NBA Draft Rumors: Is China's Zhou Qui Ready To Play In The Basketball Association?
Another promising big man from China is entering the 2016 NBA draft whose intimidating shot-blocking ability is augmented by an enormous wingspan, slick handling of the ball, and soft shooting skills. Nicknamed 'the big devil king', Zhou Qi will try his luck at following the footsteps of Hall of Famer and former Houston Rockets biggie Yao Ming.
Standing at an imposing 7'2" and weighing 218 lbs., Zhou Qi is an overbearing hardcourt figure known for his defensive gameplay and ability to stretch the floor with decent shooting range. So far, Zhou has spent two seasons for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association with per game average of 15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks, Yahoo Sports reported.
Apart from his freakish gigantic size at the NBA Draft Combine, his wingspan seemed to have added that fear factor to his already imposing physique. It wingspan measures at more than 230cm with a standing reach that could nearly touch the ring.
Zhou is expected to be included the first draft round. The 20-year-old big man has gained fame when he played for the Chinese national team at 2011 FIBA U-16 World Championship in Turkey where he posted an unprecedented 41-point record, 28 rebounds, and 15 highly effective block shots according to Sports Rageous. He was also part of the country's national team in the 2012 Albert Schweitzer Tournament where he recorded an average 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 block shots per game.
How he develops his game in the league the way Yao Ming did remains to be seen. Yao rose through the ladder of expectations and built a strong reputation as a powerful center and shot blocker. Over the years, he proved himself to be a dominant center in the NBA world; often compared with other powerful centers like Shaquille O'Neal.
In Zhou's case, hopes and expectations from home are quite high. The chairman of his current team, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, thinks that he may not be ready yet although the young insisted that he should give the NBA draft a try. As NBA opens its doors to more versatile players abroad, Zhou takes the advantage now while he remains a hot commodity.
Can Zhou Qi prove that he's an NBA material like Yao before him? After all, four other Chinese NBA players didn't make an impact the way Yao Ming did.
"While Qi isn't going to be the next Yao Ming, he does look like a very draftable prospect, especially for a franchise that would like to enter the Chinese marketplace," wrote Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
