Yang Hansen's elite trait stands out in Trail Blazers' Summer League debut

The Trail Blazers made their summer league debut on July 11, posting a dominant 106-73 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Playing at an impressive pace for a summer league team in its first game together, Portland moved the ball up the court quickly, running their offense with purpose and cutting hard to the rim.

Although Portland's quick offense was ostensibly run by guards Caleb Love and James Bouknight, it was their big man whose ability to facilitate the offense drew roars from a supportive Las Vegas crowd.

Yang Hansen is already an elite passer for the Trail Blazers

Chinese center Yang Hansen, playing his first game in a Trail Blazers uniform, impressed onlookers and home viewers alike, hitting a diving teammate with a nice bounce pass from the top of the key on the Blazers' very first possession, and continuing to exhibit impressive passing instincts as the game progressed.

Hansen, the Trail Blazers' No. 16 overall pick in this year's draft, finished the contest with 10 points, four rebounds, and five assists. He played physical and moved well, a combination of strength and skill that made it clear what the Trail Blazers' front office saw in him.

But it was Hansen's passing that jumped out as the skill separating him from the other players on the floor. And it wasn't just the number of assists that was so impressive. It was the way Hansen got the assists.

Hansen seemed extremely comfortable with the ball in his hands 20-25 feet from the basket. He set pick after pick, coming to meet the ball at the three-point line, often receiving the ball at the top for the key from whichever guard was running the action. From there, Hansen seemed to be in his element, hitting streaking cutters finesse passes that were on time and accurate.

At 7'1", it's impressive to see the way the ball leaves Hansen's hand on many of his passes. He hit cutters in a way that seemed innate to him. Of course, it's only summer league, but you'd rather see guys stand out for being good than bad. And Hansen's passing stood out as elite among the players in Friday night's game, at one point even drawing praise from head coach Chauncey Billups, as he gave a live, in-game interview with ESPN2's Tim Legler and Mark Jones.

Billups, who said he's become a more patient coach since taking the position, gave a lengthy interview with ESPN in the game's first half. He went into great detail about nearly every player projected to get minutes in Portland's rotation this year, and also spent a good deal of time talking about Hansen.

Legler, who is Billups' former colleague, joked at one point that Billups should force Hansen to watch hours of tape of former Trail Blazers big man Arvydas Sabonis. Sabonis, whose son now plays for the Sacramento Kings, is legendary in NBA and Trail Blazers lore as a creative and prolific passer at the center position. It's often said that the elder Sabonis' game was before its time, a reference to the improvisational style of play employed by some of the greats in the league today.

Trail Blazers fans could all take a leaf out of Coach Billups' book and be patient as Yang Hansen acclimates to the NBA game. But for now, we can all be encouraged that his passing skills seem already to be well above the level of competition in this year's summer league.