New Orleans Pelicans C Yves Missi Dominates For Cameroon In World Cup Qualifier
While the NBA season is still about two months away from kicking off, some players around the league have gotten some early action with their national teams in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying games.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a player taking part in this early tournament, and it’s the exact player they need taking these reps: center Yves Missi. Missi had a statement performance in Cameroon’s second-round win over Nigeria, showcasing why the Pelicans have put so much stock in developing him.
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Across 26 minutes, Missi had 24 points with nine rebounds, two steals and four blocks. Outside of just the numbers looking good, Missi himself looked different.
In a highlight video posted by FIBA, Missi can be seen in the best basketball shape of his life, showing a bit more confidence with the ball in his hand and even attempting some shots that aren’t right at the rim.
It’s one thing to do it in an international game, and it’s another to do it in the NBA, but this is as good a sign as New Orleans could hope for heading into the season.
Missi is an incredibly raw player who should still be getting better in noticeable leaps at a time. While his production and minutes actually dropped in year two, anyone with eyes could tell that he was better as a sophomore. The player in this game looks to have gone up another similar level.
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The rim protection showcased alone will be music to the Pelicans’ ears. That was an area where Missi quietly excelled. CleaningTheGlass has him as a 95th-percentile blocker among NBA bigs last season with a 3.8% rate. In just 19.7 minutes, he had 1.5 blocks per game.
While Derik Queen seems to be the future star of the frontcourt for New Orleans, Missi will likely begin the year as the starting center. Any time they aren’t going for a small-ball approach, Missi will need to be on the court.
Teams around the NBA wanted to trade for Missi this offseason, as they did at the last trade deadline, but the Pelicans couldn’t afford to move him. The best defensive lineup they can put forth this season has Missi in it. The athleticism that he has at his size is rare. If he were able to add a bit of strength to his frame as well, they could have a legit defender in their frontcourt.
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