Kupchak Scouting Yi Jianlian in China

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">One of the frustrations of the job for Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is sometimes fighting traffic to attend a college game, only to watch the player he came to see sprain an ankle or struggle with foul trouble.

But Kupchak was investing more than just a couple of hours on the Southern California highways when he flew to China in late January for a six-day scouting trip.

It was Kupchak's first trip to the country and he went with a list of three or four prospects he wanted to see. Assistant general manager Ronnie Lester also made the trip, which Kupchak described Thursday as being "worthwhile."

Although Kupchak could not comment on the players he saw, 19-year-old forward Yi Jianlian is regarded as a potential first-round draft pick. Jianlian is a 7-footer who would follow Wang Zhizhi, Mengke Bateer and Yao Ming into the NBA.

Kupchak described the Chinese Basketball Association games as being "very competitive," but said he couldn't answer the question of whether a Chinese player might join the Lakers in the next decade.

"In the next 10 years, I could see several Chinese players in the league," Kupchak said. "I couldn't say there'd be 30 or 40, but I can see multiple players in the league. Would one of those guys end up on a Lakers roster? I don't know."

The Lakers took a step toward that end in hiring Gary Boyson, a Hong Kong-based scout, last season. Kupchak had not traveled to China before his January trip, although the Lakers have made two or three trips a year to Europe in the past decade.

"There's a chance that this year one of the players we went to see is going to be in the draft," Kupchak said. "So this was the year (to go). Next year, although I can see basketball continuing to grow at a healthy rate there, the competitive nature there, I don't know if there'll be a draftable player next year." </div>

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I love how the peon is scouting...when the trade deadline is coming up...when our team has lost 5 in a row with no signs of stopping the losing streak.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I love how the peon is scouting...when the trade deadline is coming up...when our team has lost 5 in a row with no signs of stopping the losing streak.</div>

I'm sure Mitch is traveling with his Blackberry and financial calculator. He's only a text message away of getting the memo ... DO IT MITCH!

 

<div class="quote_poster">The One & Only Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I could careless about a players ethnicity. I care about how nasty Yi is. I would honestly take him over Bynum in a second.</div>

Based on what? Bynum is younger, stronger, and has the frame to carry even more bulk. Bynum has soft hands and a soft touch around the rim, what do you see in Yi that would trigger such a bold statement from you?

 

I've got a hunch the reason you want him is because he's Asian? I could be way wrong.

Bynum's potential is far greater than Jianlians IMO.

 

Bynum is only 19 years old, scouts actually aren't sure how old Yi really is, but he's definitely older than Bynum. A player has to be a certain age in China before they allow them to enter the NBA Draft. The same thing happened with Yao Ming, he was already 22 when China allowed him to enter the draft. Yi Jianlian's birthdate varies between 1984-1987 so he's somewhere between 20 and 23 years old.

The best scouting report I read was the one Locke wrote when he went to watch Yi play in person. His analysis was the complete opposite of other scouting reports on Yi.

Yi can bulk up and get stronger, but look at his frame, he cannot support over270-300 lbs without having issues with joint soreness. Andrew Bynum is a wide body, and should be able to play comfortably in the 270-300lb range.

Bynum is already drawing double teams in just his second year in the league.

 

Here's what Locke said about him:

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">
Guys, I had been very interested in Yi Jianlian since two years ago but I had never seen him action until last month when I went to China for two weeks. The Chinese National Team was playing in the Stankovic Cup which featured other heavyweights like Lithuania, Australia, Puerto Rico, Angola and Argentina. With the absence of a few of the team's best players, Yao Ming included, Yi became a central part of the Chinese offense and I was really impressed by what I'd seen from Yi. I thought I should share what I saw with you guys.

Contrary to popular belief, Yi looked very bulky and strong in the five games he played. He led the team in scoring and rebounding with 11.6 and 4.8 per game respectively. He finished second overall in the competition in blocks per game. Yi's shotblocking is what I believe to be the most developed part of his game. He has great timing and lift on his jump, and his length is also very helpful in blocking shots. Yi is very daring and goes for blocks whenever a shot is put up within 3 feet of him. He impressed the audiences with blocks of floaters, and also sent back a dunk with so much force that it went into the fifth row.

