. I don't think the man enjoys basketball all that much. His motor is really inconsistent (and yes, Capela sometimes has motor issues too but never, EVER to this degree) 2. He plays weak. I get that he has a slim frame and all, but he plays like how he looks, which is a problem. As we've all seen, he gets pushed around way too easily, and he just lets it happen, which is a big problem since he's expected to be a primary rebounder. I understand all the comparisons to Rudy Gobert, but not all big, gifted guys have the mentality it takes to succeed. Perhaps the stifling nature of the Chinese youth sports system beat the joy of the game out of him. Maybe he doesn't feel the overwhelming urge to provide for his family because his the money he's making is already enough to sate his ambitions. But I'm not him, so I don't know. ...If I WAS him, I'd be putting those measurements to much greater use.
Since Durant is recovering from surgery and probably in a cast, at this particular point in time I'd say ZQ can cover him pretty well
You are pointing out the obvious , he’s not strong enough for the nba. He’s not even the best player on that team. That Guo dude is.
Maybe it's motoric, coordination issues, he has the tools to be like Yao Ming but he isn't close to Rookie Yao. Or it is mental.
Yes. Qi can leave you wanting more from him. But that's doesn't diminish the effectiveness of what he gives you. And the idea that he's not strong enough to play in the NBA put forth by @tinman is silly. He's already disproved that.
