Almost There

Saw the Lakers-Rockets shootout Friday night. The Lakers prevailed 112-101 in double OT, rallying from 21 down behind Kobe’s 53. With Tracy McGrady out with another back injury, Yao put up 35 points, 15 rebounds and 8 blocks. It was his third 35-point, 15-rebound performance of the season; no other NBA player has one. He’s averaging almost 26 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game, and is looking more and more like the dominant player the Rockets were hoping they drafted four years ago.

The part that has me excited? He can still get better. A lot better.

Yao has shown steady progression, improving his game every year in the league. He has increased his scoring every year, but more important than any statistic is how his in-game personality has developed. He entered the league as the most scrutinized foreign player ever, with both the United States and China expecting him to become an instant force. Two entire nations were following his every move. He was understandably timid in his rookie year, a result of adjusting to a new country and feeling out a new league. His flashes of brilliance were outshined by his gentleness. He wasn’t mean enough. Still isn’t.

He’s refined his skills over the years, developing a go-to fadeaway that he can shoot over anyone. It’s not quite as dominant as Kareem’s skyhook, but in time it could become that effective. He’s improved his upper-body strength, improved his defense, and isn’t a push-over in the paint anymore. With McGrady out, he’s become the Rockets’ primary scorer. He’s their number one option every time down the court, and consistently attracts a crowd. He’s also a ridiculously good free throw shooter for a big man (82% for his career) and shoots a high percentage from the field (52% career). His combination of size and skills makes him an impossible matchup night in and night out.

But still, there’s something that isn’t quite there yet. Yao doesn’t have the killer instinct, the badass I-own-the-paint attitude that makes a great inside player a dominant one. He obviously won’t be as physically imposing as Shaq, but needs to incorporate some of The Big Aristotle’s elements into his own game. He can’t settle for that fadeaway every time, no matter how effective it is. When he gets matched up on a smaller defender, he needs to muscle his way down to the block, force his way to the rim and dunk on him. He has to let it be known that he cannot be stopped. On defense, he has to deck opposing guards when they try to come down the lane for layups. He has to add some Laimbeer to his game.

He’s getting closer every game. After knocking down a jumper to put the Rockets ahead of the Lakers, he let out a little yell and a fist pump. He bulled through Kwame Brown for a second-quarter bucket. He blocked eight shots in the game, swatting many of them against the backboard. But some signs of the past remained, like when Kobe caught him flat-footed and went by him for a dunk in the lane in the second OT, but Kobe makes a lot of people look bad. With Shaq’s career far into its final act, there’s nothing and no one stopping Yao from becoming the most dominant big man in the game. He’s got the size and he’s got the skills. Now he just needs the swagger.