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NEW YORK — Yves Missi is an enormous, super-athletic center who covers an absurd amount of ground on defense. The day before the NBA Draft, Missi described himself as “someone with high motor and high energy who is able to block shots, play defense [and] finish through contact.” He regularly threw down thunderous dunks during his single season in college, and, although he’s widely seen as a raw prospect, he believes he can contribute to an NBA team immediately as a lob threat and rim protector.
Remind you of anybody?
“I think y’all saw what Dereck Lively was doing in the playoffs,” fellow Baylor draftee Ja’Kobe Walter said. “I think Yves can also do that, especially coming in his first rookie year.”
Missi himself has likened his game to Dereck Lively II’s in interviews with teams. Given that Lively was taken 12th last year and outperformed his draft position by becoming a crucial part of an NBA Finals team, this is not surprising. Missi said that, like Lively, he thinks he can help his team by bringing energy. He also noted that Lively improved over course of his first season. He thinks he can develop similarly.
“What he did in college definitely translated to the NBA,” Missi said. “And I feel like I did some of the things he was doing last year pretty well, and I hope that next I’ll be able to do the same stuff on the court in the NBA.”
Chances are, Missi’s rookie year won’t be anything like Lively’s, and he shouldn’t be held to that standard. The Dallas Mavericks center proved to be far more advanced than advertised as a defender and a decision-maker, and his production was something of a historical aberration: He was the first rookie since Magic Johnson to record 150-plus rebounds in the playoffs or to have consecutive double-doubles in the Finals. That couldn’t have happened if he didn’t land in an ideal spot; Lively as the guy screening for Luka Doncic is on par with any of The Bear‘s casting decisions.
In terms of tools, though, Missi is on Lively’s level. He’s 6-foot-11 without shoes on, he’s an extraordinary leaper and,…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2024-nba-draft-baylors-yves-missi-drafted-no-21-by-pelicans-wants-to-be-the-next-dereck-lively-ii/
Author : James Herbert
Publish date : 2024-06-27 02:34:52
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