Zhou Qi- The Houston Rockets' Chinese Mystery Man

Before the NBA Draft, I was doing my yearly prospect research and film study when I tripped across a name I hadn't heard before. I usually have a pretty good understanding of the games of guys projected down into the late first and early second (or at least have some idea of who the heck they are), so I was eager to learn more about this Chinese big man named Zhou Qi. As soon as I saw him, I knew I was intrigued. Normally, when I think of a Chinese player in the NBA, I think of someone like Yao Ming or Yi Jianlian. Tall, powerful shot blockers and rebounders, without a huge amount of perimeter skill (you may think of Jeremy Lin, but Qi is 7'2", so that image didn't really pop into my head). However, this super young big man is of a breed that is only in it's infancy in the NBA, the long and thin jump shooter. With the drafting of Kristaps Porzingis, who could also be classified as tall, skinny and an elite shooter, we can clearly see that there is a place for players like this in the league. However, just looking at Zhou Qi certainly wasn't close to enough to evaluate his game. So, I have made a post-draft scouting report for all of you who are still unsure of the Houston Rockets' 43rd overall pick.

OFFENSIVE SKILL SET

Qi is a very talented player for his age (we will touch upon his age later) on the offensive side of the ball. I have rarely seen players as tall as Qi as fluid and smooth with the ball as he is (besides perhaps top college prospect Deng Gak, and Milwaukee Bucks' draft pick Thon Maker, who we will touch upon again later). While he may sometimes seem lost when he is moving without the ball (I attribute this in part to a lack of tactical coaching), once he does get himself open and make the catch, he looks like a guard. He has strong ball handling, and makes some of the smoothest moves attacking the basket off the dribble that I have ever seen a 7'2" player make. He has a nice set of moves in the post, and while he hasn't quite mastered them yet, the potential is obvious. He is a really ready player on the offensive end, if he can hold his position at only about 215lbs.

DEFENSIVE SKILL SET

This is where it gets a little more murky for Qi. You may look at his numbers and see that he has led the Chinese Basketball Association in blocked shots for two years running and draw the conclusion that he's a fine low post defender. However, in reality, Qi relied heavily on a wingspan that is nearly 7'8" to block a majority of his shots, without using very many low post positioning skills required to block NBA shots. When forced to make a decision in the post, he didn't always react quick enough to cover a driving player or get in the right position to block a shot. I think that's the kind of thing that Houston can remedy by "locking him in a room with Hakeem Olajuwon". He has all the length he needs to be a shot blocker in the NBA, he just needs to add muscle and muscle memory. If he can be taught to make better and faster choices and movements on the interior, he could be a dominant defender. When, say, the shot clock is winding down and the ball handler can only shoot, Qi times his jumps well and does a very good job contesting. It's only when a player is threatening to do multiple things that Qi has a hard time finding himself in the right place defensively. On the ball defense on the perimeter is never really a strong suit for someone of Qi's size and position, but he shows flashes of guard-like man defense on the outside. This is detailed in an excellent piece you can find here: https://onebasketblog.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/zhou-qi-scouting-report/. Overall, I think if he adds muscle and gets a little more versed in the subtleties of playing defense, he could be a more than passable defender in the NBA. Because, as he is now, he is nearly useless in the paint against someone like Boogie Cousins or Andre Drummond. Rebounding is another issue, as he relies on his size and reach to snatch rebounds over less talented players. While that's surely going to be a learning curve, I think it's something he can learn to improve at. It's the kind of thing where he needs to be told how to do it right, and focus on it until he fully grasps it (it's difficult to break a habit at 19 or 20 years old, which is why I knocked Dragan Bender down to 10 on my pre-draft board).

BODY EVALUATION

Two words: get bigger. Normally I go against the grain when it comes to gaining weight and muscle, as I was against Porzingis picking up too much and losing some of what got him to the NBA in the first place. However, Qi is going to be in a position where he will be matched up against some of the NBA's biggest and best, and he needs to be bulkier if he wants any chance at success. His height and length obviously are tremendous, and he doesn't seem to have much of an injury history, so he has that going for him. But, honestly, all he needs on this front is to just get bigger. Once he does that, he should be good as far as matching up against some of the stronger players in the NBA.

CONTROVERSY

Ah, here we go. You know I love a little controversy (I mean, it feels so empty without it), so I have to talk about the questions swirling around Zhou Qi's age. Supposedly, Qi is in fact closer to 22, which was suggested because of normal rules about Chinese players not declaring for the draft until that age. I don't know if I believe that, as the examples that are being used were quite a a few years ago. CBA and NBA alumni Bobby Brown's translator has also alleged that Qi is possibly even closer to 25, which is not corroborated and frankly even harder to believe. However, even if Qi IS in fact 22, there is even more evidence on 10th overall pick Thon Maker being as old as 23. Even if both are in their twenties, there is more evidence proving Maker than Qi, and Maker still was taken in the lottery (if you haven't already, check this out on Maker- http://bit.ly/29hQXEY) So, this really doesn't bother me, but I would have been missing an opportunity to talk about conspiracy theories if I didn't mention it.

CONCLUSION

After watching Qi intently during the Olympics so far, I am able to come up with the following conclusion. Qi is a very fluid and NBA ready offensive player who needs to add muscle mass and work on a better feel for the game defensively and when positioning for rebounds. He has a great amount of potential, but he needs work on understanding more complicated principles of being an NBA center. Houston is a great place for him with the history of Chinese players having success, and the different training available for an interior player. Qi is a great value in the mid second round, and might just be the next big thing you've never heard of.