Many commentators and experts said Pang Bo wasn't strong enough physically and would get crushed by a true NBA-level center.
Sure enough, in the first nine games of the season, Pang Bo averaged just 9 points and 9.5 rebounds.
Especially in the game against the Warriors, who kept raining threes from the perimeter under Jordan Poole's leadership.
That was when Pang Bo's lack of mobility became apparent. Given his height and weight, his mobility was already astonishing, but in today's small-ball era, where everyone advocated playing fast and getting more possessions, his lack of mobility was impossible to ignore.
He couldn't get out to defend on the perimeter, and he couldn't keep up with the opposing team on fast breaks.
That only made the commentators and experts even more smug.
"Big men like this don't fit into today's small-ball era."
"Without Shaq's dominance, a big man like this is just a liability on the court in today's small-ball era. He can't score, and he can't defend."
"Everyone says he's a Chinese prodigy, but look at his first nine games. It's been an absolute disaster. Of course, 9 points and 9 rebounds might be decent for an ordinary rookie, but considering he was this year's first overall pick, that stat line is pretty underwhelming."
As the criticism mounted, Pang Bo gradually began to lose his way over those first nine games.
He even started to wonder if he was suited to today's small-ball era.
And because he had lost confidence in himself, in the tenth game, he played 29 minutes and managed just 2 points and 7 rebounds.
That was enough to make the critics laugh their heads off.
"So this is the Chinese prodigy everyone was talking about? Heh."
"Tamim was really stupid to pick him this year. Some people