My thoughts on Yi Jianlian

[Vlade4GM]

I've watched game 2, 3, and 4 of the CBA finals. So far the Bayi Rockets are leading the Guangdong Tigers 3-1 in the series even though Guangdong was expected to walk away with it.

Just from what I've seen in these three games I'm not impressed with Yi Jianlian. He plays uninspired and passive. He doesn't assert himself offensively and gets pushed around in the paint an awful lot. Many times just hanging around the perimeter. The only times I've seen him go strong to the basket and actually finish is when the lane has been wide open. Many times he's been out strengthed. Today's game he was going up strong for a dunk and was just flat out rejected by Wang Zhizhi, then later in the game he was going to drive towards the basket and saw Zhizhi and stopped in his tracks and passed the ball off. While he has the hops and length for shot blocking I haven't seen him being an aggressive shot blocker except on one occassion. Hasn't shown to have any post moves and is not a back to the basket player at all.

Some positives. He's shown some really good passing and court vision IMO, a few times at the top he's found slashing teammates for easy layups. Really good free throw shooter, been automatic from there. While he's not a real good ball handler, he's ok-pretty good, good enough to break down bigs off the dribble. Surprisingly has really good lateral quickness. Good at reading the passing lanes and using his quick hands and length to get steals and deflections. He has great hops, can't wait till the predraft numbers come out on him. He does have a good shooting touch out to 18-20 feet and has a good turn around fade away as well. His most notable quality is definitely his overall quickness and ability to run the court very well. He'd really benefit being in an up tempo transition offense, that's probably how he'd be best utilized.

He has a lot of things to overcome. He needs to add strength and he needs to become more aggressive (in all aspects of the game). Don't think he has any shot in the NBA as a 3, doesn't have the shooting and dribbling to be a 3. While I think skills wise he compares to KG, he does not have that assertiveness or killer instinct which worries me. That's my biggest concern with him, while he likes to really hammer it down when he dunks, he's not an aggressive offensive player and he doesn't take over and assert himself like he should. He just didn't look like the best player in China to me. While I'm sure he is the best, he didn't play as dominant as you'd expect the best player to play. I do have to admit that these games have been for the most part perimeter oriented, but Bayi has been able to go into their big man and make plays for him in the post. These games have been huge for Guangdong and there are a number of GM's and scouts there from the NBA watching him and he hasn't risen to the challenge. Makes you worry if he really has what it takes to succeed in the NBA.

I think as of right now if we had the 5th pick and oden, durant, b wright, and horford were off the board I'd take Julian Wright. Even though we need a big man, we need a potential all-star more and I think Julian Wright has the best potential on the board at that point. Lock down defender, great athleticism, good passing and ball handling. Reminds me a lot of a young Scottie Pippen.

Anyways, this is just my own amateur opinion based on three games, take it for what it's worth

 

[Big Cuz 15]

dirk was unpolished when he first came into the league. i assumed he was a 3 also. when they tried to play him at the 4, opposing 4s went at him hard. hes matured and added quite a bit of skills. from what i've seen in limited amount of clips via you tube.. he does have some potential with his size and coordination.

 

[Venom]

dirk was unpolished when he first came into the league. i assumed he was a 3 also. when they tried to play him at the 4, opposing 4s went at him hard. hes matured and added quite a bit of skills. from what i've seen in limited amount of clips via you tube.. he does have some potential with his size and coordination.

Dirk always had the killer J and ball-handling skills. If Jianlian is difficient in those areas then that is cause for concern.

 

[Bricklayer]

Dirk always had the killer J and ball-handling skills. If Jianlian is difficient in those areas then that is cause for concern.

This kid could run circles around Dirk, literally. That kind of athlete. Not that kind of shooter I think, but looks very smooth out to the midrange area. Could well become a good three point shooter, but won't ever be a Dirk I think (few are).

