Portland Trail Blazers rookie Yang Hansen is expected to suit up with the Rip City Remix in the G League for a pair of road matchups this weekend, the team announced on Thursday.
Yang has played sparingly to begin the season, totaling 29 minutes over the first five games for the Trail Blazers. He hasn’t appeared in any of the past six games, with centers Donovan Clingan, Duop Reath and Robert Williams III ahead of him in the rotation.
Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter believes Yang needs to master a few on-court details before he can see consistent rotational minutes for the team. He will have the opportunity to work on those areas of the game on Friday (Valley Suns) and Sunday (South Bay Lakers).
Yang was an All-Star in each of the past two seasons with the Qingdao Eagles in the CBA, the top professional league in China. He averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, three assists and 2.6 blocks in 32.8 minutes per game across 45 appearances last season.
The 7-footer logged four preseason appearances with the Trail Blazers, averaging eight points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and one assist on 40% shooting from 3-point range. He recorded 16 points, four rebounds and three blocks on Oct. 10 in a win over the Sacramento Kings.
Yang has been commended by Splitter for putting in work in the weight room and practicing with the Remix to prepare himself for game action. The team is hopeful that his assignments in the G League can help him take the next step in his development.