With at least a half-dozen rookie bigs making night-by-night contributions across the Association, it’s quietly become one of the 2024-25 season’s more intriguing subplots, regarding which first-year center will ascend the highest. Even if only for a single play, Yves Missi used his 38½-inch vertical to eliminate any suspense on January 24, 2025. On an evening that encouraged highlights from both the New Orleans Pelicans’ No. 21 pick and his lottery-picked counterpart, Missi snatches the spotlight, first blending into the shadows of a pick-and-roll that sets the stage for a pocket pass. Inevitably met at the summit by Zach Edey, Missi extends before unleashing a good ‘ol fashioned “look out below,” flushing in an and-one poster jam for one of the season’s great highlights. Efficient and must-see, even in a 13-point defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies, Missi contributed to a 265-combined-point firework show by adding 10 points (on four-of-five), five rebounds, three assists, and two swats. · Jan 25, 2025