Yang Hansen’s opportunity has arrived again! With the team plagued by injuries and Robert Williams also sidelined: this is his chance to make an impact

On November 20th Beijing time, the Trail Blazers updated their injury list, confirming that besides Lillard, Holiday, Henderson, Seabold, and Wesley, center Robert Williams will be absent from today’s matchup against the Bulls because of knee injury management. This opens up a chance for Yang Hansen, who showed strong form in the previous game, to gain additional minutes.

The Trail Blazers lost at home to the Suns yesterday. Yang Hansen returned to play after missing 8 games and delivered a solid performance. In this match, he played 13 minutes and 8 seconds, shooting 4 of 7 from the field, 0 of 2 from three, and 1 of 1 from the free-throw line, scoring 9 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block. Robert Williams played 8 minutes and 6 seconds, making 2 of 2 shots for 4 points and 2 rebounds. Until Williams fully recovers, the Blazers are unlikely to have him play back-to-back games.

Kunz from the Trail Blazers provided commentary on Yang Hansen’s current situation, as follows—

Yang Hansen’s start to the season has been a rollercoaster. Is he a steal from the 2025 NBA draft or a bust rookie? It’s too early to decide, but realistically, his career will likely fall somewhere between these two extremes. Still, Blazers fans are eager to understand the player their team chose this summer, which is understandable.

As a big man, Yang Hansen has the potential to be an offensive focal point thanks to his height, footwork, court vision, and high basketball IQ, making him very appealing. Unfortunately, he failed to showcase these strengths early in the season. After missing six consecutive games due to coaching decisions, he was eventually sent down to the G League, where he played two efficient games with the Mixers.

Subsequently, Yang Hansen returned in the Blazers’ home game against the Suns. Despite a nationally televised 110-127 loss, he was one of the few bright spots.

Yang Hansen has proven he can contribute as a rookie right away

Just like the disappointing 1-4 road trip earlier, the Blazers have been hampered this season by significant injuries, especially in their backcourt.Interim coach Splitt decided to give Yang Hansen a chance largely due to these injury issuesIn 13 minutes of play, the Blazers rookie shot 4 of 7, scored a season-high 9 points, and added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 turnovers.

With Holiday (calf soreness) and Grant (illness) sidelined, the Blazers’ weaknesses in organizing offense and creating scoring chances were clearly exposed.The fact that Chris Murray had to start shows how much the team struggled with depth and offense in this game — which is exactly why Yang Hansen had an opportunity to step up.

Obviously, he can’t fully fix the team’s lack of backcourt depth, but as a player around whom the offense can be run, he offers value that others on the roster don’t. Yang Hansen is not the primary scoring option; Sharp (29 points), Avdija (19 points), and the unexpectedly productive Caleb Love (17 points) took on most of the scoring load. Even so,several possessions demonstrated that when Yang Hansen has the ball at the top of the key, the offense functions effectively. He calmly runs the offense with a Jokic-like composure, controlling the pace and patiently waiting for the right moment to make a decision. Often, his choice is to find Sharp cutting along the baseline — giving Blazers fans a glimpse of the exciting potential in the team’s future offensive system.

His future remains to be seen, but his return performance is encouraging

Yang Hansen is still building his conditioning and adjusting to the NBA’s pace, so he may not yet be ready for extended minutes. Nevertheless, this performance was promising, proving that even though he is not fully developed, he already possesses rookie-level readiness.

Whether he can maintain a spot in the rotation remains uncertain—especially as injured players gradually return. However, Yang Hansen’s first game back from the G League undeniably made a strong case: with the unique skills that made him a first-round pick,he can add a new dimension to the Blazers’ offense, and his value is clear.