Scouting Report: Yi Jianlian
by Jeff Clark on Jun 20, 2007 5:49 AM EDT
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Note: Eric Weiss writes for DraftExpress.com and reviewed game film from 32 full games to come to the following conclusions.
Situation: The Celtics are looking for a complementary frontcourt player to pair with Al Jefferson. The ideal candidate would have the ability to play the high post offensively by hitting set shots from 17 feet and in as well as having the instincts and mobility to play off of Jefferson and Paul Pierce by crashing the offensive glass and attacking off the swing of the ball.
Defensively, Boston is looking for a frontcourt player who has the ability to defend the high pick and roll by cutting off the penetration lanes to the basket and recovering afterward. The ideal candidate would also be able to defend on-ball in the high and low post as well as play help defense by effectively picking up dribble penetration.
Read more after the jump.
Strengths: Yi has a reliable set jump shot out to 18 feet. He’s got fundamental form and a smooth release on the catch-and-shoot that will force defenders to close out on him when the ball is delivered. His release point is very high because of his height and he shows the ability to make the shot even when a player is closing in, most likely because he knows it won’t be blocked.
Yi has a solid turnaround jumper from the baseline that he uses by turning away from contact on the post. He can use the glass effectively when the angle is there as well. Yi also utilizes a decent running hook shot going to the middle from the left block. He can also do this from the right side, but not with the same fluidity. Overall, the jump hook looks like a weapon that can be developed because he shows good ball control when going into the motion.
Yi has excellent fluidity of motion and decent footwork, though he over commits himself to plays driving toward the basket. He shows very good instincts on the offensive glass, closing in on caroms when the shot goes up and finishing without gathering himself, which allows him to avoid the recovering defense.
Yi is also very good at working off the ball by making basket cuts through the defense. He has good hands and can finish these cuts from far away due to his explosiveness and length. This skill set makes Yi strong in transition situations as well because he can run the court and quickly take advantage of a disorganized defense.
Defensively, Yi’s best strength is his mobility and timing on his shot blocking. He has the ability to "track" an opponent and make blocks on drives without making a lot of body contact. He should be able to contribute to help defense because his length and athleticism translates to the NBA level.
Weaknesses: Yi has difficulty in ISO situations. He has decent ball handling skills, but is uncontrolled when putting the ball on the floor and doesn’t shot much in the way of a pull-up game when attacking the basket. Yi gets caught driving into traffic on many of his attempts and is prone to turnovers.
Yi is not effective taking contact on the block or driving the lane. He loses control of the ball very easily and gets knocked off balance when he meets minimal resistance. He prefers to feel contact and move away from it to free himself for the turnarounds and running hooks that he uses to good effect, but cannot create high percentage opportunities for himself when the contact disrupts his rhythm.
While his set shot is good, he doesn’t have three point range on his shot. The further he gets out the more of a "flip" his shot becomes and he loses accuracy in terms of left/right motion on the shot as well as losing arc on the trajectory when he does keep the ball straight. He will have to work on extending his range, but does have the solid fundamentals closer in to project an increase in range.
Yi’s on-ball defense is sub par for the same reason he has trouble on the block offensively, he doesn’t deal with contact well. He gives ground when bodied up and relies on his standing reach to try and defend his opponent on the low block. He doesn’t establish a low base or show much resistance when player’s initiate contact and on the NBA level the strengths and explosiveness that he’ll face will make this a major area of improvement.
Outlook: Overall, Yi has the current offensive skills to help an NBA team with some very basic complementary play. He can be relied upon to hit the open shot, move the ball to an open teammate, and hit the offensive glass.
Defensively, he isn’t going to contribute much in the way of man defense, though he should be able to guard the high post decently with his recovery speed and timing. If he has decent interior help defense to close lanes and help with pain coverage, he should be able to contribute to some effective team defense. But Yi isn’t a defensive anchor by any stretch and it will be a process to get him to an effective level with his man defense. He must learn to play with contact and utilize his body to counter his opponents attack.
Rebounding is also somewhat of a concern. He has solid anticipation skills, so he can move his feet and go for rebounds out of his range, but he doesn’t use his body to carve space for himself and can get shoved out of the action very easily by simply, fundamental box outs or swim moves to gain position. Yi relies on height and timing for rebounds and may be able to adapt by learning to tip balls to himself.
In terms of becoming a focal point on offense, Yi has a lot of work to do. His use of the glass, hook shots, and turnarounds are a good base to start with, but his ISO skills and lack of effectiveness when attacking the basket is something that must be addressed. He may be able to take centers off the dribble from outside, but his decision making once he gets past the primary defender is poor and will need a good deal of coaching and repetition to rectify.
