Yao Ming

Yao Ming ({{zh-cp |c=姚明 |p=Yáo Míng}}; born September 12, 1980 in Shanghai, China) is a professional basketball player from China. He currently plays center for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association. Yao Ming is the tallest active player in NBA basketball, listed at a playing height of 7 feet, 6 inches and is rumored to be still growing.

Scouting Report

Yao is considered by many to be the NBA's most versatile center. While not particularly athletic, his height provides an excellent method of shooting over defenders. He has an accurate jump shot as far as 20 feet (he even made one 3 pointer in his rookie season) but he scores primarily within 10-12 feet of the basket through an assortment of hook shots, turn arounds, and slam dunks. He is among the league leaders in free throw shooting for centers, shooting over 80% for his career. He is very mobile and runs the floor well for a big man but Jeff Van Gundy runs a slow system that does not push the ball up the floor. Experts compare his footwork to that of Hakeem Olajuwon's which is coincidental given that Olajuwon is whom Yao essentially replaced. Yao's court vision is excellent for a big man as is his passing ability. He has great fundamentals along with a great sense of court instincts. Criticism of his game are that he is not particularly aggressive and has trouble maintaining his stamina. However, Yao is considered a consummate team player, often giving up shot opportunities to pass to teammates. His shot attempts are low compared to other elite players, thereby limiting his points per game average. His field goal percentage, however, has been impressive. He finished third in field goal percentage in the NBA for the 2004-2005 season.

Related Topics:
Jeff Van Gundy - Hakeem Olajuwon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Defensively, Yao's height makes him an intimidator and deterrent in the paint, although many still feel he is not nearly as strong in the low post as he can be. Although he is among the league's leaders in blocked shots, many people criticize Yao's shotblocking abilities because they believe that at his height, he should average even more (Yao did not reach an average of 2 blocks per game until the end of his third season). Some analysts blame Yao's number of blocks on his proportionately short wingspan, which, unlike many other players, is slightly less than his height. However, Yao's wingspan is still longer than average. It should be noted that the Rockets play a slow-paced style of basketball and that Yao does not get many minutes for a star player (because of a combination of low stamina and a tendency to pick up fouls), both factors that would lead to lower stats. A comparison of the actual percentage of opposing teams' shot attempts that are blocked by Yao to the block percentages of other players reveals that Yao is an elite shotblocker.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On defense, Yao does not stay put in the paint, because his team's defensive scheme calls for him to chase offensive players on the perimeter and trap pick and rolls. The mobile defense that is demanded from Yao is believed to be a factor in his fatigue. Although he is not particularly strong nor a great leaper, his height, long arms, and quickness allow him to play effective defense even against the strongest players.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Yao is an above average rebounder but hardly a dominant one. While he is among the top 20 in rebounding, he seems to have trouble establishing himself as an elite rebounder. This is due to many factors including the fact that Yao plays fewer minutes than many top rebounders, and doesn't have the lateral quickness to cover a lot of court space. This leads to Yao being more of a "phone-booth rebounder" where he can only grab the boards that are coming at him, as if he was standing in an imaginary phone booth. However, many, including renowned coach Hubie Brown, believe that given enough minutes and shot attempts, Yao can easily average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game. Statistically, Yao averaged 28.7 points (15th overall) and 13.1 rebounds (21st overall) per 48 minutes during the 2004-2005 season, a measurement which experts believe is a far more accurate method of measuring a player's production. In comparison, established superstar center Shaquille O'Neal had per 48 minute averages of 32.1 points and 14.6 rebounds, a difference of only 3.4 points and 1.5 rebounds from Yao's statistics.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~