5+2! Yang Hansen's home debut! Already secured as the second center

Yang Hansen’s home debut for the Trail Blazers saw him in direct competition with his main rival, the 7th pick in the 2024 first round, Klingen, who last season averaged roughly 20 minutes per game with 6.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks, shooting at 53.9%.

The released footage shows Yang Hansen’s stunning performance, using his footwork inside to beat Klingen one-on-one.

He caught a pass from a teammate and scored a 2+1 right over Klingen’s head.

A hand-to-hand pass assisted Sharp in hitting an open three-pointer.

Again, a hand-to-hand pass led to Sharp finishing with a floater.

These four plays perfectly showcased Yang Hansen’s strengths, demonstrating a maturity beyond that of a typical NBA rookie, and he has built great chemistry with his teammates. All of this helps him earn the trust of the Trail Blazers’ coaching staff, which should result in more playing time.

By the end of the game, which served as an open training match for the Trail Blazers,Yang Hansen’s black team narrowly defeated the gray team 43-42. Although detailed stats were not recorded, he contributed at least 5 points and 2 assists.It is also clear that our Chinese player will be the team’s second center.

After the game, during the rookie prank session, as the 16th pick in the 2025 first round, Yang Hansen carried a pink backpack and danced gracefully with the cheerleaders under the watchful eyes of the veteran players.

Not to mention, Yang Hansen showed good coordination and rhythm in his dancing—perhaps a great dancer whose career was delayed by basketball.

On the 9th of this month, the Trail Blazers will start their preseason with an away game against the Warriors; on October 11th, a home game versus the Kings; on October 15th, a home game against the Warriors again; and on October 17th, an away game against the Jazz.

The Trail Blazers vs. Warriors games will not only draw huge attention but will also be a perfect test to see if Yang Hansen can still perform well while being closely guarded by two All-Star and championship-winning big men, Draymond Green and Al Horford, and whether he can handle Curry’s incredible three-point threat. There is no better NBA first lesson than this.

Earlier, during the Trail Blazers’ new season media day, Yang Hansen said: "Helping the Chinese men’s basketball team return to the Olympics in the future would be his greatest honor.”