NBA Draft: Is Yves Missi Being Overlooked?
The talented young Cameroonian center had a really impressive freshman season at Baylor – are people overthinking his role?
In his freshman season in Waco playing for Scott Drew's Baylor Bears, Yves Missi stood out in a stacked Big 12 basketball conference.
Playing a similar style to that of old-school rim runners, the 7-footer averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 stocks per game on a blistering 61.4% from the floor. He also shot 61.6% from the line on 4.1 attempts per game.
Upon first examination of his game, a casual watch, Missi seems to be a relic of a bygone era, a center that did not attempt a single 3-pointer this season and takes all of his shots within five feet of the basket. Modern basketball wisdom says that this kind of player is vestigial and has no role in today's NBA – but recent developments have changed that narrative, and rim-running bigs that don't stretch the floor do finally have a place again in the Association.
A player with a similar skillset and body type came through last year's draft in Dereck Lively II out of Duke, who went No. 12 overall to the Dallas Mavericks, and helped to absolutely transform their front court. What was once a weakness became an undeniable strength as the Mavericks became one of the best pick 'n' roll teams in the entire NBA between Luka Doncic and the rookie Lively II.
It's important to note as well that between Missi and Lively II, Missi had a far more statistically impressive season, doing so in an arguably tougher conference as well. Lively II averaged just 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in similar minutes (23 for Missi and 21 for Lively II).
The reason for sharing this statistic is that one can extrapolate that if Lively II is able to double his numbers in the pros, Missi will be able to do the same – of course, this depends heavily on a couple of factors: who are the other bigs on the roster, and who is the point guard?
Much of Missi's success will be reliant upon the primary ball handler's ability to get him the rock in advantageous positions to score. RayJ Dennis was an excellent point for Baylor last season, averaging just shy of seven assists per game.
Some ideal landing spots for Missi would be No. 11 to Atlanta (to replace Clint Capela), No. 12 to Oklahoma City (to pair with Holmgren, who can be played at the 4), or No. 14b to the Los Angeles Lakers (to be paired with Anthony Davis); all of these teams need fives that can protect the rim, rebound, and run the floor, all of which Missi can do.
The overarching point is that Missi shouldn't be so overlooked considering his statistical and physical profiles. He checks nearly every box for a successful rim runner, and while the free-throw percentage leaves something to be desired, that can be worked on. What can't be worked on with other players is a 7-foot frame or a 7-foot-6 wingspan – that's inherent.
Wherever Missi ends up, he will be an immediate impact rookie.
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