In the paint, Yi is going to have to learn how to initiate contact and maintain control. It is far too easy to disrupt his rhythm and affect his offense by bodying him up and playing physical. His best moves are made when creating space and avoiding contact.
If the Celtics keep the 5th pick they are going to need to make a veteran acquisition to help bolster next year’s attack. Yi could fill a role as the backup center and has a good complementary game to Perkins and Jefferson due to his outside shooting ability, but he isn’t much help defensively and isn’t going to be dynamic enough offensively to warrant substantial playing time on a winning team.
This is a role player who must flesh out various elements of his game before he’ll be more than a support, rotation player. He seems to have a bit of an attitude, but he must ratchet up his aggressive tendencies if he is going to become a top-3 option for any team. Right now, he doesn’t play with purpose or tenacity on every possession. Some of this may be a byproduct of the team culture in China, something we’ve seen before from Yao Ming’s developmental track record. Whether or not he has the internal mental makeup to follow in Ming’s path is yet to be determined. Ultimately , it will be the mental and not the physical that determines Yi’s success in the NBA.
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i could have said it in 5 words, not worth the 5th pick
by goCeltics on Jun 20, 2007 6:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
great, great rundown on him, thanks Eric
by Jeff Clark on Jun 20, 2007 7:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Drafting Yi at “5” indicates that the Celtic’s will settle for raw talent with an eye toward later stardom. Herein lies the “crap-shot” when drafting potential… There is a certain risk with projecting future stardom. As an example, look no further than our own Gerald Green who show occasional glimpses of future stardom but a steady interim diet of barnyard play.
Yi apparently has a better basketball IQ than Green and may therefore develop faster but will he have the necessary dedication and commitment to put his body and soul on the line?
by moskqq on Jun 20, 2007 7:09 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
isnt this what were turning Gomes into, an away from the basket player.
i think Gomes would mix it up and rebound harder than yi too
like goceltics said, not worth the 5th.
lets get a premier pg in conley or a premier wing like wright or
a premier defender like brewer .. rondo and conley tag teaming
what a problem to have or a tall sf to cover tall sg or a wing that has
all star potential in wright
by perk on Jun 20, 2007 7:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
call me crazy or old school, but I prefer my 7 footers to be able to play defense and not shy away from contact.
by cos on Jun 20, 2007 7:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
an excellent summary eric. if we draft yi, we are going development all the way and i like the comparison to green- lots of potential-down the road with lots of flair to keep us interested until it happens. i can even see him winning the slam dunk contest. but what do we want slam dunk titles or nba banners? we need bigs who can play d and not one legged candy mans and theos. my biggest fear (it already happened when they rehired doc) is that theo looks semi good during preseason like candyman and we end up with another empty roster spot.
by nazzbo on Jun 20, 2007 8:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Now read that summary of the C’s situation and think about how AK from Utah fits. His contract sucks but I think he is such an ideal fit with Al’s game that its worth looking into trading for him. I still think Utah will part because of his contract, the fact that they werent happy with his play and attitude this past season and they need the cap room for Williams, Okur and Boozer’s future contracts.
by Clicious on Jun 20, 2007 8:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Danny has made great picks when picking outside of top 10. Having a 5 in a great draft plays to his strength. DO NOT TRADE IT! Chad Ford had several other teams hoping to deal up for Yi. If true this guy may be a missing link for us. That 3rd rate, jock sniffer Shaughnessy says in today’s Globe that the C’s will get rid of #5. That guy has the worst intuitions in sports writing history so that convinces me Danny will hold it.
I don’t agree on Conley. Who said his shot is great and Rondo has all other skills.
We do not need a “rent-a-veteran”. Our guys are becoming that. We will be good enough to make playoffs. We need to hold G. Green one more year to see if he has superstar upside.
Danny better not trade off long term potential for short term “fix” when it may be that Doc Rivers is the bottleneck to progress.
