2024 NBA Draft: Breaking Down Baylor’s Yves Missi
The Baylor Bears are ranked tenth in the nation as they currently stand at 9-2 on the season. Freshman center Yves Missi has been very impressive to start this season off and looked the part as a first round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Missi is a 7-foot center who was a four-star recruit coming out of Prolific Prep. Let’s dive into why he is a projected first round pick in this year’s upcoming draft.
Missi is averaging ten points, six rebounds and two blocks in only 19 minutes per game this season. The young freshman prospect has been very productive for Baylor and has made some big time plays for this squad inside the painted area on both ends of the floor. He brings a lot of value as a rim protector as he utilizes his size, length, quickness getting off the ground and timing to alter a ton of shot attempts inside the painted area.
The shot-blocking center is ranked 34th in the country in blocks per game while having one of the highest shot blocking percentages in all of college basketball. He has a 7-foot-6 wingspan, quickness getting off the ground and a high vertical pop off two feet. The combination of these skills makes him one of the top rim protectors in the draft. If Missi can stay out of trouble and consistently defends without fouling then he has the potential to be one of the top rim protectors in the entire draft.
Offensively his creation skills are quite poor and he doesn’t have much of a post game but he offers a ton of valuable skills you look for in a role playing center. Missi is a lob threat at all times due to his wide catch radius and vertical pop. He has pretty good hands to finish plays and is in the conversation as one of the best vertical threats in the draft. The Baylor freshman shoots 64.4% from the field which is very efficient from the young prospect.
He’s still filling out his frame but he’s not lacking much strength and has the body frame to add a ton of muscle. You can always count on Missi to play with an extremely high motor as he continuously plays with a high motor and aggressiveness on both ends of the glass. The high motor center will generate second chance scoring opportunities and start the fast break.
Missi has been one of the highest risers on draft boards as of recent as his paint presence hasn’t been going unnoticed on one of the best teams in the country. If we continue to see solid production and a positive impact out of the freshman then we undoubtedly will hear his name called in the first round in the 2024 NBA Draft if he elects to put his name in the draft.
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