Yang Hansen's usage plan revealed! Playing time depends on two factors, possibly shuttling between the Trail Blazers and the G League

On September 30th Beijing time, during the Trail Blazers media day, GM Cronin and Coach Billups responded to inquiries about Yang Hansen. Contrary to the offseason rumors and analyses, their statements reflect the official position of the Trail Blazers. So how do they intend to deploy Hansen this upcoming season? The following is the interview record—

Reporter: What are your hopes for rookie Hansen's growth this season?

Cronin: My expectation for Hansen is straightforward — “progress day by day.” For an NBA rookie, adapting to the league is never easy, especially for someone like Hansen coming from the international stage. Besides four or five games in the Summer League, he hasn’t had much high-level NBA experience, so at this stage, the most important thing for him is to integrate with the team, build confidence, and improve a bit each day.

Additionally, he has some “off-court work” to do, such as improving his English communication skills, which will affect his performance on the floor. So we invest time daily to support him: refining his skills, adapting to the team system, and understanding his teammates' playing styles. We have confidence in his abilities and look forward to seeing him compete for a spot in the rotation.

Reporter: Given your mention that "Hansen needs a gradual process," would you consider sending him to the G League to help his development?

Cronin: It’s not decided yet, but “Hansen’s long-term development” is our top priority.If he cannot get enough playing time with the Trail Blazers' main roster, I would be happy to have him play in the G League to gain as much game experience as possible.

At this moment, I haven’t thought too much about it because my focus is more on how he can contribute to the Trail Blazers. But we will stay flexible—for example, if there’s a two-week stretch with limited minutes, letting him play 2 or 3 games in the G League to maintain form and gain experience is a good option.

Having a G League team affiliated with us is a huge advantage,we can arrange for him to move back and forth between the main team and the G League at any time, so ensuring he gets enough playing opportunities will definitely be a priority.

Reporter: When did you start paying attention to Hansen? Was there a moment you thought, “We must sign him”?

Cronin: First, I want to thank our scouting team; they spotted Hansen’s potential early and spent a lot of time briefing me on his playing style. Actually, I began following him during the 2023-24 season (the year before he declared for the draft)—after each game, scouts would send me highlight reels, and I watched them carefully.

Over time, we grew more confident in his style of play. Through continuous video analysis and background checks, our understanding deepened, which gave us confidence when selecting him 16th overall—although some thought it was “a bit risky,” we knew his capabilities and believed he could adapt to the NBA.

Reporter: Was there a particular game performance that convinced you completely to pick him?

Cronin: His performance at the U19 World Cup stood out—facing top rookies like France’s Sall, he held his own. That game showed me his competitiveness. Also, his steady performance over two CBA seasons further confirmed his potential.

Moreover, during the pre-draft combined workouts, he excelled in the five-on-five scrimmages—considering how tough that environment is, especially for big men, he quickly found his rhythm and earned teammates’ trust. As an “offensive commander,” he was able to coordinate and lead the offense with unfamiliar teammates in a short time, which was truly impressive.

Reporter: How do you view the team’s center rotation? What role will Hansen play?

Billups: Clearly, Hansen is in the competition. We currently have four centers available—DC (Klingen), Robert Williams, and Hansen are all part of that group. How we arrange minutesmainly depends on two factors: each player’s form and Robert Williams’ health—he’s not fully ready to play yet and still needs time to recover.

However, Hansen has performed very well over the past two months. He’s been working hard to adapt to our system, understand our tactics, and actively adjust his playing rhythm. He will definitely have opportunities to play in the new season.