A training camp preview for New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi.
The New Orleans Pelicans kick off training camp in just a few weeks, which means it is time to start preparations for the season. As the roster comes into shape, it's important to take stock of where everyone is heading into camp.
Yves Missi is just entering year three, but it could already be a turning point in his career. The Pelicans were begged to add a center this offseason, but will run it back. Now Missi has a chance to really solidify his role on this team for the future.
It could be less of a competition between him and Derik Queen for the future at center, but perhaps a look at how they fit together. Right now, it's just clear that this lineup needs Missi's defense.
State Of His Career
Missi should enter the year as the center with the starting group, because of that defense. While he wasn't perfect on that side of the ball, mostly lacking some strength to hold up in some matchups, he offers more than any of the other bigs. The starting rotation will need that more than the offense that Queen offers.
New Orleans was 3.8 points better per 100 possessions with Missi on the court, which is an 82nd percentile mark, per CleaningTheGlass. That is even with him being a below-average rebounder on defense last year. If the rebounding improves, he could be one of the better defensive assets in the league thanks to his athleticism.
His block rate rose to 3.8% last season, which was in the 95th percentile. He had a higher rate than Zach Edey, who is 7-foot-3 and 300 pounds.
The 22-year-old is also coming off a fantastic three-game stretch in the FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers. He was the focal point of the Cameroon game plan and put up the following numbers: 18.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. It might not have been
Where He Must Improve
Missi just needs to continue to learn the game. He didn't pick up a basketball until later in his high school career, and it shows sometimes when he is playing. Adding strength is an obvious, and that has been a focal point of this offseason.
He already took a big leap from year one to year two; now it's time to see if he takes another leap. He certainly looked like a completely different player in those FIBA games.
