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Yi returns with a new look, and a new balance, to his game
(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
In his fourth game back from a series of injuries, the New Jersey Nets' Yi Jianlian dropped 22 on the New York Knicks, leading his team to a 104-95 win, in its first victory in the last eleven games, and only its third win of the season .
It's hard to imagine a team that's been more snakebit than the New Jersey Nets (except maybe my hometown Portland Trailblazers).
Tonight was the first time that New Jersey had its starting five together since the second game of the season.
Injuries have struck every starter but Brook Lopez, with Yi missing the most time. After losing six weeks with a knee injury, he took an elbow to the lip during practice that delayed his return for nearly two more weeks.
But now that he's back, Yi looks different and plays different—he's sporting a new buzzcut and is more involved with the game than ever.
In his first year in the league, Yi often looked undersized and outmuscled, then became more aggressive last season with the Nets.
This new attitude came with a price, however, as Yi often seemed out of control. He broke his finger last season while attempting a steal against Michael Redd, and missed a month just as he was starting to round into form. This season, he sprained his MCL in a rebound scrum under the basket.
Now that he's back, though, Yi looks incredibly balanced: aggressive without being reckless, remaining in control while retaining his shooting touch, and seeming like he is finally part of the flow of the game.
In his previous three games, Yi has averaged 22.7 points per game and 7 rebounds, and increasing his minutes with each game.
Tonight, the Nets played like a team, and Yi showed that balance and poise as he dropped 22 on 56% shooting, ripping down 6 rebounds (3 at each end of the floor), with 2 blocks and 2 steals. His defense was tight, as he also led the team in +/- with +13 and helped open up the floor for Brook Lopez to pull down 14 rebounds of his own.
Although they've got a long way to go to reach mere respectability, the Nets looked like a different team tonight, seizing the lead midway through the second quarter. They widened the margin to 13 in the third quarter, then nearly collapsed as the Knicks drew close late, narrowing the gap to just 8 with 1:01 to play.
New Jersey hung on for the victory, hanging 100 points on their cross-river rivals for just the third time this month and the first time in the past eleven games. And those two other teams were Orlando and Atlanta, teams at the other end of the win-loss spectrum.
While there's no chance at reaching the playoffs, New Jersey can still build towards next year, and Yi Jianlian will be a big part of that process. New coach (and GM) Kiki Vandeweghe said he wants to institute a new youth movement to bring the team back into contention.
It's ironic that a youth movement could be helped by Yi's maturation process, but that's exactly how it looks.
Keep reading the Asian-American Sports Examiner to follow the rise of Yi and the Nets!
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