The Portland Trail Blazers will be prioritizing the development of one of their youngest stars, who many believe could be the next Nikola Jokic.
The Portland Trail Blazers have had a transformative summer after yet another season of disappointment from the franchise.
The summer started off when the Trail Blazers traded Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday. In another attempt to clean house, the Trail Blazers bought out Deandre Ayton’s contract.
In what was perhaps the most surprising move, the Trail Blazers signed Damian Lillard, bringing the star back after he was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks.
But with Lillard out for the entirety of next season, the Trail Blazers will rely on their 2025 first-round pick, who earned comparisons to Nikola Jokic.
Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty ImagesYang Hansen set to have a breakout season with Portland Trail Blazers
With the #16 pick in the NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Yang Hansen, a relatively unknown star out of China.
Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups has backed Hansen to succeed almost immediately, as he has all the tools to be a success.
Hansen impressed fans at the NBA Summer League, putting up strong numbers at the tournament in Las Vegas.
Some analysts, like Brian Windhorst, believe Hansen is the prototype for what the next generation of NBA centers will be like in the years to come.
Some others go one step further, with Gilbert Arenas claiming Hansen can improve on Jokic and Alperen Sengun’s playing style as he develops into a great player.
The internal support for the young star has been great, with Damian Lillard even suggesting Hansen can help Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday next season.
Hansen Yang could quickly earn starting spot over Donovan Clingan
As things stand, Hansen Yang is unlikely to start ahead of the Trail Blazers’ 2024 first-round pick, Donovan Clingan.
While the Blazers have a veteran center in Robert Williams III, he is a trade target for many teams and is unlikely to play a lot so as not to hurt his value with a potential injury.
If Hansen is everything that analysts believe him to be, he should have little difficulty taking the starting spot from Clingan, who failed to leave much of an impression in his rookie season.
Furthermore, Hansen has the backing of the Trail Blazers organization, which means they will put him in the best position possible to develop into a star.