Some excerpts from an article on Yi by Chad Ford.
"A month ago in L.A., I watched Yi work out, and he was very impressive -- in fact, Yi's workout ranked right up there with Oden's among the very best I've seen this year.
Yi has size, athleticism and skill. He measures 7-foot-1 in shoes, with a 7-foot-4¼ wingspan, huge hands and a 38-inch vertical jump. He runs up and down the floor well and is very quick laterally. And he's adding muscle (he's up to 248 pounds).
He's an exceptional shooter from midrange and he's beginning to develop range from the NBA 3-point line. He has a good handle and knows how to put the ball on the floor to get to the rim. He has excellent footwork in the paint and a strong work ethic.
In short, in two days of workouts, it was clear that his athleticism and skills are at the NBA level. From a pure talent standpoint, only Oden and Durant appear to have more upside."
"I think he's mentally tough enough," Dixon said. "He goes really hard every day in practice. He gets to the gym before everyone else to work on his game and he's the last one to leave. He's shown a hunger to improve. He's very coachable. He's down to earth and still somewhat humble."
"Although Yi's team, the Guangdong Tigers, did ask him to play down low at times, it's clear that Yi doesn't like contact and would prefer to shoot jumpers. Yi also appears to be indifferent on the defensive end of the floor in game film -- another factor in the softness question."
"Athletically he's ready right now," said Dixon, who said he plays with a lot of the Nuggets in the summer at the Pepsi Center. "He can hang right now. He's still got a lot to learn about the game, but physically he's ready."
"Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers got on the floor with Yi and had the opportunity to take him through specific drills and plays."
"Danny Ainge insists that Yi may be the third-most talented player in the draft and is getting strong consideration from the Celtics at No. 5 -- but he also is looking at several other players and potentially trading the pick. Ainge sounds like he thinks Yi may be the top talent at No. 5, but he's concerned enough about some of the question marks that he may opt for a more proven product, such as Florida's Corey Brewer or Georgetown's Jeff Green."
