Zhang Ziyu, a Chinese basketball player who stands at 7 feet 3 inches, practically towers over 99% of women in basketball. At 17, her talent is raw. She would have to wait for a potential WNBA career because the WNBA requires a player to be at least 20 to be eligible for the league.
She is tall, slow, and good at everything else. Her court presence for a 17-year-old is superb. She knows where to start and how to take advantage of her height. It is a misconception that just because you are tall, it automatically paves the way for greatness. As history has shown, this is not always true. Being too tall can be a handicap. Watching her play, she relies on simplicity. She does not have to jump that high to get a rebound, nor does she try to jump higher than she needs to. This is a good thing because it could prevent injuries, as moving too fast or too much can increase the chances of a pulled muscle and other sports injuries etc. Simplicity is the best in fundamental basketball.
Zhang Ziyu is not the fastest player on the court, but she moves fairly quickly for a person her size. She can pass the ball to an open teammate at the 3-point line, giving her team flexibility to score many points when they need to come back in a hurry.
Although there might be a sense of urgency to see Zhang in the WNBA soon, it is important to know she is still just a kid. Let her enjoy the simple things in life before leaping into the professional league ranks. Well, she cannot in any way do this soon. She is way too young.
Given her height and decent mobility, she is definitely WNBA material. Let's remind ourselves that she is just a kid and she is still getting stronger. When she adds a little more muscle. It is also very important for her development that her entourage does not rush her growth as a player. If not done so properly, she may never reach her full potential.
She reminds me of an NBA great, Tim Duncan, who never did anything fancy. He was just a solid fundamental player who knew where to be at the right time and in the right place. This is one of the things scouts look for in a prospect. In other words, she has great court vision.
Pending her draft eligibility, the future looks bright for this young 7-foot-3 teenager. The crazy thing is that she may not be done growing. As obvious as it is, there will be no role given to her other than the center position, which means she needs to work on her cardio and strength. There is a misconception about the WNBA: it is a soft league. The WNBA is the exact opposite. It is a rough and fast league that is physically demanding. Only the best female players can play in the WNBA. If you are not, you will not last long in the league.
She will have a difficult time adjusting to the pace and physicality of the WNBA right now and will even do so when she fully matures. She will be double-teamed, triple-teamed, and hit in places she did not even know she could get hit on; however, her personal growth as a player is fully up to her. She can spend the next couple of years doing what she is doing or she can fully commit, get stronger, and get faster. When she does that, she could be unstoppable.
I am looking forward to seeing her progress. Three years from now, we will be watching her being called up to the podium saying, "And the number 1 pick in the WNBA draft is Zhang Ziyu."
We are possibly witnessing the rise of the most dominant future WNBA player in history.