The only way to go! Xiao Yang s dilemma, these three All-Stars have also experienced it, Xiao Sa only had 5+3 in his rookie season!

In today's NBA, as small-ball lineups have become the mainstream, the current offense and rhythm are very fast compared to the traditional era. This means that centers must also adapt to the requirements of the times. They not only need to be able to shoot three-pointers, but also have certain speed and response capabilities. After showing good potential in the CBA and performing in satisfactory form in this year's joint trial, Yang Hansen was also successfully spotted by the Trail Blazers and was selected with the 16th pick in the first round. Since then, he has become the third player in Chinese history to be selected in the first round.

However, after entering the regular season, Xiao Yang fell into trouble. Not only was his playing time limited, but his performance after taking the field was also somewhat disappointing. However, these are all expected things. After all, the NBA is the highest stage in the basketball world, and it is difficult to fully adapt.

And this is not Xiao Yang who is facing this dilemma alone. As a "Fire Dragon" player, several other members also encountered such problems when they first entered the NBA. Even Nikola Jokic, who is now in full swing, was not immune. Let us review the specific performance of these Fire Dragon players in their first season in the NBA!

Nikola Jokic

Rookie season statistics: 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2.4 assists

First, let’s talk about Jokic, who is already regarded as the number one active player. In 2014, he was selected with the 11th pick in the second round. There is no doubt that his career starting point is lower than Yang Hansen. Moreover, when he participated in the NBA draft, most teams were not optimistic about his NBA prospects, because at the time, his dynamic and static talents were very average, so even if the Nuggets selected him, they did not give him many opportunities at first. But entering the rookie season, and as the season progressed, the Nuggets discovered a very surprising thing, that is, Jokic has the career and passing ability of a top point guard, so the team directly made him the team's starter in the second half of the season.

Jokic naturally lived up to the team's trust and finally handed over 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Especially in the second half of the season, Jokic gradually got better. He had a single game contribution of 27+14+4 and 16 double-doubles, and was finally selected to the All-Rookie First Team. It has to be said that Jokic is indeed the founder of this center style of play. Even if he encountered some problems in his rookie season, he was able to solve them with ease and quickly became the core of the team's future team building.

Domantas Sabonis

Rookie season statistics: 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1 assist

As the son of the old Sabonis, Sabonis has attracted a lot of media attention since he started playing basketball. After all, everyone wants to see first, whether this famous son can succeed his father in the future. However, unlike Salvador who spent most of his career playing in Europe, Salvador came to Gonzaga University as early as his college days. The dual training system in the United States and Europe made his style of play very diverse.

However, after being selected with the 11th overall pick in the first round in 2016, Savoy didn't have many opportunities in his rookie season. He was playing for the Thunder at that time. Although he quickly became the starter and averaged 20.1 minutes of playing time per game, Russell Westbrook played the most versatile season in history that season, and Sasha had to make a wedding dress for his eldest brother.

Of course, he was not very adaptable to NBA competition at first. He averaged only 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1 assist per game, and his shooting percentage was even less than 40%. Therefore, Xiao Yang does not need to be too anxious. After all, Sasha also went through a lot of hardships before adapting to the NBA, and then grew into the third center in the NBA after Jokic and Joel Embiid. He needs to follow Sasha as an example to get out of the current predicament.

Alperon Shen Jing

Rookie season statistics: 9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists

Finally, let’s talk about Shen Jing, one of the core players of the Rockets. His performance has further improved this season, averaging 22.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. Coincidentally, when entering the NBA in 2021, Shen Jing was also selected with the 16th pick in the first round. This is also a big reason why many fans believe that Xiao Yang can fully establish himself in the NBA. However, Shen Jing's rookie season performance was also quite good. The Rockets were in a bad period at that time, and the ball rights were basically handed over to Kevin Porter Jr. and Jaylen Green. Even in this situation where there was not much ball rights, Shen Jing was still able to perform well, averaging 9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. This is a very similar stat sheet to Jokic's back then.

Not only that, entering the second half of this season, his condition is getting better and better, thus confirming his future core position. This is probably something that Xiao Yang cannot do at this stage, but whether it is asking a teacher, Sasha, or Shen Jing, they have gradually adapted to NBA competition in the second half of their rookie season, so what Xiao Yang needs to do now is to strive for opportunities as much as possible. After all, only on the court can he get more training and training.