The Yang Hansen experience has been an absolute rollercoaster to start the season. Is he the steal of the 2025 NBA Draft or a bust? It's way too early to say definitively, and the reality is that Hansen's career will likely fall somewhere in between those two extremes. Still, Portland Trail Blazers fans are understandably eager to see who exactly their team picked this summer.
Hansen is such an intriguing player as a 7-foot-1 center capable of eventually becoming an offensive hub with his size, footwork, court vision, and elite basketball IQ. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to showcase those strengths to start the season. Hansen received six consecutive DNP-coach's decisions before ultimately getting assigned to the G League, where he had a productive two-game stint with the Rip City Remix.
Hansen returned for the Blazers' home game against the Phoenix Suns. He was one of the only silver linings from the nationally televised 127-110 blowout loss.
Yang Hansen is proving to be serviceable as a rookie
As was the case in their disappointing 1-4 road trip, Portland's roster is completely depleted due to injuries, particularly in the backcourt. Those injuries contributed to interim head coach Tiago Splitter's decision to play Hansen. Portland's rookie finished with a season-high nine points along with five rebounds, three assists, and three turnovers on 4-of-7 shooting from the field in 13 minutes.
Without Jrue Holiday (calf soreness) and Jerami Grant (illness), Portland's lack of playmaking and shot creation was on full display. The fact that they had to start Kris Murray should tell you all you need to know about how bad their depth and offense were in this contest. That's where Hansen came into play.
He's obviously not a solution to their shallow backcourt, but he does offer something no one else on their roster does as someone they can run the offense through. Hansen wasn't the go-to option by any means, with Shaedon Sharpe (29 points), Deni Avdija (19), and, surprisingly, Caleb Love (17) doing most of the heavy lifting. Still, there were multiple possessions where good things happened when Hansen had the ball at the top of the key. He was orchestrating the offense and Nikola Jokic-esque in terms of his ability not to get sped up, forcing the game to play at his speed while he patiently waited for the possession to play out until he was able to make the right read. Oftentimes, that read was finding Sharpe on a backdoor cut, giving Blazers fans an exciting glimpse of what this offense could look like in the future.
Hansen may not be ready for extended minutes as he continues to improve his conditioning level and adjust to the pace of the NBA. That said, this was an encouraging performance as it proved that, despite being an unfinished product, Hansen can be servicable as a rookie.
It remains to be seen if he'll be able to consistently crack the rotation going forward, especially as the Blazers continue to get healthier. But Hansen certainly made a strong case in his first game back from the G League, proving his value as someone who can give the Blazers' offense another dimension with the unique skillset that made him a first-round pick in the first place.