Zhou Qi and Jonathan Jeanne: carbon copies

[loco_91]

There are two prospects in this draft that I really like in the teens, and they are basically the same player.

-Zhou Qi: 7'2, 7'6.5 wingspan, 209lbs, 20.0 y.o. Ranked #22 by DX http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Zhou-Qi-61857/
-Jonathan Jeanne: 7'2, 7'6 wingspan, 195lbs, 18.5 y.o. Ranked #17 by DX http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jonathan-Jeanne-73326/

Both guys are super tall and long with potential as a stretch 4/5 who also protects the rim. For both, their main weakness is frailty, as Qi is super skinny at 209lb and Jeanne is even skinnier. Both are mobile and coordinated for their size, especially Jeanne, who covers an incredible amount of ground for someone his height.

Neither has proven that they can hit the 3 consistently. Qi has proven himself as a good midrange shooter, and Jeanne has shown potential but nothing consistent yet, as expected for an 18 year old 7-footer. Both lack toughness, and they will need a serious weight training program before they can defend NBA centers.

To me, both these guys have huge upside. Qi has legit post moves, and it's easy to see him as a force in the mid-post with his ability to either face up and shoot over the top, or throw a countermove and finish with his length. Jeanne doesn't have quite the offensive upside, as he's struggled finishing at the rim and doesn't show anything close to Qi's offensive skill level, but he can still fit in on that end by catching lobs and shooting jump shots while potentially dominating on the defensive end. He covers ground incredibly well, and unlike Qi he can switch screens. Qi can be good defensively with his length, but he doesn't have Jeanne's quick feet to give him super upside.

Both guys are also risky, as they haven't proven themselves against NCAA competition, and I can't think of a successful NBA player who has been as skinny as Jeanne. But we have a ton of draft picks, and this is exactly the type of gamble we should be making. Guys like Hibbert and Gobert have proven over the years that you shouldn't sleep on bigs with exceptional length.

Do you guys like these guys too? Which of them do you like better?

[hwangjini_1]

i have little evidence to go by for Qi, but in the few minutes i watched on draftepress what seems clear is that he is talented offensively, but did not even seem to try to play defense. oh, and as you mention, he is frail.

he really seemed to play defense with the same intensity as kevin love. he stood there and watched on a number of plays.

again, i have not seen anything aside from the draft express videos. he does look talented on offense. with the 22nd or so pick, why not?