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Yao Ming Chicago Workout

By Matt Simon

5/2/02

As we get closer to the 2002 NBA Draft, the questions will be heard more and more. Jason or Yao? The NCAA player of the year or the Chinese Basketball Association winner of the “Sportmanship Award (huh)? 6'2" or 7'5"? That last question will almost surely be the deciding factor. In the last twenty five years, the first pick has only been shorter than 6'6" ONE time (Allen Iverson). You know how NBA executives love their big men and their philosophy has always been - if you’re going to make a mistake in the draft, make it a “big one.”

On Wednesday afternoon, NBA dignitaries and media came from all around the country to see China’s biggest athletic treasure, and Yao did nothing to hurt his cause. Chris Christofferson, Yao’s workout partner, was listed at 7'2" / 300lbs, and Yao was considerably bigger in stature. The first thing that struck me about this human skyscraper was that he was anchored by a very solid foundation with strong calves. Although his upper body needs work, he has a good size frame and has the potential to fill out after putting in his time in the weight room. The 7'5" Yao was listed at 236 lbs., but his weight appeared to be closer to 285 lbs. and one can expect him to only add to that. We are definitely not dealing with a Manute Bol or Shawn Bradley body type. The one concern about Yao’s body is his relatively short wingspan for his size. However, when you are as big as he is, that wingspan is still considerable.

As Yao was warming up for his NBA Audition, he was knocking down outside shots from all angles. His first four shots were 18 footers from the baseline, and touched nothing but net. It didn’t take long to realize that this kid has a soft touch and can definitely shoot. Jerry West would later say, “the most impressive part was his shooting touch. Some guys can practice and practice without developing touch.”

The workout began with some light warmups. After stretching, the players alternated jogging and skipping around the court. Yao moved very well for his size, and demonstrated good coordination. He was definitely not awkward or lumbering as one might expect from someone his size.

P.J. Carlesimo put Ming and Oregon center Chris Christofferson through various drills such as around-the-world shooting, ball handling, free throw shooting, fast breaks, post-ups, screen and rolls, pick and pops, etc.. Yao and Chris were joined by two point guards for most of the drills.

As mentioned earlier, shooting is one of Yao’s great strengths. His range extended all the way out to NBA threes, and he showed the ability to shoot off the catch as well as off the dribble. For one drill, Yao would grab a rebound off the glass, pass out to the point guard, fill the wing, make the catch on the perimeter, and shoot an 18 footer. Pulling up on the break for an outside shot is not easy for a guard, not to mention a 7'5" center, and Yao converted on about half of these attempts. Yao also demonstrated great consistency from the free throw line, he may have missed 2 out of about 30 free throws.

Other strengths for Yao were his ball handling and passing. Under pressure by a defender, Yao dribbled up court utilizing both hands as well as behind-the-back dribbles to change direction. Jerry West was really impressed by Yao’s passing. “He was really sticking his passes,” said West. “He was putting them where you can catch it and shoot it.” West put Yao’s passing skills in the category of a Shaquille O’Neal and Vlade Divac, both coincidentally have worn the laker gold.

During post-ups against Christofferson, Yao’s lack of strength was clearly evident. He will have a hard time getting good low post position as well as finishing in the paint against the strength of NBA power forwards and centers. He made one nice up and under move, demonstrating smooth footwork. However, you would like to see him making a strong drop step move or hook shot from the low block. He attempted a few hook shots without much consistency. He also did not make much use of his left hand around the basket. At this point Yao is clearly more comfortable and effective when facing the basket. His postup game should greatly improve with increased strength and NBA coaching.

Defensively, Yao also has his shortcomings. On Christofferson’s first low post move, he put his shoulder into Yao’s chest, and he gave way for an easy layup. Yao is clearly susceptible to the power game at this point. One can imagine Shaq backing in on Yao, giving him a bump or two, and then lights out. Out on the floor, Yao is tough to shoot over. Nonetheless, he can be easily beaten with a jab step, fake, or change of direction move. Once he bites on a fake or a jab step gets him back on his heals, he does not have the quickness to recover and contest the shot. He may have difficulty staying out of foul trouble. He also has a tendency to not keep his arms up on defense, which is especially important defending the post. Yao needs to gain strength and learn to use his size more effectively in the paint.

As far as intangibles, hoops guru Jerry West says, “he has a great feel for the game...looks like a wonderful kid...and one of the most impressive things about him is his demeanor. You can tell he has worked hard on the fundamentals.” When asked if he had any gut reaction similar to when he saw Kobe for the first time, West responded, “He wasn’t Kobe Bryant, that’s for sure.” So, Yao’s clearly a top three pick, right? “He’s definitely a top 7 pick.” C’mon Jerry.

Overall, there were few surprises. Yao is a skilled shooter, passer, and ballhandler. As is the case with most players from overseas, he needs to work on his strength, defense, and low post game. One cannot dispute, though, that he has a very unique combination of size, coordination, and skills. With the lack of centers in the NBA today, consider Yao a virtual lock to be the center of attention on Draft Day.

Yao Ming Report Card

Characteristics

Pro Potential–> A
Mental Ability –> A, Appears to learn quickly and has a good feel for the game.
Physical Ability–> B-, His upperbody is too slight, and he needs to work on quickness
Passing–> A-, could be comparable to Shaq and Vlade
Defense–> C, He can definitely improve on this with added strength.
Ball Handling–> A-

Game Skills

Overall Shooting–> A, made shots from all angles and range out to 3 point territory.
Free Throws–> A
Three Point Shooting–> A, At 7'5" Yao could knocked down the three with little effort.
Lateral Movement–> B-
Shot Blocking–> B, Must Utilize his length more effectively, not much hop.
Physical, Aggressive–> B-, Must take game to a higher level. This will come when Yao experiences what it takes to be successful against NBA competition.
Ability to Defend Position–> C, Power game, power game, power game.
Effort–> A

Personal Skills

Strength–> C
Speed–> B
Jumping–>B-
Quickness–> B-, The biggest liability is recovering on defense.
Endurance–> B
Agility–> B+
Maturity–> A, We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here.
Attitude–> A
Coachability–> A
Poise–> A, Demonstrated good body language, and performed well in spite of media circus.
Body Language–> A, Jerry West really liked his demeanor.
Feel for the Game–> A

If you have any questions for Matt, email him at mattsimon2@attbi.com .