The Portland Trail Blazers bought out Deandre Ayton this past summer to clear the starting path for Donovan Clingan. That's proven to be a brilliant decision, as Clingan has experienced a massive second-year breakout. His increased role is aligning perfectly with development in key areas such as conditioning and three-point shooting.
It's already apparent that the Blazers landed their center of the future in what was widely viewed as a weak 2024 draft class. However, that raises the question: what's the plan with Yang Hansen?
What is the Blazers' plan to justify the Yang Hansen selection?
The Blazers shocked the world when they took yet another center the following year, trading back with the Memphis Grizzlies to select Hansen at No. 16 overall in 2025.
It's too early to determine whether Portland made the right call on the talent. Both Portland and Hansen deserve the benefit of the doubt from that standpoint. He's just 20 years old and still figuring out life in both the United States and the NBA. Not to mention, he's a multi-year project who has already shown encouraging flashes of upside as a potential offensive hub.
That said, it's already fair to question the unconventional pick from a roster fit standpoint.
Clingan had already shown enough in his All-Rookie campaign for Portland to feel comfortable with him going forward, hence their decision to move on from Ayton. So why bring another center into the mix when there are clearly other areas of need?
This team has ranked near the bottom in turnovers and three-point shooting. Their lack of depth has been a major issue throughout an injury-riddled season. But Hansen's inability to see the floor has further compounded that issue, as Portland is essentially a 13-man roster with Damian Lillard and him out for the season.
Portland went from one center logjam to another
Even if Hansen does reach his potential, the Blazers only have 48 minutes to go around between him and Clingan. They'd be eating into each other's minutes at that point, diminishing the value of each player.
Portland drafted two seven-footers who are flat-footed and struggle to hold their own out on the perimeter. Clingan's improved shot makes the fit a little easier offensively. Still, defensively, there's just no way it would work, as teams would constantly hunt mismatches even more so than they already do against the drop coverage.
Joe Cronin's roster identity has been built around length, athleticism, and the versatility that comes with those traits. They are a switchable defensive team that gets stops that lead to transition opportunities, where guys like Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson are at their best. As skilled as he may be, drafting Hansen completely contradicts that vision.
The Blazers were intrigued by Hansen's skill set, which is rare for a seven-footer. But where do they go from here? There's a chance Hansen doesn't pan out, and this draft gamble backfires spectacularly. And what's the upside if he does? He can't be that much better than how good Clingan has looked this season.
Portland drafted who they deemed to be the best available player at the time, overlooking the positional fit. But now, they appear to be stuck with both centers. Clingan has become a building block, while the new ownership wants to keep Hansen around for the long haul. Looking at the positional overlap from that standpoint, it's becoming harder to envision a scenario in which this pick becomes worthwhile.