NBA: 5 players that we didn’t get enough of

Yao Ming

Being extraordinarily big isn’t conducive to long-term success in the NBA. Exhibit A: Yao Ming.

The 7-foot-6, 310-pound man was in the league for nine seasons (only playing in more than half of those games in seven seasons due to a foot injury) before saying goodbye at the age of 30. It’s not irrational to say that Yao could have played longer as well.

In 2007, Yao put up 22 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks a game in 37.2 minutes a night. Yao also played in 29-plus minutes a night for the entirety of his career when fully healthy.

Those numbers are utterly ridiculous for a man of that size. For a frame of reference, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers just recently started playing over 30 minutes a night the last two seasons.

Load management has been kept in mind for Embiid as well, having him play 63 games in 2017 and 64 games in 2018. Ming played in 77+ games in four out of his seven healthy seasons.

Having only played for the Houston Rockets in his brief career, Yao had multiple chances to have been part of an NBA Championship team.

Playing with the likes of Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Shane Battier and Dikembe Mutuombo over the span of his career, Yao and the Rockets had a legitimate shot at a title several times.

If it weren’t for poorly timed injuries and playing too many minutes, Ming could have had a championship and a few more years on his NBA resume.