Pelicans’ Yves Missi jumps to top of NBA’s rookie class | Pelicans

Yves Missi rose high from the floor of the Smoothie King Center, his giant left hand near the top of the square on the board.

The result of Sunday’s game was a blocked shot against perhaps the greatest basketball player in the world. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic’s shot rejection will undoubtedly be on Missi’s rookie highlight reel.

But it won’t be his most notable.

Missi’s rookie season will likely be remembered more for the way he overcame any critics from draft analysts who said his development would take time.

Here are just a few of the things experts said about Missi leading up to the NBA Draft, before the New Orleans Pelicans selected him with the 21st overall pick.

“His abilities are limited. He’s a typical big man who doesn’t shoot, doesn’t play and doesn’t create shots.”

BLOCKED!!!

“I lack great feel for the game and on both ends of the floor.”

Get this out of here!

Just 30 games into his rookie season, Missi showed it might not last as long as people thought.

“He’s way ahead of the curve,” teammate CJ McCollum said. “He’s probably surprised himself. The development was great for him. From the first day he arrived until today, it has been night and day.”

He used his elite 38.5-inch vertical height to jump straight to the lead in the Rookie of the Year race.

This week he became the favorite to win the prize at online sportsbook FanDuel. If he does win it, he would become only the second player in franchise history to receive the honor, joining Chris Paul, who won it in the 2005-06 season.

The center position was a big question mark earlier this season after the reliable Jonas Valanciunas signed with the Washington Wizards. Even when the Pels drafted Missi, the position was still viewed as something that needed to be addressed.

But Missi learned on the fly and was perhaps the team’s most valuable player in 30 games. He was undoubtedly the most reliable Pelican. He played in 29 of 30 games, including 23 as a starter. He has recorded seven double-doubles and is averaging 9.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. Missi leads all rookies in rebounding and is tied for the lead of all players in offensive rebounds per game (4.0).

He averaged 12.6 points and 10.6 rebounds over the last 10 games. That number is even more impressive considering how many centers he has faced in the last five games.

“He’s had a crash course in the NBA,” McCollum said.

Before Jokic, Missi faced Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks), Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Pascal Siakam (Pacers), Damontas Sabonis (Kings) and second-year phenom Victor Wembanyama (Spurs).

“Yves probably handles what we throw at him better than anyone I can remember,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “And he does it with extreme concentration, extreme confidence and keeps the game pretty simple for himself. His last four of five meetings have been All-Stars. He fights these guys and holds his own.”

His stats in Sunday’s overtime loss to three-time MVP Jokic and the Nuggets were 21 points, nine rebounds, two steals and three blocks.

Not bad for a 20-year-old rookie who was only 10 when Jokic came to the NBA. Jokic was even better on Sunday with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

“It was great to have the experience of playing against a player like him,” Missi said. “To be honest, it’s like a dream come true. It’s always good to have to compete against them and see what I saw on TV when I was younger.”

It is a dream that took Missi from his native Cameroon to the other side of the world. Teammate Dejounte Murray gives Missi some simple advice as he begins to make a name for himself in the NBA.

“Continue to enjoy every moment, the ups and downs,” Murray said. “Everyone can enjoy the moments when everything is going well. Obviously we’re not going to win as a team. But as an individual you see the growth.

“I want him to enjoy his journey. You don’t want him to rush his journey and think that he has to be great today. But he just has to keep getting better.”

Missi has already come a long way in a short time. But he knows there is still a long way to go. He has 29 NBA games under his belt, just five fewer games than he played all of last season at Baylor. Beginners often reach their limits at this time of year.

“You just have to keep playing with one motor,” Missi said.

Missi gets a rematch with Sengun on Thursday when the Pelicans host the Rockets. On Friday, he will face Zach Edey, the Memphis Grizzlies’ rookie center, the No. 9 overall pick and the third favorite to win Rookie of the Year according to FanDuel.

Green believes the best is yet to come for Missi, who may have been the biggest bargain in this year’s draft. In just two months, Missi transformed from a project into a foundational work.

“It’s just scratching the surface of where we think it could end up,” Green said. “I try not to put any limits on these young people when they come in. They are extremely talented, strong-character people.

“If you have that combination of hard work and talent and a good foundation, I don’t know what the ceiling is. I don’t want to impose any on him at all because I think the sky is the limit.”