The Portland Trail Blazers had a misstep in the 2025 NBA Draft. They held the 11th pick but traded down to the 16th. Now, Yang Hansen has become the Blazers’ regret, especially with the team’s future looking brighter without him. Yang’s potential is still there, but he might be far too raw.
The Blazers’ Regret About the 2025 Selection of Yang Hansen
Rookies from overseas are tough to gauge, especially when they do not get playing time. Immediately after drafting him, a lot of people were surprised with the Trail Blazers selecting Yang with the 16th pick. Initially, they held the 11th pick, which was used to get Cedric Coward.
That would have been the perfect pick for Portland, a team that has desperately needed perimeter shooting. Coward would have also fit perfectly with the culture of Portland’s wings, complementing other hard-nosed defenders like Toumani Camara and Kris Murray.
Portland’s Future is Less Promising With Yang
Most of the NBA community was confused when the Trail Blazers selected Yang. In mock drafts, the best-case scenario for him was to be a late first-round or early second-round pick. Seeing him jump to 16th was surprising, especially with the talent left in the pool.
Aside from Yang, there were plenty of talented big men the Blazers missed out on. The Los Angeles Clippers picked Yanic Konan Niederhauser with the 30th overall pick, and he showed solid potential. At the same time, Maxime Raynaud, the 42nd pick, turned out to be spectacular in Sacramento.
Either Hansen Yang is gonna be Chinese Giannis or Chinese Bruno Cabboclo. A crazy gamble. But I guess we gotta see how it plays out.
Now Portland also has 5 centers on the roster. So, one would imagine they need to do something about that.
— Blazer Banter (@blazerbanter) June 26, 2025
Yang is extremely raw, and while he has good offensive instincts, it is still not good enough for the league. He can have solid performances in the G League, but that is not often the sign of standing out in the NBA. It is challenging to project his future because it seems the Blazers are taking it slow with him.
Donovan Clingan is the clear-cut top center in Portland, and that will be his role for the foreseeable future. Yang is essentially the opposite of Clingan because he is more offensively inclined. However, Clingan’s improvements have made that null and void at this point.
Yang’s Potential is Not an Encouraging Sight
At 20, there are already rumblings of Yang being a bust. The Trail Blazers are familiar with many of their centers adopting that title, as they saw with Greg Oden and Sam Bowie. Unfortunately for Yang, those centers were truly great, but they dealt with significant injuries.
Yang has not dealt with injuries because he barely gets minutes. He primarily appeared during garbage time, which is not a good sign for him moving forward, as it shows the Blazers’ regret with the pick.
Y’all ever just be enjoying your evening in the sun then remember the Blazers picked Yang Hansen for no reason 😂
— Blazers Palace (@blazers_palace) May 7, 2026
Yang still has a high ceiling because of his raw talent. Offensively, he can be a great player because he has solid touch, good post moves, and good court awareness. However, his body might not be enough to make him a star against some of the most physical players in the league.
He can learn from playing with Clingan and Robert Williams III. However, the star potential some people thought he would have is not realistic at this point.
The Last Word on the Blazers’ Regret
The Blazers’ decision becomes worse considering they were fined $100,000 for illegal contact with Yang in 2024. On the court, it is still a horrible move because of how many good players they could have picked instead.
Carter Bryant is killing it for the San Antonio Spurs. His defensive versatility and athleticism would have made him a perfect fit with the Trail Blazers. Even Derik Queen and Will Riley could have been better picks, as they were excellent at certain points of the 2025-26 season.
While Yang still has plenty of time to prove everyone wrong, his stock is not looking good, putting him closer to becoming the Blazers’ latest bust. Thankfully, he is still young, so the Blazers can keep investing in his potential.
© Soobum Im-Imagn Images
