The Oklahoma City Thunder added more size in the 2026 NBA Draft, selecting 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara with the No. 12 overall pick in the draft. This is just the latest example of the league placing a premium on positional size and potential to match up with San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama.
Fortunately, the Portland Trail Blazers are ahead of the curve, after their front office's controversial decision to invest consecutive first-round picks on centers, Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen.
Take a look at the Western Conference landscape and the teams' frontcourt length. The Spurs have Wembanyama; Oklahoma City just added Mara; the Utah Jazz have a trio of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler; and Memphis now has Cameron Boozer to pair with Zach Edey. Oh, and Portland still has that Nikola Jokic guy to deal with in the Rocky Mountains.
2026 NBA Draft brings further clarity to Blazers' Yang Hansen gamble
Blazers GM Joe Cronin was initially criticized for the positional overlap, especially given that neither center can effectively slide down to the power forward spot, eating into each other's minutes. But eventually, teams will start viewing these skilled seven-footers as a necessity rather than a luxury.
No longer is athleticism the defining trait of determining one's ceiling. The league is shifting towards positional size, skillset, and overall feel for the game. Hansen checks every box for the direction the league is heading, justifying Portland's draft gamble despite what has been a rocky start to his career.
It's disappointing that the Blazers find themselves without a pick in what many projected to be a strong 2026 class, having conveyed their lottery-protected selection to the Chicago Bulls. But once the draft dust settles, Blazers fans are left to look ahead to next season, and they'll realize how promising this rebuild truly is.
This team has already reached the postseason and has a wild card in Hansen with legitimate star upside that could be tapped over the next five or so years. That's why it's important Portland continues to be patient with its rebuilding process this summer rather than sacrifice its future for a star that may not even be enough to help it become a true contender.
The path to contention for this team lies in the patient development of its underrated young core. While some around the league laughed at Portland's Hansen gamble, it was actually because they didn't understand that this front office was ahead of the curve on what the league is heading towards. Not to say that Hansen is a guarantee to pan out, but the thought process behind the shocking decision is far easier to understand after seeing how the rest of the Western Conference has shaken out.
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