NBA Draft Scouting Report: Baylor's Yves Missi
Yves Missi
Center | Baylor
Height: 6'10” | Weight: 210 lbs
2024 Draft Age: 20.11
Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Prospect Profile
Missi is a long center with great physical tools that should be able to carve out a role as a freshman at Baylor. Especially in transition, he’s a player that will allow the Bears to play modern and fast. In today's game, being under 7-foot but boasting versatility allows players like him to thrive at any level.
The incoming freshman is best as a rim runner that is very mobile for his size. He’s a lob threat both in transition and in halfcourt settings and has a wide catch radius. He also gets off the ground quickly and has good hand-eye coordination when receiving passes, which will provide vertical spacing the for the Baylor offense.
While Missi’s frame has continued to fill out over the past few years, that needs to continue happening as he needs to get stronger. This will help him on both ends and open things up in a big way.
Offensively, the next steps for Missi will be expanding his range and developing more post moves. As of today, he’s really just a scorer on lobs and putbacks, but has the tools to emerge as much more than that. There’s reason for optimism on the jumper and he has the footwork to become a better, more crafty interior scorer. These things will be the difference in him being a first-round talent instead of a second-round project.
On the defensive end, Missi is a great leaper with quick pop. This results in being a great rim protector and shot disrupter. Defensive impact is what he’ll mostly bring early on at the college level. Again, the Baylor prospect has good footwork and moves well, but needs some refinement navigating actions and making the right reads, which will come with time. He's definitely a player that will look completely different late in the season than he does on opening night.
The former five-star recruit was born in Belgium, but grew up in Cameroon. After showcasing tremendous upside at Prolific Prep playing against a high level of competition, the next stage is Big 12 play.
Missi’s brother played college ball at Harvard, so he’ll be following in his footsteps playing at this level. It will be fascinating to see him in action alongside fellow five-star incoming freshman guard Ja’Kobe Walter this season.
Highlights
Draft Projection
Second-Round Pick in 2024 NBA Draft.
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