Portland Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter revealed some areas of the game where rookie Yang Hansen needs to improve to earn rotation minutes for the team.
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.
With a healthy frontcourt rotation in play, the Trail Blazers haven’t had the minutes available for Yang to log significant playing time. The team also believes he needs to improve in a few areas before he can see a large role on the court, which Splitter explained on Monday.
Just the little things about the NBA, like how not to foul when someone drives. Just be ready for the physicality that guys are going to come at you, and you got to box out every time. Little things like that. Little details that are very important (in) this league. Sometimes, you just need time. You got to see it. You got to, of course, be there on the court.
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 was commended by Splitter for putting in work in the weight room and practicing with their G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix. The team is high on his potential, but the group believes he isn’t quite ready to contribute at the moment.
“Right now, he is not having many minutes, it is true, but his time is going to come,” Splitter said. “He got to learn that, for now, watching, practicing and maybe G League games, a lot of little details that help you be effective on the basketball court.”