With Yao Ming in the Hall of Fame, Who'll Be the Next Chinese Player to Enter the NBA?

Patrick Li | Apr 7, 2016 10:00 am | 6 comments | 4519 reads

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced earlier this week that Yao Ming was one of three players to be elected to the Class of 2016, along with superstars Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson. But it comes at a time when there is not a single PRC player in the NBA. Who's the next Chinese player likely to make the leap?

"The impact the Class of 2016 has had on the game of basketball is gigantic," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame said.

We knew almost for certain that Beijinger favorite Yao was going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer for the tremendous impact he had on the globalization of the game, not to mention his skill as a player.

Yao was arguably one of the most skillful and reliable low-post scorers of all time in the NBA. As a 7'6" big man, Yao possessed surprisingly stylish low post moves and a feathery touch of the ball, which made him almost unstoppable low in the paint. He had excellent basketball fundamentals, could knock down shots and hooks from anywhere within five meters, and was extremely graceful and agile for his size, which also made him very fun to watch. 

In 2006, Yao reached career-high averages of 25 points, 9.4 rebounds, and two blocks per game (compare that to O'Neal's 17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and Tim Duncan's 20 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks). From 2006 to 2009, Yao Ming was the de facto best center in the NBA, until he was hobbled by a career-ending ankle injury in 2009. Spending his entrie NBA career with the Houston Rockets, Yao Ming was named to the All-NBA team five times, and to the NBA All-Star team eight times. 

If you are a Yao doubter, check out the following video to see how he smashed future Hall of Famers Alonzo Mourning, Ben Wallace, Jermaine O'Neal, and Marc Gasol.

Aside from the NBA, Yao was also a star in both the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and international play. He led the Chinese national team to three consecutive FIBA Asian Championships in 2001, 2003, and 2005, and he was named MVP of all three events. He also played in three Olympics in 2000, 2004, and 2008, and one FIBA World Championships in 2006. Between 1999 and 2002, Yao led the Shanghai Sharks to the CBA finals for three consecutive seasons and won the championship in 2002. 

Yao retired in 2011, which left Yi Jianlian the only Chinese player in the NBA at that time. And since Yi returned to play in China in 2012, no PRC player has ever played an NBA game since.

However, some changes are likely to happen within the next two months: China's biggest hope Zhou Qi, a 7'2" center who currently plays for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, declared himself eligible for the 2016 NBA draft. In addition to Zhou, two other Chinese players have been continuously on the radar of NBA international scouts: Fujian's 7'0" center Wang Zhelin, who has also declared eligibility for the 2016 NBA draft, and Beijing's 6'8" small forward Zhai Xiaochuan. 

Widely acknowledged as China's hottest basketball prospect, Zhou has the best chance among the three.

In a recent NBA mock draft simulated by nbadraft.net, Zhou was predicted to be selected by the Chicago Bulls as the 44th overall pick, while Wang and Zhai remained undrafted. 

However, even the rosiest projections do not forecast that any of these three will play at Yao's level. Nevertheless, here's a quick look at the three players most likely to make the NBA:

Zhou Qi

As a 20-year-old, second-year player, Zhou is China's next hope for the NBA. He first became known in 2011, after he posted a 41-point, 28-rebound, and 13-block triple double in an international youth basketball tournament in Turkey as a member of China's U-16 team. He was then signed by the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in a deal that would make him the third highest-paid player in the CBA without ever having played a CBA game.

Averaging 15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and three blocks in the past CBA season, Zhou was once estimated at the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, but the hype soon cooled off as he underachieved in last year's CBA playoffs, where he could barely score 10 points per game.

Wang Zhelin

Wang was once China's hottest basketball prospect, and the 22-year-old center proved himself quickly after a stunning first CBA season, averaging 20.3 points and 13 rebounds in 32 games.

However, his progress has stalled since then. He only played nine games in the last season due to injuries, posting an average of 10 points and six rebounds. It's not clear whether Wang is in actual decline or if it's just a temporary, injury-induced drop in performance, but many believe that 2016 is Wang's last chance to join the NBA.

Zhai Xiaochuan

Unlike most other Chinese players linked to the NBA, Beijing Ducks' 23-year-old Zhai plays the small forward position with a high-flying style of play. One of the best slashers in the CBA, Zhai posted an average of 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and one steal per game last season. 

The 2016 NBA draft will take place on June 23 in Brooklyn, New York, so we will have to wait until then to see if any of them have a shot at becoming the next Yao Ming. 

More stories by this author here.

Email: patrickli@thebeijinger.com
WeChat: xinwurenli
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Photos: Baidu, People, NBA

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ses3k1's picture ses3k1 Submitted by Guest on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 12:21

If you'd put all this in your original article it would have appeared less bias. Still disagree with the statement "Yao was arguably one of the most skillful and reliable low-post scorers of all time in the NBA". There are many players in different positions I'd rather give the ball to in the low post.

