AfricaBasket's Editor-In-Chief details Yves Missi’s bounce-back game in his first NBA start, where he grabbed 10 rebounds to help the Pelicans top the Pacers. Missi’s showing offered glimpses of his potential as he builds momentum while adjusting to NBA demands.
Last Updated on
November 2, 2024
In just his first NBA start, Cameroon's promising young talent, Yves Missi, is already showing glimpses of what he could bring to the (Whispers: "future of the...") New Orleans Pelicans.
After an impressive game against the Chicago Bulls five games prior, where he notched up 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and a steal, Missi is continuing to build momentum. With the Pelicans missing key players, including star CJ McCollum, Missi's opportunity for additional court time has come sooner than expected.
Playing 26 minutes against the Indiana Pacers, three minutes more than his Chicago outing, Missi collected a career-high ten rebounds (including six on the offensive end), added four points, and delivered a nasty earth-shattering dunk on Myles Turner's headtop [No Drake!].
This game against the Indiana Pacers offered Yves Missi a chance to bounce back after a quieter performance in the Pelicans' recent loss to the Golden State Warriors, where he recorded just three rebounds and one assist and went 0-for-5 from the field. It was a tough outing for the young star, who wasn't able to get to the free-throw line during the game and had to face the ever-ready Warriors' legend Draymond Green and his notoriously "robust" defence.
Yet Missi, still finding his footing in the NBA, deserves patience and understanding as he navigates the inevitable ups and downs of the gruelling 82-game NBA season. This recent outing against the Pacers shows he's steadily progressing – and the Pelicans seem committed to allowing him to develop at his own pace.
Throughout his 26 minutes on the floor, Yves Missi showed both the promise of his raw potential and the typical growing pains of a young player (projected as a "raw project") adjusting to the NBA's pace.
The game started pretty modestly for Missi, who lost the opening jump ball to Myles Turner, but he quickly made his presence known with a defensive rebound two minutes in. Not too long after that with 6:17 left in the first quarter, he channelled the spirit of the legendary Dikembe Mutombo with a thunderous block on Turner as he drove to the hoop. That block set an early tone, a reminder of Missi's defensive prowess, even in his debut season.
After logging three solid minutes, Missi was subbed out and didn't see action again until the third quarter. Once back on the floor, he immediately got back to work, securing another defensive rebound just two minutes in. He and Zion Williamson attempted to work a play, but Missi's shot was stuffed under tight pressure from Turner, backed by Pascal Siakam's looming wingspan.
However, barely a minute later, Missi delivered a huge NBA highlight GEN Z moment—an earth-shattering [to put it politely] poster dunk on Myles Turner's headtop. It all started when Brandon Ingram intercepted a careless Turner pass, charged coast-to-coast, and set up Missi with a no-look "hockey dime" just outside the paint. With evidently one thing on Missi's mind, the 6'11" rookie Missi soared and threw down the disrespectful [to Pacers' fans only] dunk on Turner.
Missi continued to battle on the boards, grabbing six offensive rebounds throughout the game. His first offensive rebound came off a missed Jose Alvarado three-pointer at 6:06 in the third quarter, though Siakam managed to block his second-chance attempt. His work on the defensive end was solid as well, pulling down a defensive rebound midway through the third after strong rim protection on Obi Toppin.
After another break late in the third, Missi returned early in the fourth. The young center quickly drew a foul on Isaiah Jackson but stayed relentless, grabbing offensive rebounds on missed shots from Ingram and Boston Jr., the latter resulting in a crucial second-chance play. His next rebound off a T.J. McConnell miss and a key offensive board that set Zion up for a mid-range fadeaway demonstrated Missi's knack for keeping possessions alive, a crucial skill for a developing big.
In the game's final minutes, Missi proved instrumental once again, collecting an offensive rebound that led to an opportunity for Zion Williamson. With the Pelicans up 119-115 and less than a minute remaining, Zion posted up Siakam and dished to a cutting Missi, who then activated some high-IQ post-foot-work to evade Turner for a layup that pushed the Pelicans' lead to 121-115 [See Below].
By the game's end, Missi had grabbed his tenth and final rebound after a Williamson free-throw miss, finishing with 40% shooting from the floor—mainly in the paint [See Below]—and contributing four points, ten rebounds, and an NBA highlight block. While there were areas to improve, Missi's hustle underpinned why the Pelicans are keen to give him a chance to develop at his own pace.
[Photography Courtesy of the NBA/New Orleans Pelicans Twitter]
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