The Portland Trail Blazers came out of nowhere with their No. 16 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft when they selected Yang Hansen. The projected second-round pick went off the board much earlier than expected, but he's already begun to prove why the Trail Blazers took the risk.
His style of play has been compared to that of Nikola Jokić, which isn't a bad player to be in the same conversation as. It makes perfect sense that Hansen's idol is the Nuggets superstar. Hansen shouldn't be able to do the things that he does at his size (seven-foot-one), giving a different meaning to what it means to be a big in the NBA, like Jokić.
Portland liked Hansen enough to take a swing on him, but perhaps even Joe Cronin underestimated the 20-year-old's potential. He averaged 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. His passing and basketball IQ are elite (again, it's clear he's watched Jokić a lot).
Indeed, you can't buy too much stock into what happens during summer league, but Hansen turned heads, with even the naysayers understanding the Trail Blazers' decision to take the center.
Trail Blazers have a (good) Yang Hansen problem
Chauncey Billups said he doesn't "envision" playing Hansen and Donovan Clingan together, but he admitted that their skillsets "complement" one another. The head coach could deploy a double-big lineup at some point this season (why not?). Regardless, Hansen should receive rotation minutes, especially with Deandre Ayton gone and Robert Williams III's injury history. How much he'll play is yet to be seen.
Even though Hansen and Jokić share similarities, that doesn't mean the NBA world should expect the rookie to dominate immediately. He's still young; he needs to develop. Hansen has already turned into a sensation of some sort, but he isn't a star, at least not yet. It's far too early to know what kind of player he will be in the NBA.
He'll play more than anyone thought he would before the draft, considering a lot of people didn't know who he was. Clingan is the Trail Blazers' starting center, and he had a solid rookie season himself, but Hansen could eventually give Clingan a run for his money. Clingan is Portland's defensive anchor, while Hansen's versatility adds a new element to the offense.
Watching next season play out for Hansen will be interesting, and it should be a lot of fun, too.