Nice! The head coach publicly commits to Yang Hansen! Another Chinese rotation player in the NBA

Trail Blazers media day for the new season.

Head coach Billups said:Yang Hansen is competing for a rotation spot and will certainly see court time.”

Trail Blazers GM Cronin stated:Since his knee surgery in March, Lowe has not yet fully returned to training.”

In summary, there is no doubt that Yang Hansen will appear in the NBA regular season this year, mainly sharing the center position minutes with Klingen for the Trail Blazers, rather than being sent down to the G League as rumors suggest.

During this summer league, Yang Hansen averaged 10.8 points, 5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 blocks in 24.4 minutes per game, showing he can handle the NBA's pace and physicality, making him a ready-to-play asset.

Notably, according to domestic media reports, Yang Hansen’s weight has increased from 118 kg to 122 kg this offseason, and this successful muscle gain helps him improve his physicality, giving him an edge in rim protection and rebounding.

However, gaining muscle too quickly isn’t entirely positive; a painful example is Cui Yongxi, who tore his left ACL last December, partly due to rapid muscle gain aimed at adapting to the NBA’s intensity.

But Yang Hansen’s body is quite durable; over the past two years in the CBA, he has barely been injured and maintained an excellent attendance record, despite facing much tougher defense here than he would in the NBA.

Yang Hansen once said in an interview that the NBA playing style is more civilized compared to the CBA.

Yes, no doubt about that.

Getting cuts and bruises is just part of the routine.

Starting as early as October 9th, we can see Yang Hansen back in the Trail Blazers jersey, playing away against the Warriors; then on October 11th at home versus the Kings; October 15th at home against the Warriors again; and October 17th away at the Jazz.

The preseason is like a practice test for the regular season, where we’ll see Yang Hansen’s role and position with the Trail Blazers, as well as his chemistry with teammates, all of which will largely determine his playing time this season.