No Portland Trail Blazers rookie in recent memory has stirred the imagination of NBA fans like Yang Hansen. From the surprise pick at the 16th spot in the 2025 NBA Draft to the sparkling passing performances during NBA Summer League, Yang has been a lightning rod since he hit the spotlight.

Now that Summer League has concluded, attention turns to the start of the season. Will the 20-year-old center continue to dazzle or are he and Blazers fans in for a rude awakening? That’s the subject of today’s Blazer’s Edge Mailbag.

Dave,

What does Yang Hansen need to do to become an NBA player? Do you feel he’s ready to start? How high can he go? What skills will help him reach his obvious potential? I’m ready to have a new favorite player and I think Hansen is it.

Kim

Technically, Yang doesn’t need to do anything to become an NBA player. He got drafted in the first round, which means the Blazers think he’s good enough to wear the uniform with a guaranteed contract. That’s the main thing to know. They believe in him. That means your guy is in.

I don’t think Yang will be ready to start right away. He has the potential to start at sone point though. I wouldn’t even dare to guess what the cap on his ceiling is. High enough to keep your enthusiasm alive for sure!

The distance between Game 1 and that ceiling will be populated with plenty of bumps and bruises. Big opponents are going to try and outmuscle Yang. Smaller ones will outrun him. That’s true of every seven-footer.

A couple of assets will aid Yang’s development in this regard. He’s not afraid of contact. He’s also quick on his feet for his size. I thought his lateral movement—a key characteristic of any big who doesn’t want to get Rudy Goberted—looked fine in Vegas. I’m guessing Yang will be able to deal with the NBA style of play as well as any rookie making the transition.

It was evident in Summer League that core strength and lower body leverage could use some work. Even small opponents were able to get underneath Yang and move him around. That shouldn’t happen to a guy his size. He needs to learn how to use his body better when he’s not standing up straight and facing the basket.

Rebounding will be another area of concern, especially with this Portland lineup. Yang was decent at boxing out opponents to keep them from getting rebounds in Summer League. He wasn’t as aggressive or productive getting rebounds himself.

In theory this sounds workable, but two hitches arise. First, he won’t be able to box out all NBA opponents because of the leverage/physicality thing we mentioned above. Second, and just as importantly, box out for whom? The Blazers don’t have strong rebounders outside of the center position right now. The ones they do have, they want running the floor, not crashing the boards. It’s no accident that Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan got 10 rebounds per game last season almost by default. If Yang can’t do that too, his team may suffer for it.

Yang’s play at the top of the floor and down the middle is good. The ability to play—particularly defend—at the sides and diagonals will be tested. If he ever starts becoming a factor, opponents are going to try to pull him sideways, forcing him to close to the corners. It remains to be seen whether he can get there, be effective if he does, get back, and have enough stamina to do all that and still play well. Transition ball may offer a similar challenge to that stamina.

Finally, if he is going to play up high and make those brilliant passes that people love, he’s also going to need to be something of a shooting threat from there. A three-point shot would help, but at least he has to be able to hit from the top of the key area. Otherwise defenders will just play back and either interrupt the passes or meet the recipient on the catch. That’s going to make his passing ability more of an academic matter than a real threat.

Those are the first challenges before Yang as he steps into the NBA. There will be plenty others. Overall, there’s reason to be pleased so far. Blazers fans can hope that that remains true through every step. You don’t have to reach the finish line in the first moment to succeed in this league. If Yang can clear the hurdles as they come, he’ll carve out a space for himself and give you plenty of reasons to cheer.