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Yi Jianlian tipped for high NBA draft pick

Yi Jianlian puts up a shot during the Asian Games basketball men's preliminary match between China and Uzbekistan in Doha, Qatar, on Dec. 4 last year. PHOTO: AP

They love Yao. Now comes Yi.

That's Yi Jianlian, the 2.13m power forward who will be picked high in today's NBA draft.

He'll be the fourth Chinese to make the NBA, but will he have an impact like the Houston Rockets Yao Ming? Or will his stay be short, matching those of Wang Zhizhi and Mengke Bateer who had modest NBA careers.

Yi is a mystery in an NBA draft in which American college players Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are expected to go one-two. Speculation has Yi going as high as No. 3, and most think he'll be picked in the top 10.

"Yi the X-factor in jackpot draft," read a recent headline in the state-run China Daily newspaper.

If Yi makes it big, it will be even easier for the NBA to make deeper inroads into China, where basketball is very popular. About 300 million Chinese play the game, and NBA jerseys are a badge for teenage boys, just as they are in the US.

Nobody questions Yi's deft shooting touch from the wing, his ability to run the floor and his soft hands and athletic body. Some compare him with David Robinson or Pau Gasol.

But there are doubts.

Can he play defense, and is he strong enough to compete in the NBA? And his age. The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) lists his birthday as Oct. 27, 1987 -- 19 at draft time. But some believe he's about three years older. Teams might give a 19 year-old time to develop, but a 22-year-old is expected to be a finished product.

"He's definitely a great athlete who can be an NBA project for any team," said Xia Song, an NBA analyst on Beijing's BTV. "The draft is hard to predict unless you are a Yao Ming or LeBron James or Michael Jordan."

Yi played on China's 2004 Olympic team and the 2006 World Championship team. And his numbers were impressive this season in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Guangdong Tigers -- averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds.

"Every international player -- every Chinese player -- is going to need time to adjust to the American culture, to the NBA, to the lockerroom," Xia said. "It is going to take time. But he's young, he's a very smart kid and he will be able to handle it very well."

Bruce O'Neil, president of the US Basketball Academy (USBA) in Eugene, Oregon, has watched Yi for several years. The USBA has a long-term consulting agreement with the CBA.

"I think he's the least known player in the draft," said O'Neil, who returned this week to the US from China.

"Some teams in the NBA have done their homework on him -- some haven't," O'Neil said. "For me he's a multidimensional talent -- a top-five pick for sure. Of course they play different positions, but he's stronger than Yao was at this point in his career."

For marketing purposes, Yi might prefer going to a city with a large Chinese population. His English is basic, but better than Yao's when he was picked five years ago. Yi has been in the US for several weeks adjusting and, unlike previous Chinese players, he'll be on hand to witness his selection.
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