2/9/24

C, Baylor

7-0 height

235 pounds

5/14/04

Games scouted:

Against UCF

Against Auburn

Against TCU

Against Seton Hall

Against Duke

Stats: soon

Yves is one of the draft's best big men, and for pretty good reason. To start he's pretty good with all the basic big stuff. In more sophisticated terms, he's adept at what is expected from a typical NBA big man. On defense, Yves is a prolific shot blocker. He's not the most elastic jumper, fluid mover, or vertically amazing athlete but Yves knows how to block shots. He times his jumps well, is able to track the ball and mid air, and takes pride in swatting away shots. I just mentioned he's not a generational kind of athlete with crazy movement skills like a Wemby or a John Butler Jr But Yves' ability to cover ground is clearly underrated, especially considering his size. In help side defense, he's able to react quickly and take a few strides and get to the paint and block a shot. And in post defense, he certainly has the frame and the ability to brace up for contact (235 pounds on him). He's already gone up against some of college basketball's best post up big men (Kyle Filipkowski, Johni Broome, others) so he's more NBA ready for the Jokics and Embiids than some other lankier prospects in recent memory.

In terms of perimeter defense, I can't completely say Yves is perfect at this at this stage of his development. He has pretty good hip mobility but not elite level acceleration enabling him to transition seamlessly between a slide and recovery sprint. He has pretty nimble feet for his size, but they don't float off the floor. He has strong legs, but they can't quickly stop on a dime and change direction well. All of this could very well lead to him being shifted a couple times in the league. It may be the reason Baylor prefers to run a trap scheme with Yves', better utilizing his length to get in the vision of the ball handler and blow up plays. However, each time I watch Yves play, I can sense he's learning how to use his positioning and length to effectively affect shooters while being able to sag off of ball handlers a little bit to avoid getting blown by. Yves' 7-6 wingspan helps with that, as well as an ability to turn his hips and slide laterally on defense. Overall, Yves seems clearly like an NBA caliber defender at the big man position. He can generate force off the ground for vertical lift, can switch onto some guards and wings in the pick and roll, and takes pride in being a great defender. I have a positive outlook on his defense.

On offense, Yves is once again good at the necessary big stuff that doesn't make him a liability on the floor. He's a great rim runner that has been getting buckets all season in a variety of ways. He's a lethal lob threat with great timing and length for lobs, as well as mobility for rolls in the pick and roll, he knows how to fight for positioning in the the post and take advantage of mismatches, he can hang around in the dunker's spot and take advantages of other guys' drives, and he's adding some craft to his finishing. By craft I don't mean Kyrie Irving reverse layups necessarily, but he's starting to learn how to avoid charges by jumping laterally, and has very impressive touch off the backboard as well. He's not just a straight up dunker with atrocious touch.

I wouldn't say Yves is elite at the more modern big stuff (shooting, playmaking). The touch is decent but it's a long way off from a consistent three point shot, and he can make passes when needed but isn't an elite level processor or playmaker. Luckily, that isn't necessarily every big's role in the NBA. Though the modern game loves players like Chet and Domantas Sabonis who are DHO hubs and make decisions running your offense, that does not have to be your role, especially when you have the athleticism, defensive awareness, and finishing ability Yves has. He can take a Clint Capela role, setting screens, rim running, being a defensive rim protector, making connective passes. While that seems common, it's sometimes hard to find bigs that fulfill all of these roles pretty well. That's why Yves is a first round talent, and could be rising up boards if he continues to show improvement like he has this season.