Insider Analysis: Yi Jianlian

One player I forgot to mention in my critique of 2K's latest roster was actually the one they improved the most: Yi Jianlian.

Since it's in the interest of fairness that I include him in my analysis, I've decided to feature him.

Yi Jianlian
Overall 69 (+10)
Inside 85 (+15)
Close 84 (+17)
Med 72
3pt 72
LPS 78 (+14)
FT 81 (+4)
Layup 59
Dunk 67
StandDunk 70
SOD 58
SIT 55
Handle 57
OffHand 47
Security 43 (+2)
Pass 30
Block 68 (+17)
Steal 57 (+12)
Hands 76
OffReb 58 (+5)
DefReb 82
OffPost 77 (+9)
DefPost 54 (+8)
OffAwr 66 (+14)
DefAwr 48 (+12)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 65 (+40)
Stamina 84 (+7)
Speed 52
Quickness 55
Strength 37
Vertical 64
Hustle 55
Durability 70
Potential 85 (+7)
Emotion 60 (+35)

Starting at the top, yes, 2K really did have Yi rated lower than the likes of Eduardo Najera. It's tough to fault Yi, however, as Yi is a faceup bigman, and like all faceup bigmen, his overall rating suffers mightily due to 2K's terrible overall rating formula. That's why you'll find me skeptical going into this - 2K has already shown they have no problem overrating Dirk Nowitzki in a few key areas to ensure he maintains a high rating... and given that Yi is only a point behind Andrea Bargnani, I have no doubt the same has happened here.

Looking at Yi's shot ratings, it's easy to see how 2K has erred. Looking at his hotspots...

Inside: 33-59 (.559)
Non-Dunk: 19-45 (.422)
Close: 13-31 (.417)
Mid: 16-51 (.313)
3pt: 5-15 (.333)

Yi is STILL a terrible finisher when he isn't dunking, so a 15 point improvement Inside is clearly inaccurate. All one has to do is look to his teammate, Brook Lopez (87 Inside) to see how off-base this is.

Inside: 181-322 (.562)
Non-Dunk: 134-275 (.487)
Close: 39-93 (.419)

Lopez doesn't exactly deserve an 87 himself at this present time, and even he is clearly head and shoulders above Yi. Meanwhile, Lopez has an 82 Close rating, which is 2 points lower than Yi. Yi was a dreadful 19-56 (.339) last season, so a 17 point jump based on a handful of games is the definition of an itchy trigger finger.

Predictably, Yi's mid-range is not treated the same way. Yi posts a better Close% in a small sample size and sees a 17 improvement. However, when Yi posts a considerably worse Mid% in a small sample size, there is no regression. Once again, the lack of consistency from 2K is startling.

Moving along to Yi's post game, we see a 14 point increase in shot making ability, and a 9 point increase to post repitoire. Again, all we have to do is look to Yi's teammate Brook Lopez... as an added bonus, let's throw Knick center David Lee in there, as well as banger Marc Gasol.

LPS
Lopez: 82
Gasol: 80
Yi: 78
Lee: 68

OffPost
Lopez: 84
Gasol: 78
Yi: 77
Lee: 63

Since the majority of post shots come from "Close" range, this is a substantial boost for Yi without a body of work to show for it. The fact that he is right there with Gasol, and significantly better than Mr. Lee (who is 33-66 from Close btw) is just insulting.


From here, we move along to blocks and steals.

BLK%
2008: 2.7
2009: 2.1
2010: 2.5

2K is absolutely hilarious. They have a statistical scale that they use to determine their ratings yet they only follow it when it's convenient for them. Yi should only have a 57 block rating, yet he was bestowed with an impressive 68 block rating. Kenyon Martin blocks just as many shots as Yi, yet he rates 6 points lower. Chris Bosh also sits 9 points lower, despite his similar block rate. What makes Yi so special? Did they release the game in China and get fan backlash?

STL%
2008: 1.1
2009: 1.1
2010: 1.3

Yi's stealing has barely improved (if at all, given the sample size given the 447 minute sample we're talking about), yet he jumps 12 points to a range that'd be deserving of a player stealing 1.5% of the time.

Finally, let's check out the rebounding...

ORB%
2008: 7.3
2009: 5.5
2010: 6.5

DRB%
2008: 17.7
2009: 22.0
2010: 18.8

Yi received a 5 point boost in offensive rebounding. I'm okay with that. Did any of you notice that his defensive rebounding remained unscathed? No consistency whatsoever. Looking at Yi's teammates...

Lopez: 20.5 = 79
Boone: 19.7 = 70
T. Will: 18.9 = 68
Yi: 18.8 = 82

Yi remains the top defensive rebounder on the team, when that clearly isn't the case.

Now, I know what you're all thinking. I talk the talk, but can I walk the walk? (Okay, you weren't really thinking about it. I suggested it. Then you started thinking about it.)

REAL 2K INSIDER'S OFFICIAL CHANGES

Yi Jianlian
Overall 68 (down from 69) (59)
Inside 70 (down from 85) (70)
Close 77 (down from 84) (67)
Medium 72
3PT 74 (up from 72)
LowPost 71 (down from 78) (64)
FreeThrow 81 (77)
Layup 54 (down from 59)
Dunk 67
StandDunk 65 (down from 70)
OffDribble 48 (down from 58)
InTraffic 65 (up from 55)
Handle 57
OffHand 47
Security 43 (41)
Pass 30
Block 57 (up from 68) (51)
Steal 50 (up from 57) (45)
Hands 76
BallDef 41 (up from 36)
OffReb 58 (53)
DefReb 67 (down from 82)
OffPost 73 (up from 77) (68)
DefPost 56 (up from 54) (46)
OffAwr 68 (up from 66) (52)
DefAwr 56 (up from 48) (36)
OffClutch 25
DefClutch 25
Consistency 65 (25)
Stamina 85 (up from 84) (77)
Speed 67 (up from 52)
Quickness 65 (up from 55)
Strength 42 (up from 37)
Vertical 64
Hustle 55
Durability 63 (down from 70)
Potential 85 (78)
Emotion 60 (25)

Lo and behold! Fair ratings, and he still improved 9 overall points. Imagine that.