Yang Hansen experiences his first DNP in his career and must remain patient.

Facing the Nuggets, Yang Hansen did not receive any minutes on the court, marking the first time in his NBA career this has happened.

This result was not surprising since the Blazers had declared Lowe active on the roster before the game. If Lowe was able to play, he would serve as the team’s second center, which proved true as Lowe consumed the playing time intended for Yang Hansen in the first quarter.

In the first quarter, Lowe played 4 minutes and scored 2 points with 1 rebound. On the court, his performance was quite similar to Yang Hansen’s. However, Lowe’s physical attributes are superior—his jumping ability is beyond what Yang Hansen can match. In the final quarter, Lowe made a highlight alley-oop dunk with a foul for a 2+1 play, something Yang Hansen cannot do at this stage.

Today, Yang Hansen was effectively the team’s fourth center since Reese also got considerable playing time, though he missed both of his two three-point attempts in 7 minutes without scoring. In the previous game against the Jazz, Reese’s three-point shooting was an unexpected weapon, so it was no surprise he got minutes today as well.

Among the Blazers' four centers, Klingen is naturally the undisputed starter with outstanding rebounding skills. Today, he grabbed 15 rebounds—7 offensive and 8 defensive. Although he still struggled to contain Jokic on offense, his rebounding provided the team many second-chance opportunities.

After several injuries, Lowe’s physical condition is far from his peak, and his defensive impact has diminished somewhat. However, he still outperforms Yang Hansen at this stage, especially with his ability to finish near the basket, which places him ahead of Yang in the rotation.

Reese’s playing time today doesn’t necessarily mean he is much better than Yang Hansen; the two centers have different roles. Reese is more of a small-ball interior player who spaces the floor from outside, and when the Blazers play small lineups, Yang Hansen naturally doesn’t get on the court.

Before the game today, Yang Hansen probably learned he wouldn’t play during regular time, so after warmups, he stayed seated at the far end of the bench in his warm-up suit. Seeing where Yang sat reminded me briefly of Zeng Fanbo during the China games.

The Blazers are genuinely strong this season. Today’s upset win over the Nuggets saw them pull Klingen off the court in the final moments to play small-ball. Both Bilups and Spriet treat small-ball lineups as their secret weapon, and with such a team strategy, Yang Hansen’s playing time would be limited even without Lowe.

Since Spriet took over, the Blazers have gone 4-1, so he will definitely stick to the current rotation strategy. Especially after beating a strong Nuggets team, Spriet’s confidence is high. The stronger the Blazers’ lineup gets, the tougher Yang Hansen’s situation becomes.

Before today’s game, Spriet spoke about Yang Hansen: “He has to be patient. He will gradually learn and understand how to play this game. We can give him minutes at certain times to gain experience, that’s for sure. As a rookie, you want playing time and to show what you can do, but you have to be cautious. That patience is necessary.”

Spriet’s words are quite clear: giving Yang Hansen playing time now is not because they expect him to contribute significantly on the court but to help him gain game experience and understand how NBA games are played. Averaging 5.8 minutes over the first five games already meets this goal.

Yang Hansen’s situation isn’t the worst among this rookie class. His good friend Maruachi is also out of the Suns’ rotation. Many first-round rookies didn’t make rotations at the season’s start. Bellinger, picked 17th after Yang, has only played 7 minutes so far this season.

Once the G League season starts, Yang Hansen will likely be assigned there soon for development. I believe being sent down is actually a good thing and a common path for many first-round rookies. Few rookies immediately secure rotation spots on their teams.

Yang Hansen needs to stay patient, and so do the fans. Recently, the public opinion around him has been somewhat irrational. After the game against the Lakers, Yang Hansen was dining with his girlfriend and team, yet some so-called media and fans seized this to criticize him, which is truly baffling.

It is perfectly normal for players to eat dinner after games, so why is Yang Hansen being targeted? Even having a meal leads to questions about his professionalism, sometimes dragging in people close to him. Some fans are too easily influenced, and some bloggers fabricate stories to gain traffic, maliciously attacking without knowing the full context, causing a bandwagon effect.

Many people claim Yang Hansen doesn’t train because they don’t see his workout photos or pre-game warmups, which is nonsense. NBA pre-game training is scheduled by coaches with set times for each player—not everyone shoots together. Just because you don’t see Yang training doesn’t mean he isn’t.

I originally thought that being picked so high in the draft would earn Yang Hansen more tolerance from domestic fans, but that was too idealistic. When he played well in the Summer League, everyone praised him. Now, without consistent playing time this season, those same people quickly turn to criticize him, trying to attract attention under the guise of caring for him. It’s best to avoid those bloggers since they don’t speak any truth.

The Blazers are patient with Yang Hansen, and local Portland fans are quite accepting, but ironically, the most vocal critics come from domestic fans thousands of miles away. Seeing Yang face so many baseless accusations lately makes me feel both helpless and angry. These people are no different from those who once criticized Yao Ming and Liu Xiang.

Being drafted by the NBA doesn’t guarantee success; many first-round picks fail. Yang Hansen hasn’t played more than 10 minutes in a game yet, but many say he’s already wasted his chance. What kind of intentions do such people have?

No one knows what the future holds for Yang Hansen. He might endure a tough rookie season without breaking into the rotation, or he might eventually earn a spot and adapt to the NBA pace. Whether the Blazers keep him or not is uncertain.

Regardless of how Yang Hansen’s career develops, I will always choose to support him and hope for his success. Because of him, watching the NBA now gives me extra motivation—it’s simple, he’s one of our own.