Francis used to be the first brother of the rocket. What was his level at that time?

We all say that Yao Ming is the basketball bridge between China and NBA, so Francis is the harmonious bridge between Yao Ming and Rockets. The Rockets selected Yao Ming with the No.1 pick, and it was Francis who helped the Rockets draw the No.1 pick. At the time of drawing lots, he helped the Rockets win the first prize with a probability of 8.9%, which led to the story that Yao Ming later joined the Rockets, which was also the beginning of the fate between Francis and Yao Ming.

When Yao Ming first arrived at the Rockets, Yao Ming didn't get along well with the players because of cultural differences, language barriers and Chinese introversion.

At this time, Francis took the initiative to talk to Yao Ming, encouraged him, and pulled Yao Ming into the locker room system, which was the most crucial step for Yao Ming to gain a foothold in the NBA. This may be nothing to ordinary people, but Yao Ming's help in such an environment, coupled with the sluggish performance at the beginning of the season, is precious.

At that time, only Francis could help Yao Ming tide over the difficulties. Because Francis at that time was the deserved boss of the Rockets.

In the 1999 NBA draft, Steve Francis was selected by Vancouver Grizzlies (now Memphis Grizzlies) in the second overall pick in the first round, and was traded to Houston Rockets before the 1999-2000 season. Steve Francis averaged 18. 1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists 1.5 steals in his career. He was awarded the best rookie of the 65,438+0999-00 season and was selected to the All-Star Team three times. In the 200 1-02 season, Francis was tied with oscar robertson and "Magic" Owen Johnson as the player who scored15+5 in the first three seasons of his career.

Francis is a strong point guard with a sharp breakthrough. You can't compete with Iverson at the peak, but it's not much different. His breakthrough was simple and rapid. In 2004, the Rockets traded Francis for McGrady. After leaving the Rockets, Francis quickly degenerated in just two years because of his lack of self-discipline in life and training. At that time, the Rockets traded Francis, Mobry and Cato for McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyrone Lu and Gaines. Several other players are extra. The core of this transaction is two star guards who have played for many years, which is equivalent to "single exchange" for McGrady. You know, when McGrady was the league's leading scorer, you could see how strong the boss was.