After trading down from the 11th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to secure the 16th pick, a future first, and two future seconds, the Portland Trail Blazers were the biggest surprise of the first round. With that pick, Portland selected Yang Hansen. Widely expected to be drafted much later, the pick has been one of the biggest talking points around the NBA. The grades and reactions are in, let’s round them up.
The biggest head-scratcher in this draft. It’s not that the 7’1” big bodied center from China doesn’t have some skills, he is a terrific passer and shot better at the NBA Draft Combine than expected. However, most teams had him as a second-round pick, maybe a draft-and-stash player, because he’s not an explosive (or even average) NBA-level athlete, not stronger than his NBA competition, not a great defender when outside the paint, and he’s mostly been a post-up scorer in China, something that will not fly in the NBA. Perhaps he will develop into an NBA rotation player, but in the short term, there is a lot of work to be done to get him there. Can the Trail Blazers pull that off?
The Athletic, John Hollinger and Sam Vecenie: Didn’t give grades, but Vecenie has Yang ranked 48th pre-draft
Vecenie: Yang has several intriguing skills. Any time a player is this big with elite passing vision and touch around the rim, there’s going to be a lot of intrigue. I worry that it’s going to be hard for Yang to actualize those things in the NBA because of his high-hipped frame, lack of explosiveness and lack of lateral ability. Even though skill absolutely matters with players like this and is what makes them special, the guys who tend to make it in this mold are generally the biggest bullies on the court: Think Nikola Jokić, Domantas Sabonis, Nikola Vucevic and even Karl-Anthony Towns to some extent. They all can put their shoulder into NBA big men and move them backward to establish position wherever they need to on the court. Yang doesn’t have that ability, unfortunately. His defensive translation to the NBA is a major question, too. I love big, skilled centers who can give you a chance to play five-out basketball. I just don’t buy Yang enough as a shooter and don’t buy the functionality of his game enough against the best athletes in the world. He’d absolutely be worth a stash in the mid-second round in case this changes at some point, but I don’t know that he’s ready to come over to the NBA yet.
Hollinger’s analysis: I’m sorry … WHAT???!?!?!?! Nobody had Yang as a first-rounder. Literally nobody. He’s big and fairly skilled and I think he’s potentially a solid backup because of his offense, but this is a serious reach by the Blazers on a player most expected to last well into the second round. (Memphis made this pick, technically, but as noted above the Grizzlies swapped spots 11 and 16 with Portland). The Blazers already had a surfeit of centers with Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams, and 2024 lottery pick Donovan Clingan, so it’s not even clear what Yang’s pathway is to minutes in Portland. I do not get this at all.
CBS Sports, Adam Finkelstein and Kyle Boone: C
He’s 19 years old and averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds with three blocks and three assists in the CBA in China. This is higher than anyone projected him to be drafted. This is a swing of epic proportions and comes on the heels of the Blazers drafting Donovan Clingan. Perplexing. Can those guys play together? We’ve had some surprises tonight. This is the biggest surprise bar none. If it hits, they’ll be smarter than everyone.
I figured the Blazers would be interested in a skilled big man to serve as a fulcrum for their wing-heavy roster, but safe to say this is … not who I assumed that big man would be. Yang is a gifted passer and should mesh well with the backcourt in Portland, which acquired this pick in a trade down with Memphis, but this is much, much higher than any other team likely would’ve selected Yang. (I had him 40th on my board.) Hmm.
No Celings, Maxwell Baumbach: Didn’t give grades
Instant Reaction: WHAT IN THE ACTUAL….
How it goes right: The Portland Trail Blazers are in a position to add size, given that Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams are likely not going to be on the roster after this season. With the ability to play seven-footers for a full 48 minutes given the Donovan Clingan investment last season, Portland gets rim protection, rebounding, and potential halfcourt playmaking with Yang’s passing upside in 5-out concepts. This is a bet on Yang being a special interior scorer, playmaker, and defender.
How it goes wrong: Yang is a mid-first round selection just a year after Donovan Clingan was selected in the lottery. Even if Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams aren’t on the roster after this season, what is the pathway for Yang to play and develop? If he’s not the conditioned level of athlete that the NBA requires at every position, this selection could go sideways within a few seasons.
Bleacher Report, Zach Buckley: D-
Wow. The analysis will get better in a second here, but, wow.
Yang wasn’t given a green room invitation because he wasn’t at all a lock to land in the first round. Most mock drafts and big boards had him somewhere near the middle of the second. This is a massive reach. The go-get-your-guy mentality has some merit, but this isn’t a great use of draft capital. And that’s only when we’re talking about the prospect picked.
Factor in team fit, and this gets even more confusing. Remember when Portland spent No. 7 pick on Donovan Clingan last year and then struggled to find him minutes in its crowded center rotation? Well, things are even more congested now.
Yang is a skilled 7-footer, and that archetype will always interest this league. His post scoring feels automatic. He makes quick, smart reads as a ball-mover, and he impacts the game with his interior defense.
But he isn’t an explosive leaper or a nimble mover, so finding his defensive fit will be tricky. He’s also not a shooting threat, so defenses won’t pay him much mind away from the basket. And he’s about to encounter a different class of athlete than he faced in the CBA, so there’s at least some concern he won’t be up for the physical challenges of the Association.
Yahoo Sports, Kevin O’Connor: C+
This is the biggest shock of the draft so far. WOW. It is a fascinating pick from a fit standpoint: What does a Donovan Clingan/Hansen Yang frontcourt look like in Portland? Or are we gonna see a trade down with the Nets? Yang is a massive Chinese 7-footer who scores with old-school craft, passes well and cleans the glass. But how much his slow feet and lack of shooting range can be improved will determine whether he can stick in the pros.
What are the Portland Trail Blazers doing? Cedric Coward would have been a terrific addition for them. Plenty of high-level talents like Kasparas Jakucionis and Asa Newell, who Portland had interest in, were available here.
But instead, the Trail Blazers selected Chinese big man Hansen Yang, who everyone viewed as a second-round prospect. This is the biggest reach we have seen in recent years, as the Blazers could have traded down to 30 and still drafted Yang.
Why would the Blazers do this? Nobody has the answer to this. Regardless of how high Portland is on Yang, this roster already has Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III, and Deandre Ayton. This is the shocker of all shockers.
So there you have it: grades ranging from C to F. If nothing else, the Blazers’ front office did the impossible: they largely overshadowed the Dallas Mavericks and Cooper Flagg.