What James Yap needs to improve on

I never really got the chance to watch enormous amount of JY games in the UAAP. In fact, it was only through my brother that I have first heard his name and his capabilities. According to him, he was a great shooter and the go-to-guy of the UE Warriors. It did not seem to move me as my favorite players then were Enrico Villanueva and L.A. Tenorio of the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Until one day, I had the opportunity to see him on TV. It was during the awarding of the UAAP Men's basketball Event in 2003. Mr. Yap was given the MVP award. That was the first time I ever saw his face. He's really cute. I've not witnessed how he plays but the fact that he's won a Most Valuable Player award is enough proof that he can play. He can play... and he's cute. Perfect combination of a basketball superstar.

Few months later, came the buzz about the PBA Annual Draft. James Yap has opted to forego his scholarship in UE and decided to join it. I was first to campaign for the Hotdogs to draft him. My convictions were justified when I learned from a newspaper article that RG is keenly keeping an eye on him. Few days later, one of my dreams came true. James Yap became the second-over-all pick of the 2003 draft. But everything did not happen without any consequence. One of my favorite players in the Hotdogs' roster that year, Billy Mamaril, was given up to Shell. Sometimes you just can't have it all.




The draft day happened in February and I had to wait a little bit longer for the PBA to resume. Meanwhile, the PBL, where James Yap was playing during that time, gave me the preview on what's in store for Hotdog fans like me. He was then in a finals series against Peter June Simon (who later became his teammate with the Hotdogs). During the games that I was able to watch, James made a good account of himself. Good, but not great, as he has lost the Championship and the MVP award to Simon.

Fast forward to two years later, James Yap was able to come out of his shell. As of this writing, James Yap is averaging 18 points per game. A huge leap from his former average of 12 ppg. He's also become one of the most popular cager in the land. In fact, he's starting for the South All-Star in three straight years already. Together with kerby Raymundo and Marquin Chandler, he's led the Giants to a runner-up finish in the recently concluded Fiesta Conference. As far as the Giants' is concerned, JY is fast becoming one of its leaders. The future is secured.

But JY is no Michael Jordan. His performance has not been spectacular the past couple of games as he has only averaged 12 points. Prior to that, he's only managed to pour-in an average of 4 points in the first half in each of the Giants last 4 games! James finds it hard beat his man off-the-screens even though he's alot quicker that some of them. He fails to cash-in on open treys and he on minimum occassions, misfired on several lay-ups. This is not what we expect him to be.



Coach Ryan, in one of his first interviews at the start of the conference said that he's expecting James to score more. He responded well to the call by scoring 34 points against Sta. Lucia. But few days later, RG was quoted having said that he wants James Yap to shoot with more accuracy. This is a conflict of instruction. If you want a guy to score more, you'd give him the license to take more shots. If you want a guy to be more accurate, you're actually telling him to limit his attempts! Take Ritualo for example, this man has the profound green light to score. Even in what seems to be an off-night, Air21 continues to feed him the ball knowing that he'll eventually get his rhythm. No wonder, either off-night or in-the-zone-night, Ren-Ren is averaging in huge numbers. But this is not only about numbers, it is about roles than one needs to play. Ren-ren is absolutely playing the role of a scorer. He's paid to burn the hoops. What's JY role? Scorer? Stabilizer? Or defender? Or a little bit of everything? This should not be a case made out especially for a second-year pro. You need to break him in slowly. Focus on his strenghts first and if he's ready, give him more responsibility but make it one responsibility at a time. I'm not saying JY lacks the basketball IQ. All I am saying is, make him do thing he's comfortable doing. The rest should come in second. Good thing James knows how to obey orders. But it goes without disregarding the fact that RG must make up his mind in order to maximize the talent of his prized player.

But the Coach should be the last one to blame for the performance of a player. The player makes the kind of player he is. Though very talented, James Yap is still very raw and unpolished in some corners and edges of his game. Naturally, for a non-veteran, the main concern of coaches is maturity. James has shown flashes of brilliance on on-game-decision-making if the past year and a half. But first things first, he needs to be consistent on the firing end. If he average in double digits, he needs to assert himself in the offense. He should not be contented taking free-throws because it is not every game that he gets fouled alot. The key is "movement."
James should move well with the ball and most importantly, without it. Mark Caguioa is probably the most successful in doing it. He's been given several shots because his teammates "SEE" him alot. He's always all-over the court: behind the rainbow, underneath the goal, above the free-throw line, on the sideline, at the middle, etc. He puts himself in a position where he can score or at least where he can create opportunities for himself and his teammates. James lacks that ability. Or he might be, at the moment, still opting to go off-the-screens but doing so is not always productive since there are defenders who are just as quick as he is, some even quicker. Another point of improvement is his "passing skills." James, of all people has the potential of being a great passer because he can literally hang in the air, palm the ball and make a dish with his "BIG" hands. Knowing how to pass adds a new dimension to your game. It puts your defender in a dilemma because he wouldn't know if you'll dish-out or shoot. Vergel Meneses is a genius when it comes to dishing out. No wonder he's led the league in passing some years ago but it didn't not really put his offense in slumber. The third key is "decisiveness." James should always know what to with to the ball. The greatest enemy on court is your tendency to doubt yourself, your decisions, your move. Once James drives to the middle, he should be certain what to do with it. His penchant for last second assist should not be allowed by RG. It's not a good sight.

Like in the Lebron of the NBA, James came to the league with a lot of promise and alot of hype. I'm confident that he has what it takes to live up to this billing. He only needs to be guided accordingly. But his improvement should not be initiated by other people. Otherwise, he'll become a player with no ambition at all and he will not be remembered. His desire for improvement and work ethics should come from within. And this should prosper together with the support of his coach and his teammates. If he needs a little tweak in their offensive patterns, he should let it be known. Who knows, at the end of it all, he might even exceed our expectations. Even his own.