Former coach likes the fit
Yi Jianlian returned to China in 2012 after a lackluster five-year stint in the NBA, but he's kept in touch with his longtime mentor and veteran NBA coach Del Harris.
They first met 12 years ago while Harris was coaching the Chinese national team.
Yi has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Harris, who guided China to eighth place at the 2004 Athens Olympics as the team's first foreign-born head coach, predicts the 6-foot-11 power forward will be a good fit under new Lakers boss Luke Walton.
"I think LA is the right team for him," said Harris, who coached former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming in 2004. "He should be able to play for the Lakers and really fit the style Luke employed so well last year with Golden State."
"I can tell you he plays better when he feels the coach and the team have confidence in him," Harris said. "He needs to feel that belief."
To support his claim, Harris pointed to Yi's average of nearly 15 points and seven rebounds per game with the New Jersey Nets in early 2010, when Harris was an assistant coach.
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