The Official Yi Jianlian Shrine

[6_Rings]

looks like Yi is a better player coming off the bench. or he has chemistry with Wall or Kirk. you lucky bastards getting him for practically nothing not even a bag of doritos.

[Ruzious]

If Seraphin doesn't get minutes - and it's looking that way right now - I think Yi's in line for 30 minutes a game.

[Hoopalotta]

It sounds insane to say, but as of this moment, Yi might be closer to Blatche and McGee than Armstrong, Booker or Seraphin are to Yi. That might be more of an indictment of our deep bench than an endorsement of Yi, but I agree Yi is in for some minutes here. Hopefully Seraphin can go onward and upward, but it's baby steps with him.

Yi just might be our 6th best player, at least until Howard is un-hobbled. I'm waiting for one-liners about 'five man team', but that's what it looked like yesterday.

[nate33]

Way too much is being gleaned out of one game. Yi was hitting shots. Young and Thornton weren't. Next game, the inverse could happen and everyone will be happy with Young and Thornton while hating Yi.

I missed the game. Who was guarding Yi? Brian Cardinal?

[Nivek]

I took two things away from this first preseason game regarding Yi. 1) He was aggressive looking for his shot. 2) He takes a lot of shots from a step inside the 3pt line. I'd prefer he take the step back and shoot the 3.

[Hoopalotta]

I wasn't really as moved about Yi's offense as much as his general mobility combined with the spectacularly horrific nature of Armstrong's, uhm, "interior presence". The only way I could see Yi getting beat out is if Seraphin explodes.

[dobrojim]

interesting thing about Yi was he appears to be a reasonable
defensive matchup for Dirk who isn't used to players his
size and mobility guarding him

[TheGreatWall]

I took two things away from this first preseason game regarding Yi. 1) He was aggressive looking for his shot. 2) He takes a lot of shots from a step inside the 3pt line. I'd prefer he take the step back and shoot the 3.

This. Or take two steps in. Taking contested shots with your foot on the line makes very little sense.

[Nivek]

I took two things away from this first preseason game regarding Yi. 1) He was aggressive looking for his shot. 2) He takes a lot of shots from a step inside the 3pt line. I'd prefer he take the step back and shoot the 3.

This. Or take two steps in. Taking contested shots with your foot on the line makes very little sense.

He was already a step inside the 3pt line. Another couple steps in wouldn't make much difference in the shooting percentage and it's still worth only 2 pts. Step back to the 3pt line and a) the percentage for most players is about the same as it is from mid-range, and b) a made basket is worth 50% more.

[verbal8]

I took two things away from this first preseason game regarding Yi. 1) He was aggressive looking for his shot. 2) He takes a lot of shots from a step inside the 3pt line. I'd prefer he take the step back and shoot the 3.

This. Or take two steps in. Taking contested shots with your foot on the line makes very little sense.

He was already a step inside the 3pt line. Another couple steps in wouldn't make much difference in the shooting percentage and it's still worth only 2 pts. Step back to the 3pt line and a) the percentage for most players is about the same as it is from mid-range, and b) a made basket is worth 50% more.

Even if he is only 1 33% 3 point shooter, the 2 pointer has to be a 50% shot to be as good. With the exception of the great pure shooters, long point 2 jumpers are not a 50% shot.

I think Yi should be shooting on average 3 to 4 3 pointers a game, especially in the pre-season. If he can become a 3 point threat it will open up space for both him and the other players to drive to the basket.

[Dat2U]

Totally agree on the opinion that Yi needs to take a step back behind the 3 pt line. To me the long contested 2 is the worst shot in basketball and Yi seems to live off those. I suspect he'd improve his efficiency & value significantly if he did this.

How much different would he be from a guy like Bargnani if he had that 3 pointer in his arsenal?

[pennyliu123]

The deep 2 favor is his habit, he used to do this when he was in CBA (a step inside 3pt line of FIBA). And interesting, when he goes back to FIBA, like in the championships, he still likes to shoot the deep 2... sometimes I feel that he use the 3pt line as the rifle scope! Maybe he is not confident enough with his 3P shooting, so a step inside makes him feel better.

[Ed Wood]

The deep 2 favor is his habit, he used to do this when he was in CBA (a step inside 3pt line of FIBA). And interesting, when he goes back to FIBA, like in the championships, he still likes to shoot the deep 2... sometimes I feel that he use the 3pt line as the rifle scope! Maybe he is not confident enough with his 3P shooting, so a step inside makes him feel better.

