How good will Yi become?

[Comet]

Yi will be a great player, in the mold of Pau Gasol. At his peak he just might average 22/9.5/3/2.

He does need to get stronger though, primarily in the upper body.

[howe070523]

The comments here remind me of when Yao first came into the league. Everyone called him soft and a lesser version of Rik Smits, and look where he is now. If Yi continues to hit the weights and work on his post moves, he can very well become a star in this league. Rebounding will probably never be Yi's calling card, but that doesn't mean he won't be a deadly scorer. Look at all the Bogut love we have right now, everyone's saying he's blossoming into a star and they knew he would be one all along... Where was that a year ago?

Heh, thats what I was thinking.
There was an exactly same thread started by Rox fans 5 years ago on Clutchfans.

Bucks fans are so totally confused, the team isnt rebuilding, isnt contending...People see no signs of "great future" of this franchise. Sad but understandable --- Thats probably why fans bashing the team for every loss, regardless which team they play against.

Keep in mind that the Hornets are absolutely cracking it this season, they are 4th in the west. Did anyone really think Bucks would win? Not me.

[RedLeafTree]

I concur that Pau Gasol is a reasonable expectation.

My concern right now is the mentoring, if any, that Yi is receiving. That's even more important than minutes as an extra if Yi is to be a star.

Yi is in a low right now. Don't forget the tumultous path that the young man has traveled through to this point.

We may have to wait till next season to find out who Yi really is.

[howe070523]

For those who point to Yi's numbers as being positive - it might be just me but he constantly seems to get numbers in junk time, I remember a game recently where he got 7 points in the last 1:30, seems like almost every decent loss we have he gets a couple of buckets very late when it's all done. Take them away and his 10ppg become more like 6ppg, which is probably a more accurate reflection of his contribution this season.

This paragraph alone is absolutely garbage.

[howe070523]

Hey guys...

He's Mike Dunleavy Jr. in his GS days.

Great natural talents, good bball IQ, but not strong enough (mentally or physically) to really capitalize on them. If you are waiting for him to get much better with experience and age, then expect to be disappointed. Toughness is a birthright.

He's a borderline rotation player on a mediocre team for the rest of his career.

Big mouth strikes again.

[Ayt]

Its tough to say. We don't have a lot of data on young guys coming from China and how they progress. To me, how he progresses from this year to next is very big. Will he get stronger and become a better rebounder and more well rounded offensive player? We'll have to wait and see, I think.

[REDDzone]

Hey guys...

He's Mike Dunleavy Jr. in his GS days.

Great natural talents, good bball IQ, but not strong enough (mentally or physically) to really capitalize on them. If you are waiting for him to get much better with experience and age, then expect to be disappointed. Toughness is a birthright.

He's a borderline rotation player on a mediocre team for the rest of his career.

I understand being critical of Yi, but that comment is just to get a rise in my opinion.

[howe070523]

Its tough to say. We don't have a lot of data on young guys coming from China and how they progress. To me, how he progresses from this year to next is very big. Will he get stronger and become a better rebounder and more well rounded offensive player? We'll have to wait and see, I think.

Well, there arent many young players coming from China at all.
So far...Wangzhizhi, Yao and Yi. Wang zhizhi wasnt young when he joined. Yao entered the league at the age of 22.

[Ayt]

-= original quote snipped =-



Well, there arent many young players coming from China at all.
So far...Wangzhizhi, Yao and Yi. Wang zhizhi wasnt young when he joined. Yao entered the league at the age of 22.

That was my point. Yi's biggest adjustment I think has been adapting to the strength of NBA players. Yao had the same problem, and he's massive.

So I see next year and the year after as key. He needs to show progress in handling the strength needed in the NBA next year, and hopefully by year three he's completely comfortable and can better utilize all the different talents he has.

For young bigs, I think handling the physicality of the league night in and night out is the toughest adjustment. Bogut is only now starting to find what he can and can't do at this level. Years two and three are always key to me for bigs. Bogut's big jump is -- hopefully -- happening in year three.

[El Duderino]

-= original quote snipped =-



That was my point. Yi's biggest adjustment I think has been adapting to the strength of NBA players. Yao had the same problem, and he's massive.

So I see next year and the year after as key. He needs to show progress in handling the strength needed in the NBA next year, and hopefully by year three he's completely comfortable and can better utilize all the different talents he has.

It has been pretty incredible how often Yi gets shots blocked, stripped, or forced to miss when he's trying to score in the paint. I figured from reading about him and simple common sense that he'd struggle some adapting to all the size and defensive skill of big men in the NBA. How badly though it's made him struggle inside is more than i expected.

For the most part, unless Yi has an easy path to the hoop or no big defender trying to stop him inside, he doesn't score anywhere except shooting jumpers.

