The big from Baylor has been a popular name among Raptors fans this year. Is that kind of hype warranted? Be sure to check out the previous draft articles as well, starting with Tristan da Silva.
Yves Missi | 7’0 Big | Baylor | 20 years old
The Intro
There is definitely room for the athletic rim runner archetype in the modern NBA – hell, I had Jalen Duren as a top 5 prospect in the 2022 Draft.
I think that if you fit into that niche of dunks on one end, lockdown defence on the other, you need to either be electrifyingly elite at one or both of those skills, or provide some ancillary skills that show you have room to grow or that you have dimensions to your game.
That’s where my skepticism with Missi comes into play, and why I’d likely avoid him at the 19th pick this year.
The Offence
Missi’s highlights can be a fun watch, but we gotta keep it measured. This will be a short section.
Missi’s not a shooter, and there’s precious little optimism that he can become one. While his free throw shooting has improved somewhat, it’s still bad, and it’s unlikely he’ll be a late game fixture due to his poor percentages at the line. He took one jump shot all season and has no touch to speak of.
His offence will come at or around the rim in the NBA, a majority of his shots dunks off set plays or in transition. His explosive leaping ability and long arms means that if he’s close to the rim, he can finish with power. He’s had a few plays where he’s made a dribble before picking it up into a dunk off a straight line drive, but I wouldn’t expect that to become the norm for him in an NBA offence.
His leaping ability means he’s a prime lob threat.
Missi’s straight up frustrating to watch when he doesn’t have a clear play in front of him. Rather than looking to move the ball, he’ll try to force something that isn’t there, often making multiple contested attempts rather than moving the ball out to an open man. If he gets the ball, your possession is ending in a shot attempt or a turnover.
Where Missi can provide some benefit is as a screener. With his solid frame and big body, he’d be ideal in PnR sets.
The Defence
This is where Missi’s going to be making his money in the NBA, though I think there’s still lots of room for improvement.
A 7’2 wingspan isn’t the outrageous measurement it once was – especially for a 7 footer – but Missi has shown flashes of being an aggressive rim deterrent.
He needs to improve his discipline and awareness, however, as he’s guilty of being baited into some laughably easy fouls.
He’s pretty switchable on the perimeter, moves well for his size, and has active hands. His athleticism will work to his benefit when adjusting to NBA speed.
He has the strength and length to be a dominant rebounder, but on his numbers on the glass are a bit of a let down compared to other players of his size – even when expanding to per 36.
Despite his defensive reputation, his impact stats leave something to be desired when compared to other defensive bigs in the class.
Brendan’s Take
I think there’s an interesting pattern with Raptors fans loving these raw, lengthy, defence-oriented players and it’s warranted to an extent… but there comes a time where you have to put expectations in check and recognize that not every player who sits in this physical archetype is going to become Giannis, Adebayo, or Siakam.
My concern with Missi is that he hasn’t shown that he has the ability to expand his game (while those three aforementioned players did at the time of their pre-draft). He has a role and he plays it well, but he isn’t a floor spacer or playmaker, he can’t put the ball on the ground, and he’ll need to have some impactful playmakers around him if you want him to make an impact offensively. Yes he’s athletic, but you need to have actual skills on the court if you want to be able to contribute to winning. It doesn’t make sense to draft somebody because they’re athletic and long, while shrugging and going “maybe we can teach them basketball”.
Fit-wise, I think Missi would struggle to stay on the floor with the Raptors. For one, his fouling will be a bigger issue against NBA competition, but he also doesn’t really fit into the new identity of spacing and ball movement that they seem to be building towards. Why would Darko want to put Missi on the floor over Poeltl or Olynyk, when Missi’s playstyle clashes with that of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and Gradey Dick? Even Koloko had similar concerns as a rookie, and were it not for his medical dismissal, I feel as though his minutes still would not have been as high as many expected as a sophomore for similar reasons.
To me, Missi would be a poor value play.
We have a prospect who projects to be an athletic rim runner with not much room for growth in terms of skillset, who also projects to be a poor fit with the team. I don’t see why the Raptors would spend a pick on Missi at 19. What you see is what you get, and it’s difficult to see Missi becoming much more. If there were a long term argument to let Missi develop and become more of a perimeter oriented player, then he would make far more sense here, but that argument doesn’t exist.
Even in a weaker draft such as this, I fully expect both higher ceiling players and more NBA ready contributors to be available at the 19th pick. I would avoid Missi at 19 and wait to see if he falls to 31. If he isn’t there, then oh well, there are players like him in every draft class.
I have Yves Missi at an early 2nd round grade on my big board – in the mid 30’s.
Tomorrow we’re checking out another big. I don’t really know how to make a clever hint for his report besides calling him big.
