Yi Jianlian Agrees to Terms with Lakers
Chinese basketball player Yi Jianlian hasn't played in the NBA since his stint with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2011-12 season, but he will make his return this upcoming season.
The Los Angeles Lakers announced on Monday Yi had signed a deal for the 2016-17 season.
Marc Stein of ESPN reported on Aug. 17 the Lakers were "finalizing a one-year deal in the $8 million range" with the power forward.
As a 20-year-old in 2007, Yi was one of the most highly touted prospects in his draft class, and the Milwaukee Bucks selected him sixth overall. While the 2007 draft class wasn't very deep behind Kevin Durant, Al Horford and Mike Conley, the Bucks picked Yi before the likes of notable big men Joakim Noah and Marc Gasol.
Yi spent just five years in the Association with the Bucks, the then-New Jersey Nets, the Washington Wizards and the Mavericks before falling out of the league altogether. Throughout his abbreviated NBA career, the 7-footer shot only 40.4 percent from the field while averaging 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Since his return to China, however, the 28-year-old has been a force with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association:
| Year | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game |
| 2013 | 25.9 | 10.2 |
| 2014 | 22.6 | 12.8 |
| 2015 | 27.2 | 9.7 |
| 2016 | 26.7 | 9.2 |
Source: FIBA.com
At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he was a bright spot on a Chinese team that lost all five of its games. Yi led all forwards during the group stage with an average of 20.4 points per game.
The Lakers have reportedly been interested in Yi for some time. Per Altius Culture, Wang Yiqiong of the People's Daily reported that Los Angeles reached out to the forward prior to the 2015-16 season, but he turned down its offer to stay in China.
His teammate in China, Will Bynum, also sang his praises to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post after briefly signing with the Washington Wizards last year: "Yi's [expletive] good. I played against him when he was here too, when he was in Milwaukee and Jersey. He got a whole lot better. He's physical now. He always could shoot the basketball. He's rolling. Yi's tough, man. He's a matchup nightmare over there."
If Yi can play like that in the NBA, the Lakers have just bolstered their frontcourt. He's still young enough to have some productive years left and could serve as a veteran presence to help guide Los Angeles' young forwards such as Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