I think one key thing to remember here is basketball culture. When Yao first came to the U.S. he was too passive too. But he's gotten more and more aggressive and better and better. When you watch foreign prospects sometimes, they do not dazzle with their ability to take over games, because that is considered almost...rude, especially amongst the younger players. You often have to look at their underlying skills, and try to figure out how that will translate once they are unleashed and prodded to really assert themselves.

I actually think those issues run through almost all of the potential studs in this draft. Much talent, but:

1) Oden does not always look as confident and aggressive as he should be. Will need time.
2) Brandon Wriht too often blends into the background, and people question his boardwork.
3) Noah has a great motor and desire...most of the time. Its inconsistent.
4) Horford is rugged and a bit nasty, but rarely dominates even at the college level. Blends into the team.
5) Julian Wright (not coming out he says?) hads lots of skills, but blends too much himself and has difficulty asserting himself consistently.
6) Yi Jianlian puts up huge numbers in China, but there might be questions about whetehr he actually thinks like a goto guy.
7) Hawes has a great skillset, but people question his aggression, toughness, and baordwork

etc.

Of all of the top guys, only Durant, who was just magnificant this year, and maybe Noah on most nights, seemed to really have their foot all the way down on the peddle. Just adds more intrigue to the little find-a-stud shell game the lottery teams are going to be playing in a few months.

 

[Vlade4GM]

This kid could run circles around Dirk, literally. That kind of athlete. Not that kind of shooter I think, but looks very smooth out to the midrange area. Could well become a good three point shooter, but won't ever be a Dirk I think (few are).

I think one key thing to remember here is basketball culture. When Yao first came to the U.S. he was too passive too. But he's gotten more and more aggressive and better and better. When you watch foreign prospects sometimes, they do not dazzle with their ability to take over games, because that is considered almost...rude, especially amongst the younger players. You often have to look at their underlying skills, and try to figure out how that will translate once they are unleashed and prodded to really assert themselves.

I actually think those issues run through almost all of the potential studs in this draft. Much talent, but:

1) Oden does not always look as confident and aggressive as he should be. Will need time.
2) Brandon Wriht too often blends into the background, and people question his boardwork.
3) Noah has a great motor and desire...most of the time. Its inconsistent.
4) Horford is rugged and a bit nasty, but rarely dominates even at the college level. Blends into the team.
5) Julian Wright (not coming out he says?) hads lots of skills, but blends too much himself and has difficulty asserting himself consistently.
6) Yi Jianlian puts up huge numbers in China, but there might be questions about whetehr he actually thinks like a goto guy.
7) Hawes has a great skillset, but people question his aggression, toughness, and baordwork

etc.

Of all of the top guys, only Durant, who was just magnificant this year, and maybe Noah on most nights, seemed to really have their foot all the way down on the peddle. Just adds more intrigue to the little find-a-stud shell game the lottery teams are going to be playing in a few months.

I think you need to remember that you're comparing college play to a professional league. The play is going to be a lot different and I think most scouts would agree that college is the more talented level. College is a lot more team play oriented at least with the top teams.

 

[nbrans]

Thanks for the scouting report, vlade4gm. I agree with what Brick said in the thread about international prospects.

You also have to imagine Jianlian running the floor with an NBA point guard. I mean, has there been another seven footer as athletic as Jianlian since KG? Not saying he's KG, but when you add in a jump shot you're looking at some really great tools. You can't force a guy like that to play hard, but at least motiviation is something you can change. You can't make Hawes more athletic or Horford taller.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Thanks for the scouting report, vlade4gm. I agree with what Brick said in the thread about international prospects.

You also have to imagine Jianlian running the floor with an NBA point guard. I mean, has there been another seven footer as athletic as Jianlian since KG? Not saying he's KG, but when you add in a jump shot you're looking at some really great tools. You can't force a guy like that to play hard, but at least motiviation is something you can change. You can't make Hawes more athletic or Horford taller.

