As the NBA is now a global game, more countries are starting to gain more representation. Recently, the Dallas Mavericks paraded the league's first player from Tunisia, Salah Mejri, a 7-1 center.
China has already had significant figures in the NBA, most notable is Yao Ming, who is also a center. Could his heir apparent be part of next year's NBA draft?
The big men of today are now subject to different roles. They no longer just stand in the post and impose themselves the way Shaquille O'Neal did. Rim protection and a wider shooting range are all the rage for tall players who want to make the NBA.
Actually, the position of center is now in flux, as reflected in the All-Star game voting where it's just divided into frontcourt and backcourt. Thus, big men need to be flexible enough to play the 4, alongside Think Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks.
One player who could fit that mold is China's Zhou Qi. ESPN draft guru Chad Ford recently released his Mock Draft on ESPN Insider and Zhou Qi was projected at the 20th overall pick to the Boston Celtics. Ford reasons that Zhou might need to stay overseas to "add muscle to his rail thin body" but he mentions that Zhou is indeed "super-talented, skilled and long."
However, the Celtics could be one-upped by the Philadelphia 76ers who can have four first round picks if they win the Lakers pick (top 3 protected). They have two late picks from Miami and OKC and the belief is that they would package those picks to a team in the 15-20 range, thus, enabling them to pick Zhou ahead of the Celtics.
Sixers site Liberty Ballers has high hopes for Zhou, as they said, "from the eye test, everything about him seems great. He's really great at passing, finishing, rolling, and he's really good at shooting and even taking guys off the dribble. On defense, he can keep up with smaller guys on the perimeter, down to guards some of the time, and he's an incredible rim-protector. Great rebounder to boot."
Zhou is just 19 years old and he may still spend time overseas before actually crossing the Pacific, but he is a worthy investment.