Chicago Sky Offseason Update #20.1: Li Yueru Film Study

With just one player representing the Sky at FIBA Olympic Qualifying, I take a look at the skills that stood out as Yueru helped China qualify.

FIBA held their final set of Olympic Qualification Tournaments last week with 10 teams booking their place to join hosts France and reigning World Cup winners USA in the Paris games: Japan, Spain, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, Serbia, Germany, Belgium, Nigeria and China. After the Sky traded Kahleah Copper to Phoenix last week, Li Yueru was the only active Sky player participating in one of the four tournaments as part of host China’s team in the Xi'An bracket. With just Li’s three games to recap, I figured this blog would be the perfect time to take a closer look at her film—even if China’s qualification for the Olympics dents the chances that she’ll play with the Sky this season. But before we dive into the specifics, let’s recap how China and Yueru got on.

Game 1: China 94 New Zealand 47

Starting the game off the bench with Han Xu (21 p, 9/9 FG, 4 blk) of the Liberty favored to start, Yueru took her time to get into the flow of the game—missing 8 of her first 9 shots. It was almost as if—against a much smaller New Zealand team—Yueru was put off by the different types of shot contests she was facing as she missed a number of easy finishes that she’s made time and time again this season for Beşiktaş. However, everything that was happening before she put up a shot (especially her movement) and after (offensive rebounds galore—7 for the game) suggested that she’d be just fine when the shots started falling. Sure enough, Yueru finished the game on a tear—making 6 of her last 7 shots from the floor to finish with 16 points and 12 boards in total. China were in control throughout—no great surprise given their roster and New Zealand’s bevy of injuries. However, the way China finished the game—with Yueru going coast-to-coast to score at the buzzer—showed that they were taking every aspect of qualification, including tiebreakers like point differential, seriously.

Game 2: France 82, China 50

France had nothing to play for—with their spot in the Olympics already booked by virtue of Paris hosting the games, but that didn’t stop them from steamrolling China in front of their home fans on Saturday. The game started off pretty slow and methodical for both sides but when France—especially Marine Johannes and Gabby Williams (17 p each)—got rolling in the second and third quarter (53-26 total score) China couldn’t keep pace. Li finished a team worst -31, but it wasn’t as if any specific Chinese player had a particularly negative impact on the team’s performance. From missing easy shots to turning the ball over in silly ways, it just felt like one of those days where Yueru and company couldn’t get out of their own way. Despite the lopsided defeat, China’s place in Paris was also secured when Puerto Rico beat New Zealand later in the day.

Game 3: China 105, Puerto Rico 69

With Puerto Rico’s win meaning they too had booked their place in Paris on Saturday, this contest was nothing more than a formal chance to build team chemistry before the Olympics. The lack of stakes, however, didn’t stop Yueru from bringing her A-game. In a three day run (14.3 per game) where she was dominant on the glass, Yueru delivered her most impressive showing of them all—finishing with 23 boards including 10 on the offensive end. As compared to the previous two games, she was more efficient offensively (22 p, 8/13 FG) while still continuing her trend of getting to the line with relative ease (19 FT attempts in 3 games). On top of a 20-20 performance, she also blocked three shots and effected several more as part of what was probably her best defensive outing of the event. If there were any questions about Yueru being in China’s squad in Paris, this performance resoundingly closed the door on those debates.

With the recaps out of the way, let’s dive into what—aside from her usual post dominance—stuck out from Li’s film:

Effort in Transition

For a player of her size, Li’s efforts to run the floor in transition should not go unnoticed. Like anyone, she’s a valuable part of the break when she’s out in front, but her effort getting out and running even when she’s grabbing a board or contesting a shot like in the first clip below show what an unselfish player she is. Even if she doesn’t get the initial feed she’s looking for in that first play, her presence in the attacking forty-seven completely changes the dynamic for the defensive players guarding the break. In the second play, we see a similar example of Li’s effort levels. After diving out of bounds and being considerably behind the play (with 10 seconds left in a 45 point game), Yueru could easily just jog or even walk back and let someone else take the final shot. Instead, you see her clicking up through the gears as she heads towards the basket—ultimately ending with a lovely finish off the glass.