As far as Kevin Garnett, he’s great but the contract is a team killer. And Danny wouldn’t trade all our youngs for KG only to see him walk soon so a LT extension would hang around our necks. If he wants out of Minny to get with a winner, why would he come to Boston? If all he wants is to win then he ought to be willing to re-write his deal so that his new team can afford complementary players. He should already see that he can’t do it alone.
by Wildblu1 on Jun 20, 2007 8:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If you’re set on getting a center, then Yi’s not your guy. I’ve been on his bandwagon because I see him as a big 3. But then, I’m wrong about all sorts of things.
by no kidding on Jun 20, 2007 8:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I like Yi alot. His skills are obvious. I wouldn’t read what one guy at Draft Express says and use it as gospel. I remember listening to people on Rondo lasy year, and have been gladly eating crow since. Yi has a chance to be a special player, maybe more so than any other inside the 3-11 range. He obviously could be a flop, but the Celts need to think long and hard about him. My biggest fear with Yi is not his ability, it’s his age.
by Real World on Jun 20, 2007 8:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If we trade down I can see Yi being a solid pick. I wonder how the phones are working in Charlotte right now.
by DaveCowinsFan on Jun 20, 2007 8:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This is where the concerns about age come in. If he’s 19, he still has time to adapt his game over the next couple of years. But if he’s 22 or 23, it’s gonna be harder to change his habits of avoiding contact, etc. If we draft a project like Yi, I think Pierce is gone.
by ConverseAllStars on Jun 20, 2007 8:46 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
call me crazy or old school, but I prefer my 7 footers to be able to play defense and not shy away from contact.
Cos.. that was hiliarious. I agree.
by celtsguy81 on Jun 20, 2007 8:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Eric’s research is not to be taken likely. He is the closest thing we have to Ainge’s perspective, since he has studied the game film. The UTube highlights that we have all been seduced by are hardly worth consideration in comparison. I think Yi’s lack of development in certain areas, especially the ability to finish in a one on one sitution, is of concern given that he could in fact be 22 or 23 at this point. If he was truly 19, or even 20, I would be much less concerned with this observation by Eric. Since we will probably never learn his actual age, you have to assume the worst—that he is probably 22 or 23. In that case, I can see Ainge taking a pass and drafting Brewer (who already has the full skill set) or Brandon Wright (who is 19 or 20?). I do not think that he will take Jeff Green.
by footey on Jun 20, 2007 8:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
From your article:
Defensively, Boston is looking for a frontcourt player who has the ability to defend the high pick and roll by cutting off the penetration lanes to the basket and recovering afterward.
—————————————————————
Noah’s scouting report fits perfectly with what you say the C’s needs are. Unfortunately, you aren’t drafting….Danny is.
————————————————————
From your article:
Defensively, he isnâ€â"¢t going to contribute much in the way of man defense, though he should be able to guard the high post decently with his recovery speed and timing. If he has decent interior help defense to close lanes and help with pain coverage, he should be able to contribute to some effective team defense. But Yi isnâ€â"¢t a defensive anchor by any stretch and it will be a process to get him to an effective level with his man defense. He must learn to play with contact and utilize his body to counter his opponents attack.
—————————————————————————-
Sadly, Yi fits right in to Docs “defense”….as in he can’t defend. Another defensive project for Clifford Ray is not what this team needs. Especially when under Doc’s “defense”, he’ll always be out of position defensively in addition to not having much of a clue when he is in position.
I guess that means if we keep the pick, Danny will draft Yi.
by iowa plowboy on Jun 20, 2007 9:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think his age determines his top end. If he really is 22 or 23, his ceiling is probably a healthy Raef, which is a really good player. Raef was an 18 10 guy before his knees went back. If he is 19, he really could be another Dirk, because Dirk didn’t have any post game when he came into the league or any game to speak of beyond hitting open jump shots. If this report is true, Yi has two very important skills you can’t teach; good hands enabling him to catch the ball, and a natural jump shot. That combined with his hieght make him a pretty nice prospect. You can put him on a weight program and improve his strength and make him an acceptable defender and finisher. Give the kid a couple of years on and NBA strength program and a lot of the negatives go away. Chances are he will never be a great ball handler or defender since he doesn’t seem to be a natural at those. But he can though work become acceptable at those skills so that he is not a liability. There is always a place in the NBA for a big man who can hit an open jump shot and score with his back to the basket. Yi definitely won’t be a stiff.
by JohnCK on Jun 20, 2007 9:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
im tending to now to lean more towards green or trading for lewis after the draft. yi seems like he could be a decent player in time but not a good fit for us or what we need right now.
by bucknersrevenge on Jun 20, 2007 9:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Great piece, Eric. I can tell you watched a lot of game film to come to those conclusions because it’s not like you can come across Yi by accident on TNT.