Also don't think he is deserving of a place in the hall of fame. He was voted in by the international committee essentially based on his achievements as a ambassador/cash cow for the NBA. While this should be recognised, I don't feel it is appropriate to have him in the hall of fame, a celebration of the greatest players to play the game.

The reason I compare him to Shaq is because you have described Yao as the best in the league, then use Shaq's stats to prove this, forgetting to mention that in 2005 Shaq actually won the championship. Also, you've taken Yao's stats from 2006/7 and Shaq's from 2005/6.

I don't have anything against Yao as a player, just don't think he deserves to be in the hall of fame or the subject of bias articles.

PatrickLi's picture PatrickLi Submitted by Guest on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 11:53

ses3k1 wrote:

"Yao was arguably one of the most skillful and reliable low-post scorers of all time in the NBA" Seriously?  You don't need to big up Yao Ming and lie about his achievements just because he is Chinese.  Claiming that in 2005 his averages were better than Shaq and Tim Duncan, you forget to mention that Shaq is significantly older than Yao and is the far better player.  You also forget to mention that the system the Spurs play in does not require Tim Duncan to get 25 points per game.  You also forget to mention the overall career statistics of the three and how Yao's are the least spectacular despite playing far fewer NBA games.  A little bias goes a long way in influencing the readers opinion of a publication.

Here's my point: since 2005, for about 2-3 years, maybe 4 years, Yao Ming was the best center in the NBA---better than Shaq in his twilight years, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Dirk Nowitzki and anybody else, and that's why I listed his stats in 2005 and compared them to Shaq and Duncan's. The whole point is, look, Yao was actually the best center in the NBA in 2005, and he remained on the throne for about a few years.

However, this doesn't mean that he was a overall better player than Shaq. Actually I don't think Yao Ming was a better player than Shaq but that doesn't affect Yao Ming's greatness as a basketball player. Shaq was probably the most powerful center of all time, trading elbows with Wilt Chamberlain. He'd be my top-three choice to start a basketball franchise.

So if you compare Yao Ming with probably the best center of all time and say, "nah, he's not as good as Shaq," does it give less credit to Yao Ming's achievements? No. In the same manner you can compare anyone to Shaq and conclude that he'd be destroyed by Shaq so he is not a great center. Tim Duncan, Alonzo Mourning, Dirk Nowitzki, even Bill Russell and Kareem, I don't think any one of them can dominate the paint if they were to play against Shaq in his prime, but that doesn't mean that they are not great basketball players themselves. 

Yao Ming was arguably one of the most skillful and reliable low-post scoreers of all time in the NBA. That's very true, and I stand to what I said. For his size, Yao Ming was an unbelievably great shooter. He was able to knock down shots from anywhere near the paint in many different ways. He could use his size, post up the defender and then knock down the jump shots, or use a little bit post moves and knock down hook shots. Because of his immense size, his hook shots were unguardable. His body was way too huge so that no defender could reach to block him over his body. 

As a 7"6' big man, a such gentle touch on the ball is a very rare gift, and Yao Ming has it. Here's something on reddit that I think might help you to understand Yao's talent.

I don't think you understand the inherent problems most 7 footers have regarding free throws. With their freakishly long limbs, most people that tall naturally have terrible hand-eye coordination. Where did you think the stereotypical image of the 7 foot "stiff" came from?

Compounding this problem is the sharper angle at which 7 footers have to shoot the ball. Depending on arm length, they usually have a standing reach of over 9 feet. This means that the release point on their shot is near perpendicular to the 10 foot tall rim. This obviously makes for a much flatter shot. As we all know having arc on your shot is one of the basic fundamentals of good shooting. Just how being 5' 9" is a natural disadvantage in the NBA game, being 7' and above is a natural disadvantage when it comes to shooting.

Of course there are outliers with anything. Dirk is a 7 footer who makes 85% (Notice how he shoots it higher than others to give the ball extra arc?) and Rondo is a 6' 1" guard who makes ~60% (Notice his freakishly long wingspan and massive hands?).

To be honest with you I think the whole label of 7 footers being lazy free throw shooters was given to them by people much shorter who don't understand what it's like to be a living human giant. People are much quicker to attribute a 7 footer's free throw problems to his disposition (lazy, doesn't care) rather than situation (ball is the size of a grapefruit in his hands, natural lack of coordination, release point near-perpendicular to rim).

ses3k1's picture ses3k1 Submitted by Guest on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 10:24

"Yao was arguably one of the most skillful and reliable low-post scorers of all time in the NBA" Seriously? You don't need to big up Yao Ming and lie about his achievements just because he is Chinese. Claiming that in 2005 his averages were better than Shaq and Tim Duncan, you forget to mention that Shaq is significantly older than Yao and is the far better player. You also forget to mention that the system the Spurs play in does not require Tim Duncan to get 25 points per game. You also forget to mention the overall career statistics of the three and how Yao's are the least spectacular despite playing far fewer NBA games. A little bias goes a long way in influencing the readers opinion of a publication.

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