Empty the Bench

That got your attention, didn’t it. Well, there’s really no way to definitively project Yi Jianlian’s NBA game at this point with such a limited body of evidence. I’ve seen the YouTube clips of him dominating his 5′10″ opposition and I watched some of the Olymic action, but it’s still hard to be convinced that Yi will be an impact player. He’s making a lot of waves though, and I’m very curious to see where he ends up in June. This week Yi’s Guangdong Tigers are playing in the Chinese Basketball Association finals, and there are a number NBA team’s currently scouting the power forward, including the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers. Despite the limited resume, Yi is being called the best international prospect in this draft class, and today’s Chicago Daily Herald went as far as to say, “He’s a good athlete who compares to Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett as far as being a 7-footer with the skills of a small forward.”

Jianlian is expected to be a sure top-ten selection in this year’s NBA draft and is certainly the most interesting big man after Greg Oden (assuming Oden declares). Yao Ming has played with him on the Chinese National Team the last three years, and he had some pretty kind things to say about the young player who is somewhere between 19 and 24 years old (nobody knows for certain):

“[Yi] is very close to a player like Amare Stoudemire [of the Phoenix Suns],” Yao suggested when asked for a comparison. “He’s taller, almost 7 feet. He has very nice touch. He’s very athletic. I think he has good . . . balance for a great player.”

With that, Yao paused, turning to the Chinese journalists for assistance with a word he was searching for. With a few words exchanged among them, Yao turned back and said “fundamentals.”

The inveitable comparisons will be to Ming, the best center in the NBA right now, but those aren’t entirely accurate. Yi is a 7-footer, but his game is completely different. He’s much quicker and more athletic than Yao, and his offense isn’t the strict back-to-the-basket repertoire of Yao. As Yao also noted, Yi is more of a natural four than a five. Jianlian looks to run the floor very well, he seems to play with more emotion and he has a flare for the dramatic dunk and block that the humble Ming has never displayed. Yi averaged 20.5 points and 9.6 rebounds a season ago and is putting up 24.8 points and 11.4 rebounds this season. Impressive numbers, but again, the competition level in the Chinese leagues is suspect at best. I’ll need to see some real evidence next season, but Jianlian is one of the most intriguing NBA prospects to come around in recent years. Keep an eye on him.