I definitely agree with a lot of YJL's strong points and I'd definitely still consider him, the potential is still undeniable. However, I think pointing out his lack of aggressiveness when he's supposedly the man in China is very important. How he plays in a crucial series like that when a lot of NBA scouts are watching could be telling at how ready he is for the big time. I'm not a professional scout so I don't really know if it's something that can change or even be improved with him or not. It's just a lot of us like JYL because of his good upside but how much of a "star" could he be if he's not even aggressive enough to be like a pau gasol?

As far as have we ever seen a 7 footer as athletic as since KG, well I can't think of everyone on the top of my head, but I'd say Kwame and Tyson Chandler were just as atheltic if not moreso than JYL.

 

[supamari0]

I definitely agree with a lot of YJL's strong points and I'd definitely still consider him, the potential is still undeniable. However, I think pointing out his lack of aggressiveness when he's supposedly the man in China is very important. How he plays in a crucial series like that when a lot of NBA scouts are watching could be telling at how ready he is for the big time. I'm not a professional scout so I don't really know if it's something that can change or even be improved with him or not. It's just a lot of us like JYL because of his good upside but how much of a "star" could he be if he's not even aggressive enough to be like a pau gasol?

As far as have we ever seen a 7 footer as athletic as since KG, well I can't think of everyone on the top of my head, but I'd say Kwame and Tyson Chandler were just as atheltic if not moreso than JYL.

The China factor still has to weigh when determining aggression. Yao was incredibly soft when he came to the NBA. I remember his first year, he was shooting a bunch of mid-range jumpers and taking crazy turn-around jumpers instead of owning the paint. It's only now that he's finally decided to just dominate the middle and use his strength to overpower opponents.

As for Jianlian, he's a different player. He's the quickest 7 footer we've seen in years. (Yes, I dare say he's quicker than KG) He may not be as strong or even as athletic, but he's quicker than him and could blow by him if he improves his handles. The guy needs to get a good jump shot so he can dribble and pull up for jumpers because no 7 footer will be able to keep up with him. (sans Garnett) Guys like Kwame can't move like Jianlian.

As for most athletic 7 footer, I have to give the award (I know I'm slightly biased but most experts agree) to Hakeem Olajuwon. No 7 footer will ever have that kind of footwork, speed and athleticism combo ever again. Guys like Kwame have big hops and are strong but don't have quickness. KG is athletic, fairly quick, but the footwork and handles never developed to where he could take people off the dribble.

 

[Vlade4GM]

The China factor still has to weigh when determining aggression. Yao was incredibly soft when he came to the NBA. I remember his first year, he was shooting a bunch of mid-range jumpers and taking crazy turn-around jumpers instead of owning the paint. It's only now that he's finally decided to just dominate the middle and use his strength to overpower opponents.

As for Jianlian, he's a different player. He's the quickest 7 footer we've seen in years. (Yes, I dare say he's quicker than KG) He may not be as strong or even as athletic, but he's quicker than him and could blow by him if he improves his handles. The guy needs to get a good jump shot so he can dribble and pull up for jumpers because no 7 footer will be able to keep up with him. (sans Garnett) Guys like Kwame can't move like Jianlian.

As for most athletic 7 footer, I have to give the award (I know I'm slightly biased but most experts agree) to Hakeem Olajuwon. No 7 footer will ever have that kind of footwork, speed and athleticism combo ever again. Guys like Kwame have big hops and are strong but don't have quickness. KG is athletic, fairly quick, but the footwork and handles never developed to where he could take people off the dribble.

hakeem wasn't 7 foot, he was more like 6'9.

i agree that he's quicker than kwame was, but in overall athleticism kwame beats out JYL. Chandler I'd say was/is just as quick if not quicker than JYL and I highly doubt JYL has Chandler's length.