That's almost certainly the case. Everybody just has that distance beyond which they don't feel entirely comfortable heaving them up. That fondness for the long two isn't uncommon in the NBA, we all remember Jarvis Hayes' love for the twenty foot shot, not a particularly happy memory. The problem is that even if Yi is comfortable at that range unless he's shooting those shots like the terminator he's still not doing the team many favors offensively. He'd be far better off focusing on extending his comfort zone beyond the arc so that it's worth having him out there throwing up shots.

[pennyliu123]

In fact, his 3P shooting is not that bad, but personally, I hope that he can attack more inside the painted area, like he did in the Nets (mainly the beginning of that season). He is very fast as a 7 footer, if he has the space, he can drive to the rim in many cases.

[hands11]

The tide is turning.

No more reading all that Yi was a wasted pick up anymore.

Not calling him an All Star yet but the young man is looking pretty good.

Well worth EG bringing him here to take a look.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/players/p ... yerId=3214

Some interesting numbers from last year.

[Ed Wood]

In fact, his 3P shooting is not that bad, but personally, I hope that he can attack more inside the painted area, like he did in the Nets (mainly the beginning of that season). He is very fast as a 7 footer, if he has the space, he can drive to the rim in many cases.

Also good, and not mutually exclusive with his perimeter shot. If he's a real danger from outside and threatens a shot his man will have to close out strong and provide him with a lane to drive to the rim. Shots at the rim are also preferable to those long twos both because players tend to convert them at a higher percentage and because it's much more likely they'll be fouled shooting them. And anything that ends up putting Yi at the line with any frequency is going to be good for the team.

And while I'm definitely digging Yi through two preseason games and I'm rooting for him, it is not at all unusual for a guy to blow up in the preseason and then fall off of the face of the earth come games that count. Remember that DeAndre Jordan spent the preseason last year seeming as an ancient and terrible god of dunks, unknowable and unstoppable by human defenders. No harm in hoping but let's temper expectations for now.

[ricklin1982]

We should watch more games before making conclusion. I have been watching Yi since he entered NBA. He is a good shooter at the beginning of his every NBA season, but not steady when he is tired. Though I like him, but I will not put him on start line, at least not so early.

The game against Bulls tomorrow is our first back to back game in preseason. We can see if Yi can continue he good performance.

[pennyliu123]

The tide is turning.

No reading all that Yi was a wasted pick up anymore.

Not calling him an All Star yet but the young man is looking pretty good.

Well worth EG bringing him here to take a look.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/players/p ... yerId=3214

Some interesting numbers from last year.

That's what we know already about "media", they just turn the tide whenever they want.

[Ruzious]

The deep 2 favor is his habit, he used to do this when he was in CBA (a step inside 3pt line of FIBA). And interesting, when he goes back to FIBA, like in the championships, he still likes to shoot the deep 2... sometimes I feel that he use the 3pt line as the rifle scope! Maybe he is not confident enough with his 3P shooting, so a step inside makes him feel better.

That's almost certainly the case. Everybody just has that distance beyond which they don't feel entirely comfortable heaving them up. That fondness for the long two isn't uncommon in the NBA, we all remember Jarvis Hayes' love for the twenty foot shot, not a particularly happy memory. The problem is that even if Yi is comfortable at that range unless he's shooting those shots like the terminator he's still not doing the team many favors offensively. He'd be far better off focusing on extending his comfort zone beyond the arc so that it's worth having him out there throwing up shots.

You know who the classic example maybe of all-time is for that theory - Jeff Malone - a tremendous long-distance shooter for the Bullets and Jazz - maybe the best in the game from 21 feet for years. But he just didn't feel comfortable going back another foot to behind the 3 point line. He made just 80some 3's in his 13 year career.

[verbal8]

Remember that DeAndre Jordan spent the preseason last year seeming as an ancient and terrible god of dunks, unknowable and unstoppable by human defenders. No harm in hoping but let's temper expectations for now.

Deandre Jordan definitely didn't do that last night:
FG 3PT FT +/- REB AST TO STL BLK PF PTS
D. Jordan 15:07 0-0 0-0 1-4 +11 3 0 0 0 0 6 1