I’m a little less than enthralled with the content of the report though ; it does seem like he won’t be much of an immediate help for the team. A young Raef Lafrentz with some dribble drive ability? A very immature poor man’s Pau Gasol? These seem like the right comparisons. I’m scared that the C’s are gonna pick this guy not based on his basketball ability now but his three to four year potential (which we don’t need any more of, honestly) and marketability (giving us a chunk of that tasty Chinese fanbase).
by dobbs on Jun 20, 2007 9:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
More mobile than Raef. Sounds like a young Brad Lohaus! Yeah, baby!!! Can you say domination?
by Zoots on Jun 20, 2007 9:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Sounds like Yi is not the impact player we need with the 5th pick. We need rebounding and defense with this pick.
by scndtony on Jun 20, 2007 9:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
[quote="Footey"]Since we will probably never learn his actual age, you have to assume the worst—that he is probably 22 or 23. [/quote]
Wrong, we will learn his age…he will need to declare indisputable verification of his age before he works in the US or else he may be deported. See the link
http://sports-law.blogspot.com/2007/06/yi-jianlians-age-nba-employment-and.html
by IndeedProceed on Jun 20, 2007 9:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If we keep #5, and assuming Horford is off the table, I’m leaning more and more toward believing we should take Noah. For a long time I hated the idea of picking him because of his horrible shooting, but I’m starting to realize that in nearly every other aspect of the game he give the Celtics exactly what they need:
- he’d be effective at guarding Nowitzki, Duncan, Garnett, Durant, J. O’Neal, Bosh, Jamison, Aldridge, Gasol, Marion, Peja, Brand, etc.
- he’d also be a good help defender who would block a lot of shots
- he’s a good rebounder
- he’s an excellent passer who would create better shots for Al and Paul
- he’d bring great energy
- he’s a team-first guy
- he’d bring 3 years of experience in a top college program
I know his shooting deficiencies would be a constant source of frustration, but I can’t think of anyone (other than Garnett, whose price is too high) who could help us in so many areas of need.
by Oscar Gamble on Jun 20, 2007 10:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yi – UCK!
Don’t draft this kid, don’t draft Green, don’t draft Conley, don’t draft Thornton…PLEASE!
Size and speed or incredible (freakish) skill set (aka Rondo) win in this league.
I don’t mind trading down but after the top 2 the 3 surest NBA players in this draft are B Wright, Brewer and Law. Get 1 of those 3 if we don’t give up our 1st round pick with a trade.
by HOOPS! on Jun 20, 2007 10:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I say Jason Smith is a better pick than Yi…so if anyone like Yi, trade Theo and the 5 and you can get JRich and a kid like Yi but better in Jason Smith.
No Yi! ;D
by HOOPS! on Jun 20, 2007 10:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yep I just puked in my mouth after reading Yi’s scouting report. Some media outlets are stating Jeff Green’s hieght at 6’10, is this correct, does anyone knwo his combine #’s
by DinoRadjaLives on Jun 20, 2007 11:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Thank you, Eric! Anyone who watches 32 hours of game footage to put together a scouting report is dedicated to his craft.
by Cousin It on Jun 20, 2007 11:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I love how you guys all talk about Yi like you’ve seen him play
by whales on Jun 20, 2007 11:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That’s Right Whales.
Right Whales?
Wait…is any one here a marine biologist?!
by mcpu40 on Jun 20, 2007 12:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Sounds like a great project on a playoff team or a young team that’s not planning on making the playoffs next year. Thank you Eric for your thoughtful analysis.
by greendoc on Jun 20, 2007 12:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It’s becoming obvious that we need to deal this pick and whatever else it takes to land KG or Gasol. Period.
by lovethecees on Jun 20, 2007 12:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Whales, no one is saying the kid sux, but considering the state of the Celtics the last thing we need is a project with a high pick. From what I have read and the little footage I have seen, I would say a solid comparison to Yi is Darko when he came out. I would rather take Brewer and have him be the next Wade than Yi and have a Darko on my hands.
by DinoRadjaLives on Jun 20, 2007 12:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
thanks Eric… sounds like a guy we need to avoid like the plague.
by cavman on Jun 20, 2007 12:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Indeed Proceed, How are we going to get that verification before we make a drafting decision? That is why we have to assume the worst re age.
by footey on Jun 20, 2007 1:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
cavman said:
thanks Eric… sounds like a guy we need to avoid like the plague.
