High School: Shen Zhen City
Hometown: Shenzhen, China
International Team: Guandong Southern Tigers (China)
Position: Power Forward/Center
Height: 7'0"
Weight: 230 lbs.
Class: N/A
Positives:
Yi plays more like a small forward than a power forward or center, which is impressive considering his size. He can shoot very well from the perimeter and the free-throw line, as well handle the ball on the dribble fairly well. Yi is athletic, can run the floor on transition and finish with highlight worthy dunks. Because of his height and length, Yi is a good shot-blocker and can play the passing lanes because of his quickness.
Negatives:Obviously, the level of competition in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) is a lot lower in skill level, athleticism, and speed than the NBA. Yi will have a lot to prove as far as being able to excel against NBA players as he did in the CBA. It's dubious at this point. Also, despite his size, Yi doesn't succeed as much down low as he does from the outside on offense as he is not as polished of a low-post player because he can be pushed out of position. He will need to build his upper body strength in order to keep up with the NBA bangers in the box. Also, there is some question about Yi's real age.
Overview:Yi is a bit of a high-risk/high reward player in that he should be a lottery pick, but how high will he go? There will be that many more expectations if he's a top ten pick. Yi will have a better chance to succeed if he can play for a running team since that is more of his forte, but either way, he'll need to acclimate himself to the speed of the NBA if he is going to excel during his rookie year.
