Look, I know Yang Hansen took the league by storm last year with an impressive summer league performance, only to be nonexistent in the regular season for the Trail Blazers. But things seem different this year.
Not that he's ready to make a significant contribution in meaningful regular season games, but in terms of how you can see his summer league play eventually translate. He's leaner, driving more, showing better ball control, and most importantly, playing with confidence.
Portland defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday with a 111-84 win, led by Hansen's 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 7-of-8 shooting from the field.
The Blazers are now 1-2 in summer league action, with their next game coming Thursday against the Denver Nuggets.
But everyone knows the process matters more than the results in the summer, and with Portland finding itself without a first-round rookie to headline, all eyes are again on Hansen.
Yang Hansen is showing why he's still a part of the Blazers' long-term plans
He's quite the enigma as a player, and it's genuinely difficult to evaluate what level of impact he'll make throughout his career. But at the very least, the Blazers have to consider this summer league a success as they've seen legitimate progress.
The passing has always been Hansen's standout trait, which goes hand in hand with his elite basketball IQ. Unfortunately, that never translated to his underwhelming rookie campaign because he rarely had the ball in his hands, and rightfully so.
Hansen's ceiling is incredibly high if he can be utilized as an offensive hub for Portland. Conversely, his floor is, well, we saw it last year when the speed and physicality of the NBA were too much to overcome.
That's why this summer league is so important for Hansen's career trajectory, as he's shown the traits required to eventually become that offensive hub Portland envisioned when they took a first-round gamble on him. If he's able to combine that Nikola Jokić-esque passing with other tools in his offensive arsenal, there's still at least a pathway for Hansen to make Portland's front office look genius for his controversial pick.
Again, we should temper expectations in the short term, especially with the Blazers adding even more frontcourt depth this summer by bringing back Robert Williams III and signing Micah Potter as well as Branden Carlson. But at the very least, Hansen is showing why it's far too premature to declare him a bust or for Portland to give up on him just yet.
Buying him time is one thing with these offseason additions, but he's still very much a long-term part of their plans.
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