Portland Trail Blazers rookie Yang Hansen has had an incredibly rough start to his NBA career. At this point, general manager Joe Cronin should absolutely be second-guessing his unconventional decision.
Hansen was widely projected as a second-round pick, but Portland's front office took a massive gamble by selecting him with the No. 16 overall pick. Hansen has shown some flashes of upside as a potential offensive hub with his passing and basketball IQ, but the issue is that he's nowhere close to the point where the Blazers can trust him with the ball in his hands.
In fact, interim head coach Tiago Splitter can't even trust him enough to see the floor on a consistent basis. Despite the Blazers being shorthanded for the vast majority of the season, their rookie has only played 16 games, averaging 8.1 minutes. In that limited stretch, he's averaging just 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 30.4% from the field and 10.5% from beyond the arc.
Joe Cronin's Yang Hansen gamble is backfiring spectacularly
Hansen could eventually turn things around as he's just 20 years old and needs much more time to adjust to the speed of the NBA. But even with that being the case, this is turning out to be a disaster for Cronin and Co.
The Blazers GM may not even have time to see whether his gamble ultimately pays off. Following the selection that shocked the NBA world, one front-office executive told Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, "That is the wildest pick I've ever seen. Those jobs up there are on the line."
A target date of March 31, 2026, has been set for Tom Dundon to officially become the new owner of the Blazers. He has a history of shaking up the Carolina Hurricanes front office and turning things around for the better. This Hansen pick has to be a red flag for him.
Cronin has won the majority of the Blazers' trades during his GM tenure, but the draft has been a different story. Arguably, the best pick he's made was Donovan Clingan a year prior -- at the same exact position!
Seeing Clingan's continued improvement this season and Hansen's steep learning curve makes this draft gamble increasingly puzzling. Center was one of the few positions Portland had secured for the long haul, and they could've addressed other weaknesses, such as shooting, playmaking, or wing depth.
It's not just Clingan's breakout either. It's also the opportunity cost of what is shaping up to be a strong 2025 draft class. They could've just stood pat with Cedric Coward and had a much stronger young core.
But for whatever reason, Cronin was set on trying to outsmart the rest of the league. It already looks like that bold decision backfired, and it could even ultimately cost him his job, depending on what Dundon decides to do when he takes over.