Despite reaching for a widely projected second-round pick with the No. 16 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers didn't view Yang Hansen as a project-type player. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case. Hansen is having a concerning rookie season, struggling to gain the trust of interim head coach Tiago Splitter.
The Blazers have been one of the most injured teams in the league this season, but Splitter still doesn't want to "throw him into the fire." As a result, Hansen has failed to crack the frontcourt rotation, averaging just eight minutes a game. He's not helping his case to play more in that limited stretch either, averaging 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 28.8% from the field and 13.6% from beyond the arc.
Blazers' Yang Hansen pick is more risk than reward
There was a lot of hype surrounding this pick, as Portland's front office clearly saw something special in the prospect to take such an unconventional pick. Hansen even showed flashes of that unique talent in the summer league, with upside as an offensive hub due to his passing and basketball IQ.
Still, the concern with Hansen as a prospect was that the things he gets away with against lower levels of competition would not translate to the NBA. That's been the case early on, as the pace and space of the modern NBA leaves many to wonder how the Blazers' rookie will carve out a consistent role.
Hopefully, he's able to overcome this steep learning curve and silence his critics. At just 20 years old with such a high feel for the game, that's certainly still in the realm of possibility. But in retrospect, the Blazers would've been better off playing it safer in the draft.
They already have a promising young core, and Deni Avdija is proving that they no longer need to swing for the fences in order to add more star power. Someone like Cedric Coward -- an older and more experienced prospect ready to contribute right away -- would've gone a long way for both this season and beyond.
Suddenly, the only thing standing in the way of Portland ending an active four-year postseason drought is health. They have virtually no depth, which is an issue that has been compounded by the fact that their rookie is essentially unplayable at this point in his career.
We want Hansen to succeed as much as the next person. But there are legitimate question marks surrounding whether that will happen, as Portland's rookie is unfortunately trending downwards to start his young career.
The Blazers' rebuild is still in good shape regardless of how Hansen pans out, which is why they felt comfortable taking on such a high-risk, high-reward player. But right now, that's proving to be more risk than reward.