agreed on the fact that a big reason as to why big men in today's nba aren't featured as much is because of their lack of skill compared to the previous generation. hakeem would obviously dominate in today's nba posting up on the block, and command double teams... i think shaq was a bad example and threw me off b/c of how lazy and immobile he was once he got to the lakers, even if he commanded constant double teams. also agreed that the rockets pretty much beat gsw bc of better defense. on the other hand, there are a few teams that are mimicking gsw offensively, but houston isn't one of them, and you know that. we pretty much ran a strictly iso-based offense to deal with gsw's switch everything defense, and forced their defense into a mismatch. we just couldn't hit some of those open 3s after the drive and kicks. but we had significantly more points in the paint compared to gsw that whole series. and the ft disparity and the non-calls in the paint hurt us offensively in a big way. defensively, i still think b/c everyone is trying to beat gsw, the trend is gonna tilt towards a switch everything scheme. it's really the only way to deal with all the illegal moving screens that gsw commits on every single play, even if the personnel isn't ideal.
There's no way that the game should be even be 10 points close. China should have destroyed the Philippines. I think the D-League Rockets team without Zhou would win by 30
I have been following the CNT since the YAO days. This is my personal take. Zhou is something that we've never seen before. His expectation def surpasses YI by a long way. A generational defensive specimen that is a freak of nature. Longest arms ever in CNT squad, quick feet, elite (EVEN in the NBA) timing on shot block and pass deflection. And his offensive game does not require many touches. Since his early days (U16 CNT), his offensive game has always been composed of catch and shoot, cut, put back, pump fake and drive. There is little to no postup game. His development strangely molds perfectly well with how basketball has evolved globally and in the NBA. His biggest con, which leads to being selected with low draft pick and limited minutes in NBA, is obviously the severe lacking of physicality. Before he entered NBA last year, he literally cannot hold his ground against any player. I am talking about ANY player. Domestic CBA guards, Asian game center, anyone. Dude also got completely destroyed in the RIO Olympic. BUT, on the bright side, you can tell that he does NOT shy away from contact. Even though he may be quiet, but extremely resilient. His development over the last year in development league and NBA has been nothing but jaw dropping. his physicality has improved so much. I think given his unique skill set, he may have a good chance of cracking the rotation next season.
Thanks much for using one of your rare posts (14 posts in 16 years?!?) to give us your opinion. I'm not sure Zhou will ever be an NBA starter, but I can definitely see him in a year or two as someone we bring in off the bench to staunch the bleeding when the opponents are going nuts in the paint. He doesn't need much of an offensive game if he can hit .325 or so from 3-point range, as we could use him to draw the defense out to give the others space to operate.
Yi was a borderline player but the real problem was why wasting years in the NBA and getting minimum deals when you can be paid like a superstar and being treated like one. And he could not even make use of his offensive arsenal because parts of his Defense was so bad for NBA's standards and he did not have the green light to shoot that much. We should move away from comparing any Chinese newcomers to him. He is toast. Zhou should try to stay in the NBA/G-league and improve as long as he can.
This year Team China is divided into two teams- blue and red, so that players could get more time. The team participating in the Asian Games is the red team. This is Qi’s team. Other impactful players (at least in Asia) such as Yi Jianlian are on the blue team. So the team that just beat the Philippine with Jordan Clarkson only has half of the best Chinese players.
The blue team has better guards. Yi might be listed there but he rarely or never plays. They play younger players for the upcoming Olympics and tourneys.
Barring injury, and if his development stays on the same path, He will definitely be a solid rotation player in the NBA.
I would agree. The real issue is not rushing his development which could lead to chronic injuries. At this point, his body is simply not fully ready for 5s (even modern, undersized ones). But Qi looks super uncomfortable trying to play as a stretch 4. But that’s just my take. I’d love to see him grow this season into a player that can really compete at the 5. I think Hartenstein’s development really will help us on that front.
Manute Bol or Shawn Bradley-lite might be Qi's ceiling. That's not so bad. Might be a rotation player eventually. He clearly has at least one NBA-level skill with his shotblocking. Hartenstein intrigues me a lot more.
Yea good point. I noticed in the first game he had ZERO fouls and which is great since foul trouble has always been an issue for him.
Dude, no disrespect but what is your problem with Zhou? Why is a 99er actively rooting against the success of a Rocket player? Give it a rest and get on board the Qi train. Help this kid become a contributor.
Don't be coy. Re-trace your steps in every Zhou-related thread and you'll understand why I felt the need to post what I did.