I think it's possible it's just Chinese basketball, but it's also very possible that he just plays uninspired. He doesn't have Yao's size and strength to fall back on confidence wise. People are forgetting that he's still getting pushed around by Chinese players, how is he going to fair against the NBA 4's? Sure he has very good quickness, but he's not going to be a 3 and he can't just shoot jumpers all day. He's going to be very timid when he has to face those guys if he's afraid of going up against Wang Zhizhi, I didn't see him finish under diress once.

 

[supamari0]

hakeem wasn't 7 foot, he was more like 6'9..

What?? He was 6-10/6-11 without shoes and 6-11/7 feet with them which is the exact same thing as Garnett.

 

[Packt]

I'm mostly interested in how well he can board. At 8-9, you can fill in around him with role players. At 7-8, he becomes a liability and would need to really be on in the other parts of his game to stay in.

 

[beb0p]

Yi has skill that you don't need from a big man. Maybe I'm old fashion, but I prefer big guys who rebound and block rather than shoot jump shots and beat guys off the dribble. For that reason, I was never that impressed with Yi, but he does have potential to be a good scorer, despite his lack of footwork and a left hand. I also think he will always be a liability on defense. He doesn't have the motivation, the strenght, or the defensive skill to guard his position.

I see him putting up Channing Frye type numbers, around 50% FG, 15pts, 7rebs, and not much defense. And I am almost certain at least one GM drafting from 6 to 9 will fall in love with him. If we get the top 3 pick, we won't draft Yi. If we stay at #10ish, Yi will likely be gone. Either way, Yi won't be coming here and I'm not at all sad about that.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Bayi defeated Guangdong and won the series 4-1. Jianlian played more aggressively this time around, but unfortunetly it wasn't enough. He had 22 points on 9 of 17 shooting, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals.

He definitely asserted himself a lot more than the last three games. A lot of his offense came on transition drives to the basket, splitting the d with huge strides and then laying it up. The guards were definitely making a better effort than previously to get him the ball, but he wasn't really in the low post that often. When the offense is set he normally starts out on the perimeter dribbles and shoots a fadeaway jumper. He hit a clutch three pointer towards the end of the game, which was pretty big. One move I liked the most was when he drove across the baseline through wang zhizhi and layed it up. He still didn't really finish strong under diress like I hoping he'd do, he still has a hard time getting to the basket and past the Bayi bigs (which aren't to be compared to NBA 4 and 5's), so he takes mostly fade away jumpers in set offenses, he was just taking and making more this game. While a good enough dribbler, he's not great at protecting the ball as seen by 5 turnovers. He gets picked a bit by guards when he's standing with the ball out on the perimeter. He wasn't guarded so much by Wang Zhizhi this game, but he didn't really play within 10 feet of the basket that much so probably doesn't make a whole lot of difference.

Defensively he did a solid job. Rotated very well, for the most part stayed in front of his man. Was very good at reading the passing lanes (don't know how good when it comes to translating to the NBA sorry) and disrupting passes allowing others to get the steal and also him to get deflections and a couple steals. Wasn't a huge difference maker defensively, but a lot of bayi's offense is shooting 3's so it's hard to tell if he would have been if they tried more guard penetration. As far as a shot blocking goes, he's kind of like Amare in that sense, he'll get his because of his hops and length, but he'll never be a prolific shot blocker imo. Rebounding wise, his length and hops allows for tipping and grabbing a fair amount of rebounds but I've noticed he isn't that good at reading missed shots and anticipating where the ball will go.

Noticed from the start Guangdong made a point of Jianlian getting more involved in the offense. He started off real hot when Guangdong was getting a lot of transition plays, that's really where Jianlian's skills are best utilated. He cooled down a lot in the third quarter, practically disappeared. Picked it up a bit in the 4th with a couple jumpers and a couple trips to the FT line, but still disappointing second half compared to the first.

Although I'm sure Jianlian doesn't like losing the championship I think he's glad he ended on a high note individually and left the NBA scouts with a good last impression.