Houston Rockets: Who is Zhou Qi?
Last month, the Houston Rockets officially signed 2016 second round draft pick Zhou Qi, who is regarded by many as the next best Chinese big man in the NBA.
Since the retirement of Yao Ming, basketball fans in China — and the NBA itself — have found themselves searching for the next best player to rise onto the NBA scene for quite some time.
Now, they appear to have their man.
Last month, the Houston Rockets signed 21-year-old center Zhou Qi to a multi-year deal.
The franchise appears to believe that their second round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft — who is regarded by most as the best big man in China — has the talent to develop into a special player.
"“We feel Zhou Qi has the potential to become the best Chinese player since Yao Ming,” said Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in a press conference last month.“We’re excited to have him join the Rockets and will continue to develop his talents with our coaches and training staff.”"
Qi, who spent his previous three seasons playing in the Chinese Basketball Association, led the Xinjiang Flying Tigers to its first championship in 2017, averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting 58.6 percent from the field.
The 7’2” star also garnered 2.3 blocks per game and was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Yet, Qi also possesses another skill — one that is deemed to be so superb that it could help him earn his way onto the court sooner rather than later and possibly become an instant fan favorite in Houston.
Last season, Zhou shot 36.4 percent from 3-point range on just 55 attempts. He showcased his ability to shoot it from the outside once more at NBA Summer League, where he scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field in his official debut and nailed a couple of shots from downtown to guide the Rockets to a 102-99 victory against the Denver Nuggets.
His game at the present moment is considered to be raw by most scouts, but there are some players who believe that Qi could emerge into the modern-day center that most teams covet to compete for a championship.
"“I used to call him Anthony Davis because of the things that he can do on the court,” said Pelicans guard and former Chinese Basketball Association star Jordan Crawford to Bleacher Report‘s David Pick.“His mid-range is money; he’ll never miss that shot. He blocked a lot on defense, dribbles well, can jump…I honestly thought that he was older because he understood the game.”"
Kevin Durant has also echoed similar sentiments over the past year.
"“He is long, he is agile and he can shoot the basketball really well,” Durant said to ESPN‘s Michael Yuan, days after Team USA competed against China in an exhibition contest prior to the 2016 Olympics."
Should this be true, then Zhou has the chance to become the Rockets’ third center at the start of the season, earning the opportunity to play behind the likes of Clint Capela, Ryan Anderson and Nene sometime soon.
Most do not expect him to be an instant contributor right away, although no one knows.
Next: Houston Rockets - Complete 2017 offseason grades
However, one thing appears to be true: Zhou Qi just might play the perfect game for this day in age, making him the latest young international phenom to watch out for.