Yang Hansen is heading back to the NBA G League.
The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned the Chinese rookie to the Rip City Remix and the 7-foot-2 center is expected to make his home debut with the G League affiliate Thursday night.
The Remix, who are in the middle of a five-game homestand, host the South Bay Lakers at 6 p.m. at the Chiles Center on the University of Portland campus. It will be Hansen’s third stint with the Remix.
Hansen practiced with the team in early November, then played two games with the Remix late last month, averaging 14.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks, while shooting 44% from the field.
The Blazers considered assigning Hansen to the Remix earlier this week. But when starting center Donovan Clingan came down with an illness last weekend and missed Sunday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was unclear how long he might be sidelined. Also, backup center Rob Williams III is not playing in back-to-backs as he returns from nearly two years of injuries.
So Hansen joined the Blazers on their five-game East Coast trip, suiting up for a back-to-back at Toronto and Cleveland. He played five minutes in the Blazers’ win over the Cavaliers, recording two points, one rebound, one block and one assist.
But so did Clingan, who was well enough to travel on the trip. And the Blazers will not face a back-to-back slate until later this month.
Hansen has played in 12 games with the Blazers this season, averaging 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.4 blocks in 6.8 minutes.