Yi Jianlian: Four Years Later, Still The Same Player

Signed by the Los Angeles Lakers to serve as their resident stretch 5, Yi Jianlian has disappointed once again this preseason with his oh-so familiar lethargic play.

Yi Jianlian was supposed to be the next big thing — the man who takes and proudly carries the throne of the far east from Yao Ming.

The hype was certainly there: the shoe deals and the commercials were present all before he ever stepped foot on an NBA court; in fact, he even once graced the cover of Time Magazine as an alleged 14-year-old, hailed as China’s next great basketball export.

When it came time for Yi to actually perform on a basketball court, however, save for the times he went up against a defenseless chair, his play clearly did not match his hype.

He has the athleticism, the length, and the feathery soft shooting touch, but there has always been an evident lack of fire — a certain je ne sais quoi — that belittles and marginalizes his physical gifts.

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In his first couple of seasons in the NBA, his apathetic and inconsistent play were chalked up to his inexperience and age, the latter of which has been in controversy since he burst onto the international scene in 2002 (specifically, a slew of supporting documents that suggests Yi is three years older than his listed age).

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But, with each passing season, his languid play continued.  To make matters worse, he came back each summer adding nothing to his game — still relying on his pump-fake and drive game, or alternatively, settling for an alarming number of long 2s.

Not surprisingly, after five forgettable years, teams around the association had given up on Yi, even though his off-court appeal alone was worth the investment for some teams.

To his credit, Yi went back to China and established himself as one of the premier players in the Chinese Basketball Association, en route to capturing his fourth CBA championship in 2013 and wining four straight domestic MVP awards.

On the international front, though, Yi has never been able to live up to his lofty expectations.  Under his leadership, the play of the Chinese national team has deteriorated since the days of Yao, embarrassingly failing to win a single game over the past two Olympics.

Yet the man known as “the Chairman” (an homage to his dominant pre-draft workout performance) would still flash his tantalizing concoction of size, athleticism and touch everytime on the world stage, and would put up some gaudy numbers as the only viable option in China’s outdated archaic offense.

When news came that the Los Angeles Lakers were going to give Yi another opportunity this summer, I was pleasantly surprised that the Shenzhen native was willing to venture out of his comfort zone as one of the richest and most celebrated athletes in China.

Maybe, I thought to myself, something has changed; maybe, at the age of 29 (but most likely 32), Yi had somehow found his competitive fire.

When the preseason began, however, I quickly realized little has changed with Yi.

For the most part, he has been a mainstay deep on the Lakers’ bench. When given a chance to perform on the floor, he has been similarly unnoticeable.

Has he set some solid screens for D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson? Yes.  But, other than that, he has been a huge disappointment as usual.  Brought in to serve as the resident stretch 5, Yi shot a rather uninspiring 35 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from beyond the arc.

His defense as a small ball center is a disaster waiting to happen, as his lack of motor and awareness often lead to unimpeded driving lanes for opposing guards.

Still, Yi will most likely make the Lakers’ opening night roster, even though many would argue that journeymen power forward, Thomas Robinson, has outplayed him for the final spot.

Not only a marketing centerpiece for the Lakers, his contractual setup also gives him extra value as a trade chip going forward.

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Although he is only guaranteed $250,000 of his one-year deal, his cap hit still totals $8 million, which makes him an extremely valuable asset after December 15 when L.A. can trade Yi to a team who can simply cut him thereafter for $341,737.

Make no mistake, Yi Jianlian is a member of the Los Angeles Lakers not because of his skill, but because of his unique appeal and contractual structure.  I guess it is safe to say, not much has changed in four years.