JINQUI HU
BIRTHDATE: 9/24/97
POSITION: Power Forward/Center
HEIGHT: 6'10"
WEIGHT:
SCHOOL/ TEAM: Zhejiang Lions (China)
NATIONALITY: Chinese
STRENGTHS
Size - Good size at 6'11 for his position
Athleticism - Good, but not explosive athlete. Moves well good foot speed
Running the floor - Runs the floor well for a man his size. Can beat most bigs down the court in a foot race
Energy/Motor - Has a nose for the ball and makes a lot of effort plays. Draws a lot of fouls with his activity
Rebounding - A threat on the glass, especially on offensive boards.
Shooting - Good shooter from short corner and 15 ft in; Displays soft touch around the rim; Potential to be excellent at pick & pop
Footwork - Solid footwork. Loves to use pivots and drop steps to get shots on post touches
Passing - Adequate passer
Putting ball on the floor - Shows potential to be able to attack closeouts and beat slower defenders off the dribble
Off the ball movement - Moves well off the ball as a cutter and finds the weak spots in the defense
WEAKNESSES
Strength - Very skinny and physically weak
Post Game - Lacks polish on post game. A lot of his moves are pre determined; Bad habit of picking up dribble and trying to pivot through traffic
Balance - Due to lack of strength takes a lot of off balance shots or ends up on the floor
Finishing through contact - Also related to lack of strength
Hands - Average hands. Drops passes in tight spaces
Feel for the game - Tendency to pass up easy shot in the post to take a tough shot in traffic
Left Hand - Zero to non existent. Looking to drive right every time
Screening - Doesn't make contact on screens.
Toughness - Hot and cold toughness.
Jinqiu Hu is an interesting prospect who has all the physical tools to be a special player. At 6'11 he's mobile, runs the floor with a good motor and could fill a role as an energy guy who can also space the floor. Hu possesses a nice shooting touch from the short corner and elbows while also displaying the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. While he flashes some skill, his greatest asset is his energy, rebounding and running the floor in transition.
Hu averaged 17.9 pig and 10.4 rebounds at the 2016 Asia Challenge and scored most of his points from hard cuts off the ball, on offensive rebounds where his activity drew a lot of fouls. He was effective in the post despite his lack of strength and polished low post game. Hu has the skill package to be good scorer on the block, but it seems as if his moves are already pre determined instead of playing off instinct. He has good footwork but has a bad habit of bringing the ball down low and pivoting into traps. He could be really effective if he added some quick touch finishes and relied more on his jump hook. Hu also shows potential as a passer from the high post and from the post when double teamed.
In the 2016 Asia Challenge Tournament, Hu more than held his own against bigger and stronger men, who were sometimes up to 10 years older. Hu is easily one of the best prospects in Asia and still has a lot of room to improve. The most obvious area for improvement is in his body. His lack of strength often leaves him off balance and struggling to finish through any type of contact. He's also displayed some inconsistent hands, he'll show good strong hands by snatching offensive rebounds out of the air, but also bobble or drop passes in traffic.
Overall, I like Hu's long term potential and he kind of reminds me of TJ Leaf.
RAFAEL BARLOWE - OCTOBER 12, 2017
SUMMARY
KHAIRI'S NOTES
OFFENSE
Good size for an NBA 4 with seemingly average length
Runs the floor hard but isn't particularly athletic
Plays below the rim
Good feet, very fluid in his movements
Isn't afraid to mix it up and drop his shoulder to create space but doesn't do it consistently
Soft touch around the rim
Has trouble finishing through contact and against length
Doesnt always go up strong and exposes the ball early which leaves him susceptible to blocks
Does draw fouls at a nice rate
Good midrange shooter with range that should extend out to three consistently
Very good in the middle of the floor, finds the soft spot in the defense and can shoot or drive
When out further on the perimeter has a tendency to drift towards the ball when spotting up
Consistent mechanics with a soft touch and high release point
Capable of attacking bigs off the dribble on closeouts
Doesn't strongly establish post position
Can't be a bit too upright
Often establishes deep position after coming off a screen
Looks to get to the rim once he has the ball on the block, doesn't fade away
Will kick it out to repost
Has the footwork to develop an arsenal of post moves
Rarely used in PNR but could develop into a good PNP big
Doesn't make good contact on his screens
Defense
Moves his feet well in space
Should be able to guard bigs on the perimeter and hold his own on switches
Keeps his hands up and contests shooters well
Can get out of position in post defense
Isnt strong enough to prevent being sealed off once out of position
Despite giving up strength, will fight to try move his man off his spot
Susceptible to quick hitting post moves, gets caught flat footed
Not the quickest closing out but keeps his hands up to aid his contest
Breaks down well from closeout to on ball defense for a player his size
Sinks when guarding the PNR, which can leave his man open on PNP. Might be schematic
Isn't much of a rim protector. Contest more shots on his own man than in help defense
KHAIRI AKILI - OCTOBER 12, 2017
JAMES' NOTES
STRENGTHS
Runs the floor - regularly the first big down the floor for easy layups and put backs on misses.
Active on the glass - high energy on both ends of the glass. Follows up his own misses and teammates
Good hands - swallows rebounds in traffic and catches difficult passes in PNR
Good shooting touch - consistent from 15 feet, can shoot at the elbows and in the short corner
Keeps the ball high on offensive rebounds.
Drops his head in traffic - securing the ball is not a problem but often lowers head and takes himself out of scoring position.
Clumsy in traffic - as previously mentioned, his always down but also is prone to losing his balance.
Finishing in the paint is a challenge - rare occasions he’s able to maintain balance, he isn’t particularly explosive in traffic
Would be better off facing up - baseline action for him gets him a lot of easy looks when he gets a good screen. He doesn’t have the lower body to hold position and is better off turning and facing.
Brings the ball too low on catches in PNR, often turns the ball over or gets tied up
Poor on close outs to roll man- is either way too close to close or isn’t there to contest. Any mobile big is getting a layup if Hu has to make a second effort in PNR.
JAMES BARLOWE - OCTOBER 13, 2017