This 7-Foot-5, 16-Year-Old Chinese Female Basketball Phenom Is Absolutely Fucking Gigantic

I don’t understand NBA international draft eligibility but have to imagine this 7 and a half foot 

Chinese national is on somebody’s list. Maybe Portland? 

Obviously Orlando could use more size and Detroit’s not a bad fit. 

Either way I’m really curious about the career arc for an 8 foot, semi-skilled woman in the men’s game. If we’re talking pure 8-footer, I think she’s a double-double in the MAC at some point. We’re talking about 18 inch differential. On paper that’s no different than a regular guy posting up your average 4th grader. 

Counter point: we’re talking about a teenage girl from China. Be as tall as you want. I still have major questions about her toughness and durability and strength. Especially in a pick n’ roll situation away from the basket. 

So now I’m changing my curiosity to say, how big does a semi-skilled Chinese teenage girl need to be in order to compete at the Division-1 NCAA level? 

8 feet definitely feels like enough. Especially after watching tape on this dude

Zhang is just about the same size so really just a matter of converting the uncontested buckets to completely dominate the national high school circuit. Definitely not a 1:1 comparison but we can extrapolate for a bigger picture. 

Ultimately I’m going 8’3 to be a true difference maker at the D-1 level. At that height you’re simply too fucking tall for the average depth chart. It’s 20 inches taller than an average D-1 mid major front court. Mugsy Bogues to Alonzo Mourning. 

Nathaniel S. Butler. Getty Images.

Zhang gets to 8’3 in a redshirt year under Brad Underwood or Tom Izzo and I think she could be a huge problem down the road. That's my point.

And honestly not a bad angle from the Chinese to go after women’s basketball. Australia's has had a ton of success with punting and I think there's huge opportunity for women's post play. Small exposure to WNBA suggest it's ripe for the taking but that's my two cents. 

Anyways. 

O/U 8'3 for a semi-skilled teenage girl to get a double double in men's D-1 hoops?