Yves Missi Could be Worthy Project for Suns

The Baylor project is a potential pick by Phoenix.

Mar 22, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; Baylor Bears center Yves Missi (21) dunks the ball against the Colgate Raiders during the first half of the NCAA Tournament First Round at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns are just days away from the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft - and are widely expected to make a pick next Wednesday - regardless if they trade or stick at 22.

Baylor C Yves Missi has been of interest to the Suns for quite some time - and was confirmed to be under consideration by insider John Gambadoro yesterday.

Missi comes into the draft frequenlty holding comparisons to Clint Capela - who was also selected with the perception that he was a "project" as a prospect.

Missi could contribute for Phoenix much earlier, however, and possesses a skillset that could be invaluable to a franchise in dire need of athleticism.

The Skinny

Height: 6 ft, 11 in

Weight: 230 lbs

Wingspan: 7 ft, 6 in

2023-24 Stats at Baylor: 10.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 61.4% FG

Strengths

Superb Athlete

Missi possesses a 37-inch vertical along with the 7'6" wingspan - that is simply an incredible combo for a prospect that is just short of being a 7-footer.

Quick breakdown of Yves Missi's budding face-up game. While the 7-foot Cameroon native's strong suit lies in rim-running and protection, his freshman season was full of intriguing flashes.

At 19 years old with ferocious physical tools and only 4 years of organized basketball… pic.twitter.com/SWtaZlz2Xo

— League Him (@League_Him) June 4, 2024

Missi's athleticism also comes with very nimble footwork and advanced timing on the floor, as seen above.

His ability to control himself on the court at that size and with only four years of organized basketball experience is remarkable. Missi is truly a player that can turn into an explosive on-ball threat with some seasoning in a quality situation.

Explosive Finisher

Missi's athleticism extends to his ability as a roll man, play finisher, and dunker off of the dribble.

Although his offensive game isn't necessarily the most polished, he has a nice touch around the hoop along with showing promise as a lob threat.

19 y/o (2004) Yves Missi has been one of the most efficient + impactful freshmen bigs in college. Great screener, smart roller, strong finisher, and can play above the rim. Has a skillset that translates to the league day one. pic.twitter.com/t4zCY3nCUn

— He Is Not A Hooper. (@heisnotahooper) December 7, 2023

To sum it up, Missi just has some abilities that are tough to teach, and some of the other aspects of his development could/should come along with time and quality coaching.

High Motor

Areas of Improvement

Rebounding

Missi only averaged 5.6 RPG as a freshman - and only tallied 5 double-doubles in his only season in college.

He unfortunately falls asleep too often on boxouts as well as failing to position himself on both ends - despite his elite athleticism and physical tools.

This is something that he could almost certainly improve upon in the league under the right guidance.

Shooting

Missi really didn't flash any ability as a shooter or floor-spacer.

That could be totally fine.

He only attempted one jump shot at Baylor - and he may or may not be malleable as a jump shooting threat, time will tell on that.

Deandre Ayton came into the NBA as a general non-spacer and never really got a consistent three-point shot in the league, but did become a quality mid-range threat.

On the flip side, Brook Lopez is a glaring example of a player that worked long hours to become a threat from outside, and that development was one of the keys to the Milwaukee Bucks becoming NBA champs in 2021 - the squad that was ironically coached by Mike Budenholzer.

Long story short, Missi could become serviceable as a shooter with time, but it would be totally fine if he played a Dereck Lively role as well.

Reading the Floor

Missi has showed potential to put the ball on the floor as stated previously, but some of the inexperience is glaring at times.

Missi takes too long to read the floor when the ball is in his hands out of the roll game, and it leads to some head-scratching turnovers.

This will also hopefully be improved with time, and Missi's overall feel for the game/ability as a connector is more positive than negative.