Sure. Sounds like Dirk Nowitzki when he was coming in the league.
by kozlodoev on Jun 20, 2007 1:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
taking Yi means we are looking to develope kids and then win. I have played and watched bball for a while and no real team puts wining second. C’s are a corner stone of the NBA and it is sad that they are in this spot. Yi could be a good or even a great player.. however c’s are not in a postion to wait and see. Paul Peirce came in and played. toine came in and played matter of facted his rookie yr he started @ everypostion from 1-5. so why take a guy who aint gonna come in and play. I am tried of seeing a bunch of d league guys wearing the green and white. Guys like allen ray and perk of 2yrs ago n gg (rookie yr) should not be on the team.
The d was our biggest fuk up last yr and for a while so why not draft for d. d aint the only problem but Doc is a problem but that is another story..
I think we should take brewer or noah, horford will be gone.. brewer because he is nba ready and can play d are biggest flaut all season… think about it a backcourt of rondo and brewer… wow.. brewer can guard the best off play of the opp.. give pp a couple of more yrs and he can cover up gg’s lack of d… or noah because he is a big he can rebound and defend…and give aj a big who can move up and down the court take on the best big the opp has to offer.. gives aj a break and gets foul trouble way from aj. there is a link between the two that is D! D will win games for us… we already are stack
by celticlover on Jun 20, 2007 1:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Whales, no one is saying the kid sux, but considering the state of the Celtics the last thing we need is a project with a high pick. From what I have read and the little footage I have seen, I would say a solid comparison to Yi is Darko when he came out. I would rather take Brewer and have him be the next Wade than Yi and have a Darko on my hands.
I agree
by whales on Jun 20, 2007 1:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Shawn Marion to the Celtics,
Garnett to the Suns
Telfair, the #5, #24 and cap filler (can someone explain that to me?) to Minnesota
thats the newest proposal
by mauersota on Jun 20, 2007 2:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
For what it’s worth a Chinese newspaper commenting on Yi’s age said it would be practically impossible to have fudged his age by 2-3 years.
A few months, perhaps, but a 12 year old, playing against 9 year olds, as big as he was, would have been too obvious.
by JB_Celticsstuff on Jun 20, 2007 2:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
One thing does not add up. If the CBA is, as Ainge claims, more competitive than the NCAA, and Yi posted 25PPG and 10RPF, arguably he would have similar numbers in college ball. When a guy has his size and athleticism and posts those kind of numbers (and is supposedly improving by leaps and bounds), I would think he plays better than Eric is concluding. I know that DE has been harsher on Yi than other draft journals, and maybe because they do there homework more. But I would hate to miss out on someone who is going to be in the Dirk mold in a few years. We will be kicking ourselves for the next 10.
by footey on Jun 20, 2007 2:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
“Shawn Marion to the Celtics,
Garnett to the Suns
Telfair, the #5, #24 and cap filler (can someone explain that to me?) to Minnesota”
Wow, I like that one. Marion is younger than Garnett and the Celtics get to keep Jefferson. A starting lineup of Perkins, Jefferson, Marion, Pierce and Rondo, with West, Allen and Gomes off the bench would be very competetive. Also, I really think there is a quality big man to be had with the number 32 pick. I like Grey or the kid from Boston College who keeps getting in trouble. If the Celtics could steal a quality big man in the second round to round out the bench, that team would really work.
by JohnCK on Jun 20, 2007 2:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
All these comments (both positive and negative) lead me to believe that:
Next season will not be so bad, rather…quite competitive.
The rebuilding effort appears on the fast track now.
by mcpu40 on Jun 20, 2007 3:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The Celtics Team of the Future- Rondo, Green, Gomes, Jefferson and Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Big Cat on Jun 20, 2007 3:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Shawn Marion to the Celtics,
Garnett to the Suns
Telfair, the #5, #24 and cap filler (can someone explain that to me?) to Minnesota
thats the newest proposal
The newest proposal from where? How is this a better deal for Minny than when they had Al Jeffeson, our #5, Gerald Green coming in for KG?
by whales on Jun 20, 2007 3:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Thanks, Eric, great job.
I’m tending to agree with those who want Noah. But Splitter is like Noah with an outside shot. Just sayin’.
by Eeyore III on Jun 20, 2007 3:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The Celtics staff has watched Yi in person 12 times plus seen every available tape on him. Ainge and Rivers flew to LA early this month to see his workout. He’s in the mix.
If they keep the pick, the Celtics want to get the player out of this draft who is going to have the 3rd best career, not the 3rd best rookie season (positions #1 and #2 seem to be locked up.). Maybe Yi will be the 3rd guy. I don’t know; but Danny Ainge has drafted well and I think he has an idea about that.
Yi’s combination of length, shooting ability and athleticism are rare. Guys with rare combinations of skills often become stars.
by Gant on Jun 20, 2007 4:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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