The third clip—from earlier in the New Zealand game—demonstrates a bit of the cerebral nature of Yueru’s game. She makes what looks to be a very simple cut, but the angle and slightly slower tempo of her run provide the ball handler—Li Yuan—with a critical outlet. If Yueru is at full speed or cuts in a straight line to the basket, the defense has an exponentially higher chance to deflect Yuan’s pass or better contest Yueru’s shot. The last play shows a wrinkle worth keeping an eye on. If Li can consistently hit those types of mid-range shots, she becomes a more dangerous half court threat and a more dynamic weapon in transition as well. Her effort running the floor is fantastic, but you can’t expect a player who’s getting so many rebounds to always be leading the charge to the rim. If she’s able to reliably hit shots from the mid-range (or even from three) as a trailer, it means that defenses can’t forget about her no matter where she is in regards to the ball on the break.

Passing

The first two passes below seem to be relatively easy finds as the New Zealand defense hones in on Yueru, but there’s a subtle nuance in each which, at least for me, showcases Li’s intelligence as a passer. In the first play, the short space of time between Yueru’s catch and pass is crucial to Li Meng getting off a relatively clean look. If Yueru tries anything at all to score, the defense has time to rotate across and a relatively well-organized defense will find Meng. In this instance, the Mystics forward misses, but her exceptional performance in the tournament suggests this is a look China will settle for every time they can get it. In play 2, the positioning of the ball is key. Even against the bigger players in the WNBA, Li will likely be able to hold the ball up overhead and give herself an extra second of time to let the play unfold. In this case, that extra second allows her to see that the New Zealand defender doesn’t know Pan Zhenqi is back-cutting—creating a great look at the basket which Pan converts cleverly.

Play three—against Puerto Rico—is a brilliant spot from Yueru as she essentially passes out of a triple team and through the other two defenders on the court into what would’ve been a wide open three for Yang Liwei. In this instance, another teammate happens to be rolling through the exact same passing lane and grabs at a pass they believe to be for them, but Yueru still has the right idea. The final play—from China’s tough loss to France—is another where Yueru is trying to fit a pass through the majority of the opposing defense. Pre-pass, we see Yueru’s recognition of where she is on the court. Usually, it’s in her nature to put the ball up instantly after a pick and roll catch, but the deflection on the entry pass has dragged her under the rim with Iliana Rupert ready and waiting to block any shot. It’s still possible to score with a creative finish from under the rim, but it’s not a high percentage look. Meanwhile, the double from Marine Johannes means it’s not going to be easy to dribble out of the situation either. A French defender actually gets a hand on the eventual pass, but Yueru has attracted so much attention in the post that Meng can easily shuffle across to catch and still have an open look. The patience Li shows passing out of doubles—instead of panicking and forcing a bad shot or turning the ball over—is key to her overall success as a passer.

Rim Protection

Duh — right? If you’re considerably taller than almost everyone else you play against, you should block shots — no? Well, yeah. But there’s also a lot of great elements of Li’s shot blocking that make her unique from other tall players. In the first play below (and especially from the second angle), you see how straight up and down her defending position is. No part of her body is leaning into the block—even though in this case there’s plenty of space to lean into. Sticking to these key principles of defending—even when not explicitly needed—allows her to avoid fouling (less than 3 fouls per game with club side Beşiktaş this season) and stay on the floor. The second play demonstrates how difficult Li is to get past when she gets out in front of the play. She moves early to help the defender guarding the drive but doesn’t overcommit to the lay-up at the near side either. As a result, she hasn’t put herself in the path of the ball-handler—meaning they’ll find it difficult to draw a foul. With her wingspan, the player in possession would need a lot more hang time to get off a shot that isn’t so easily batted away.

Crucially, Yueru is a great shot-blocker even when she is not out in front of the player driving to the rim. It would be great to perfectly anticipate every drive or backpedal off the line at lightning speed but quicker players will, inevitably, get past from time to time. In the third play (against France), you see how—even if beaten—she understands the angle she needs to block the shot and, once again, does a great job of staying relatively straight up (despite an inevitable lean after jumping on the run) to avoid clearing out the ball handler and giving up free throws. In the last play, the ball handler again has a jump, but this time it’s Yueru’s incredible footwork that allows her to alter the shot. When the New Zealand player changes direction, Yueru matches the change, stays close enough to use her reach and maintains enough momentum to get the lift needed to block the shot—all while backpedalling! To say this is unique amongst players of her size is an understatement, and I put it down to Yueru’s exceptional balance. At both ends of the court, she looks remarkably light on her feet with that nimbleness contributing to her extremely refined post game, shiftiness off ball and—especially—her fantastic rim protection.