Washington DC Examiner highly praised Chinese basketball player Yi Jianlian, saying the New Jersey Nets' power forward was the key to the Nets comeback against Sacramento Kings on Monday.
According to the newspaper, Yi Jianlian is never going to be the focus of the Nets offense -- or not anytime soon, anyway.
"He is best in a secondary role, waiting to drop a long jump shot or three-pointer, ripping down a board or contributing with a key block, or playing in the high post to create opportunities for Vince Carter," said the report.
The newspaper said Yi did all those things, helping Carter and the Nets overcome a 12-point halftime deficit to beat the Kings 98-90.
Yi had one of the best games of the season, scoring 22 points (8 of 14), 13 rebounds, two blocks and three assists. He scored 10of those points in the third quarter, when the Nets turned the game around.
"More importantly, his confidence grew throughout the game and his performance was far more physical than it has been of late," said the Examiner.
The Nets sent forward Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for forwards Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons last summer, and Yi started for the Nets all the 35 games this season and ranked third on the team scorer list by averaging 10.3 points per game.
(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2009)