On offense, Yi displayed a potent jumper up to the international three-point line, and also a few post moves that I would call NBA-level. He sets a solid pick and has great hands in the post.

Yi played tough post defense, although I doubt that he would be an above-average for his first few years in the NBA.

It is his rebounding which is Yi's greatest weakness. Although he is good at catching passes, he doesn't grab on hard to the basketball when coming down with a rebound and that often leads to the ball getting slapped away by an opposing guard once Yi comes down with it. Although Yi boxes out to a fair amount of efficiency, he can't plant his feet strongly and often gets pushed out of position.

One last thing, and what impressed me most, is Yi's attitude on the court. He initiated a fight against a Puerto Rican player who was playing dirty by pushing him violently and punching him. The fight escalated to to brawl between both teams and fans started throwing bottles and food onto the court. It eventually led to the game being called off and the military police being called him. While I do not think this type of event is good, it shows Yi's mean streak and is what I think sets him apart from the gentle-giant mold of Yao Ming and Wang ZhiZhi.

Here are some pics of Yi from the competition.







EDIT: Do not think that Yi will become a power forward in the Nowitzki/Garnett mold. He is more of a traditional low-post player and is a Tim Duncan like guy in that he has a good post game and also the ability to step outside and shoot the jumper. He is much more athletic than Duncan though.</div>

 

<div class="quote_poster">The One & Only Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Nah, I'm actually Hispanic.

Like I said earlier though, I could careless about what he is. Red, green, blue, black, white, whatever.

Well that's what threw me off then. Still, Yi isn't exactly "old".

I've tried searching for that, but I can't find anything on it on this site.

I've seen videos of him(not the same as in person), and he looks somewhat close to what the draft reports are saying. Alter/block shots, jumpshot, taking his man off the dribble, etc.

I'm not talking about getting insanely bulky, just enough to hold his ground though. Like Yao.

This could be related to the "Dwight/Amare/etc. or Yao" threads. You don't need to have a big frame, or be bulky in order to be a good/dominate player.

That's a bit unfair of a statement, considering Yi isn't even in the NBA yet. I haven't even seen real games with Yi, to say if he gets double teams or not either.</div>

Yi isn't exactly old, but Bynum is already more advanced than him at a younger age. Bynum at 22 (I suspect Yi is 22, which is the allowable age for him to leave China's National Team), will have 4 years of NBA experience under him.

Yao Ming weighs over 300lbs bro. Look at all the injury problems Yao is dealing with. He just doesn't have the frame to support the wear and tear from weighing that much.

Dwight Howard is a freak of nature, he's bulky, and muscular at the same time.

Amare relies more on being explosive and quick than he does on strength. I don't see teams double teaming Amare despite how good he is. Of course the Suns offense is unique and fast paced so those opportunities rarely come up. Maybe in the playoffs when Phoenix has to run more halfcourt sets we can see how teams defend Amare.

I don't think it's an unfair statement to say Bynum is already drawing double teams. It's a fact, and gives him the edge over a lot of younger big men in the league and not in the league. Bynum draws a lot of attention because of his size and ability to score. If he commits to adding strength and continuing to improve, there won't be a single player who can prevent him from dominating. He will force teams to double and possibly triple team him.

I can't see Yi Jianlian ever having the presence Bynum can pontentially have.

 

Why are we even scouting him? We've got no shot, right? Unless Mitch is giving up and wants the Lakers to tank, in that case...

WE WANT ODEN!!!

WE WANT DURANT!!!

 

<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Why are we even scouting him? We've got no shot, right? Unless Mitch is giving up and wants the Lakers to tank, in that case...

WE WANT ODEN!!!

WE WANT DURANT!!!</div>

You always have to scout and build relationships overseas. There's always the possibility a player slips or a team works it's way up the draft via trade.

 

I understand that, but I think it just seems to be a waste of time to look at him if we're not planning to be in the lottery.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I understand that, but I think it just seems to be a waste of time to look at him if we're not planning to be in the lottery.</div>

Well he's not just looking at Yi, there's a lot of prospects in Asia and more importantly, the Lakers want to get access to these players by building relationships with the right officials, coaches, scouts, etc.

BTW - Kupchak went in late January, so he's been in LA to discuss any trade talks.