Even if Yi expected a lot of this stuff to happen while adapting to the NBA game, it has to be somewhat of a confidence deflater when he gets owned in the paint so often and so easily.

[AussieBuck]

As a few have mentioned we are all guessing at this point but I really don't get that people are saying that he is mentally soft. Can anyone point to some examples? To me he's a guy who's game is struggling against much more athletic opponents than he's used to, but that doesn't mean he won't be able to adjust.
Also I feel that a distinction needs to made about the feeling here that he doesn't have a post game. Yi has shown playing in and for China that he has some nice post moves. (mainly in the form of turn around jumpers)

Obviously when he attempts them for the Bucks he's usually stripped or pushed off his shot, which again I feel is due to the step up in standard of opposition. To me the difference between Yi and other bigs who cant ball in the post, like say Bargnani is that Yi needs to learn the skills needed to protect the ball and to get stronger to hold off his opponents. Bargnani can't score in the post because he flat out doesn't have the skill set to start with. He has to learn from scratch, Yi just needs to refine.

[howe070523]

-= original quote snipped =-
That was my point. Yi's biggest adjustment I think has been adapting to the strength of NBA players. Yao had the same problem, and he's massive.

So I see next year and the year after as key. He needs to show progress in handling the strength needed in the NBA next year, and hopefully by year three he's completely comfortable and can better utilize all the different talents he has.

For young bigs, I think handling the physicality of the league night in and night out is the toughest adjustment. Bogut is only now starting to find what he can and can't do at this level. Years two and three are always key to me for bigs. Bogut's big jump is -- hopefully -- happening in year three.

Its kinda strange that Bogut starts cracking it when the offense going thru him. Im not sure but I have the feeling that he could have been a much better player if the team started building around him from the very beginning. It might have something to do with 2 guards but I think the management team really didnt do well in this case, and I doubt they would suddenly realise how bad they stagnant Bogut's development and start doing the right thing to help their potential stars like Yi.

I might be wrong. But I do have a feeling(as well as many of my friends who are into basketball/NBA) that the Bucks owner is extremely conservetive and most importantly, he doesnt really care about winning the championship. I understand that good teams come and go, but look around the league, I see bright future from some of those "worse teams".
T'Wolves, Grizzilies, Clippers, Sonics, Hawks,etc. They all have a young, talented player with tons of potential to build around. Bucks? Well, there are players with good potential, thats about it.

[howe070523]

-= original quote snipped =-



Do you have a Yi alarm that goes off? Or is it just an unhealthy crush?

He hearts Yi.

[Rockmaninoff]

Yi is often the tallest guy out on the court, he certainly was Saturday night against GS... taller than Biedrins, Bogut, and OBryant. But he also runs like a forward and shoots like a guard. The kid also can block shots, and he has a very high basketball IQ.

How people can call him a marginal rotation player or a bench guy astounds me. Yao, Bogut, and several other NBA bigs have raved about his potential and ability.

The kid is holding his own in the NBA in his rookie year. Give him time, and give him room to grow. The kid is special... and may have saved pro basketball in Milwaukee by the increased exposure and interest he has brought Kohl's floundering franchise.

Exactly. The Kid's biggest problem, is that he is green. He has all the talent in the world, but just like Bogut, he is not getting the ball in his rookie season. Part of that, like Bogut, is that he is unselfish to a fault. Part of that, like Bogut, is that he lacks the confidence to take over. Part of that I'm sure, is the coaching staff's belief that the guards give us a better chance of winning right now.

Losing is contagious. It seems he is starting to pick up the bad habits of being on a losing team, and not having the status to do much about it just adds to the funk. Part of his poor performance is I'm sure due to the 'rookie wall'. I don't think a person can look at these last few weeks, in the same context, as his first month or two. That's where I saw the flashes of what this kid could be.

That first Chicago game where he basically took over on defense in the 3rd quarter. The Houston game in which he basically took over on offense in the 3rd and 4th quarter (is this the clutch 2nd half player, that we need but have been neglecting?), and could have potentially won the game for us. The 20 and 10 games. The Bobcats game. Like all rookies he is inconsistant. But, the flashes have been there.

So, where do we go from here? Well, like has been said ad nauseam, we need to take the shots away from one member of our illustrious guard tandem (Redd for Kirilenko/Almond - The Mo Williams to Miami deal - etc.), give those shots to Bogut and Yi, and as a part of any deal, aquire a role playing power forward who can start and let Yi come off the bench this year at the 4/5.

There is no substitute for game experience. We have seen that with Bogut. A player can practice new moves in the gym until they collapse, but until that player gets the opportunity to do it in a game, those skills remain undeveloped. I want to see Yi's international go-to move (high post turnaround fade away). Is that going to take 3 years?

