Prospect Overview
• Yu was born in Hangzhou, China. He’s the son of a 6-foot-6 mother and 7-foot-2 father. Yu grew up idolizing fellow countryman and former NBA player Yao Ming.
• In 2017, Yu participated in the 2017 NBA Academy Cup for Team NBA Academy Zhejiang. In three games, the 7-foot-3 center averaged 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals across 34 minutes.
• In 2018, Yu arrived in the United States as a foreign exchange student at Sierra Canyon High School, which has one of the best high school basketball programs in the country. Out of high school, he was rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports. However, after high school, he opted to go back to China to play in the Chinese Basketball Association rather than pursue NCAA basketball.
• With Zhejiang Chouzhou in 2021-22, he averaged 11.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 26.1 minutes. He shot 58.6% from the field and 76.2% from the charity stripe. Arguably Yu’s best performance that season was against Fujian on Oct. 17, where he posted 25 points (11-14 FG, 3-5 FT), 12 rebounds (six offensive), three steals and one block in 38 minutes. In addition to his 7-foot-3 frame, he’s listed upwards of 300 pounds.
— Profile by RotoWire