16 teams invited trials and beat Nick Young alone. He is the only Asian defender to be selected!

Recently, Yang Hansen, who went to the United States to conduct special training, has heard a lot of good news, especially in the joint trial in Chicago, where he showed his ability and performance beyond expectations. Therefore, in the current mock draft report, his draft market has also risen. The highest level has reached the end of the first round, and he has the chance to be selected by the Nets. There is no doubt that if Xiao Yang can be selected, it will definitely be an opportunity for the long-silent Chinese men's basketball team. However, in sharp contrast to this is Lin Wei of Tongxi. Although he announced that he would participate in this year's NBA draft, as a defender, the draft market is not optimistic and he is likely to lose.

Of course, this is not because Lin Wei is not capable enough, but because compared with the center position, it is indeed difficult for Asian defenders to gain a foothold in the NBA. Looking back at all the Asian defenders who have played in the NBA, whether it is Tian Wota or Kawamura Yuhui, they are not entering the NBA through the draft. They are the only Asian defender who enters the NBA through the draft. To this day, there is still only Sun Yue. So why was Sun Yue selected by the Lakers back then, and how did he perform during the trial? Let’s go back to the summer of 2007 and see how Sun Yue was recognized by the Lakers!

1. Excited in the ABA and received the attention of scouts.

Time came in 2005. Since the conflict between Beijing Ao Shen Team and the CBA could not be resolved, the Ao Shen Team also made an amazing decision, that is, to go to the United States on the other side of the ocean to participate in the ABA League held in the United States. 20-year-old Sun Yue also went to the United States to confront American teams. At that time, NBA scouts had begun to realize a problem, that is, the basketball level of countries around the world was improving, so their vision was no longer limited to the United States, and international players began to emerge in large numbers. Sun Yue also seized this opportunity. Although the ABA is not a league with a high level, many scouts also paid attention to this event at that time, and Sun Yue, who has gradually become the core of the Ao Shen team, showed his NBA-level talent. Even when facing black players who are taller and stronger than him, Sun Yue still dares to fight. As long as he can dunk, he will never make a layup. Moreover, his passing vision is outstanding, and his outstanding defensive ability, he is increasingly recognized by scouts. Especially in the 2006-07 season, he averaged 13.5 points, 6 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 2 blocks per game, and was selected for the league's All-Star lineup, the draft market for Sun Yue has gradually become clear, and some scouts began to invite him to participate in the pre-NBA draft trial.

2. Participated in the joint trial training and the overall performance was satisfactory.

At that time, Sun Yue, who was 21 years old, also hoped to be able to compete in the NBA. Therefore, after being recognized by scouts, he also discussed with the Oshen team, and finally participated in the NBA joint trial to gain more attention from NBA teams. The results of the physical test are still satisfactory. He has a height of 2.05 meters, a standing height of 2.65 meters, a weight of 98 kilograms, and a body fat rate of 5.5%. Although his wingspan is a little worse, only 2.06 meters, he has basically entered the NBA threshold in terms of static talent. In terms of dynamic talent, Sun Yue's three-quarter basketball court sprint speed reached 3.5 seconds, which is comparable to Kevin Durant's speed. In terms of on-site and running and jumping, he reached 0.81 meters and 0.87 meters respectively. These are extremely excellent data, so in terms of talent alone, Sun Yue has been able to enter the NBA. In the joint trial training that year, Sun Yue also showed his advantages. In addition to being not good at shooting, being slightly thin in body, and not handling the ball in time, he also received a lot of praise. Especially his excellent field vision, defensive awareness and movement speed have made scouts praise. Even after discussion, the scouts unanimously limited Sun Yue's best upper limit to Boris Dior, which shows that Sun Yue did perform well at that time.

3. Half of the league invited a trial, and was finally selected by the Lakers.

With the outstanding performance of joint trial training, many exclusive scouts of NBA teams also hope to invite Sun Yue to the team's city for a separate trial. According to later statistics, as many as 16 different NBA teams sent invitations to Sun Yue. Although Yang Hansen performed well in joint trial training this year, he has only received 5 invitations, which is enough to prove the value of Sun Yue's trial training at that time. Among these teams, there are many strong teams such as the Celtics, Spurs, Mavericks, and Lakers. Among them, the Celtics even invited Sun Yue to Boston for trial twice, which shows their optimism about Sun Yue. Of course, due to the conflict in time, Sun Yue chose 9 of the teams for trial training. In the Wizards' trial, he defeated his opponent twice in a one-on-one match with Nick Young, which made the scouts present exclaim. When he tried out for the Lakers later, his condition was even more intense that day. He could complete it with ease whether it was a turning back jump shot, a small hook shot at the basket, or a pull-up shot in the face of a defensive pull-up shot. Therefore, Sun Yue's outstanding performance also touched Kuppchek, then general manager of the Lakers. In the 2007 draft, Sun Yue was selected by the Lakers with the 10th pick in the second round, becoming the first and the only Asian defender to enter the NBA through the draft.