In this way, once the outside line goes silent, with Jordan getting older and being targeted and limited, Yao Ming can still serve as a core backup, providing the team with extra insurance.
While Yao Ming's position seems similar to Sabonis, his role is actually more akin to Petrović.
In the game against the Pistons, Yao Ming scored 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, edging closer to the 20-point milestone.
It's foreseeable that Yao Ming will soon break the 19-point barrier, but Charles Barkley still insists that recent games have proven that Yao Ming cannot exceed 19 points, hovering around 15 points at most.
On November 19th, the Glory Team flew to Miami for a road game against the Heat—Yao Ming facing Shaquille O'Neal for the first time.
O'Neal had a rough summer, choosing to leave the Lakers for the Heat, escaping to the warm South Coast to avoid the Glory and Gan Guoyang.