[raferfenix]

Just because Yi isn't strong enough yet to attack the rim often doesn't mean he won't get there. He's a VERY mentally tough player with a great bball iq, and he has been lifting weights with the specific goal of being tougher around the hoop in mind. How many young athletic PF's have this same problem? Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chris Bosh all did.

Fact of the matter is, his athleticism and bball iq are so high that he should develop into a defensive monster. I care dramatically less about his offense, but he should also be great on the fast break and as he gets more experience and strength shorter PF's will find it real hard to guard him.

It's far too early to say we have a superstar or all star on our hands, but Yi has so much athleticism and skills, as well as the desire to improve that capping his potential is ludicrous at this point.

[trwi7]

Remember that you're a fan of the team that drafted Brandan Wright. Just remember that before running your mouth again.

They didn't draft him. They traded Jason Richardson for him.

[fam3381]

I see him as a possible 18-20 ppg guy with 8 rebs, maybe a couple blocks per game. He's been a middle-of-the-pack rebounder among PFs so far this year, which is probably as good as we could have expected. Offensively he's got skills but needs plenty of polish in terms of finishing. Defensively I've been thrilled...he's got the physical attributes and attitude to improve a lot on that end as he gains experience. I was expecting him to suck on defense but he's been good for a foreign rook.

I think Sim mentioned early on that he has to figure out a way to get his own shot, that's the main thing to me. In China he could do that by getting little turnarounds in the post but in his rare post chances he looks too anxious at the moment. He doesn't have a reliable baby hook which would seem to be something he could develop give how much touch he has. Especially given his length that would be a great weapon alongside a little more strength. He might never be a great ballhandler but if he can develop a little jab step that could also get him open looks. Either way, jump-shooting is the easiest skill to translate into the NBA. Post stuff is the hard thing, and that's been true for Yi.

No one's mentioned three point shooting, but I'd be kind of surprised if we don't see more of that next year. He has the form and hasn't been bad when he's taken them this year.

His finishing has been the most disappointing aspect of his game IMO, way too many blocks around the rim, and as a result he doesn't seem to trust himself as much when he's in there. Too many headfakes. But I think that's a major adjustment in the NBA...he's never had to deal with NBA athletes before.

Reading through this thread, there also seem to be a couple points that people are mindlessly repeating without much justification.

I don't see the mental weakness part at all...I'd say his mindset and focus have been one of the encouraging things about him. All the guy does is play basketball. He doesn't party, he doesn't talk much, he just plays and practices. Talk to people with the Bucks and they'll tell you he usually doesn't even leave his hotel room on road trips. He works on both ends and while he makes mistakes you don't have to worry about his attitude or effort.

He's been a star in China for years and this is now the next thing. Aside from that shot he missed at the end of OT in Cleveland he's been a pretty money player when he's shot the ball late in games. We don't know for sure if he has the mindset to be a dominant player, but I don't think we've seen anything from his personality to suggest he can't be a very good player.

Also, I keep seeing references to him struggling for the past two months, but he didn't win the rookie of the month purely on the Bobcats game. He's been struggling for a couple weeks. It happens, and I think the reorientation of the offense around Bogut has something to do with that. We'll have to roll with it.

[Simulack]

Its tough to say. We don't have a lot of data on young guys coming from China and how they progress. To me, how he progresses from this year to next is very big. Will he get stronger and become a better rebounder and more well rounded offensive player? We'll have to wait and see, I think.

I agree. Given the lack of certainty regarding Yi's age, his progress during his second and third seasons are going to be particularly important in trying to get a feel for Yi's ceiling. We'll have a much better idea where he stands in a year or two. Offensively, I'll be waiting to see if he can start creating his own shot.

As **** as Yi has been lately, I think its important for us to remember this is basically the guy we expected before the season started (with better defense). If I recall, there were a lot of 9/5 type predictions for Yi's rookie season and many considered him a major project. We got teased with some flashes in the beginning of the year that made us think he was more ready than he was. But he's still probably slightly above expectations.

Yi may always be known as "the guy who was drafted two spots before GOAT Brandon Wright" but that doesn't mean he can't be a solid player.

[REDDzone]

-= original quote snipped =-



He has not shown much more to this point though, now has he?

He has had some really, really good games for a rookie.

The kid is undeniably a good shooter, and he can board better than you give him credit for.

Look at his game logs, he has contributed a lot more than a "fringe rotation player on a mediocre team" already in several games this year. He is a young guy, you think he has already hit his ceiling?

Can you honestly tell me that you expect the same out of Yi now that you did this summer when you first made your infamous "evaluation" ?

[europa]

He's better than I thought he'd be as a rookie. No question about that. Based on the scouting reports I had grave fears especially about his defense, but he has the skill set to be a good and maybe a very good defender as his career develops.