Yang Hansen continues to dominate the conversation throughout this year’s Summer League.
The Portland Trail Blazers Center has shown remarkable consistency across multiple games, establishing it as one of the most interesting outlooks in the tournament.
Yang Hansen may not post flashy 20-point performances or double doubles, but his versatility shows his modern center skill set.
His recent performance against the Houston Rockets introduced this balance with eight points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Hansen’s ability to influence the game beyond scoring has attracted attention from NBA insiders. His three-point shooting in the previous round against the New Orleans Pelicans, which are connected in 50% of his attempts, further strengthens his great potential for stretching.
Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas joined the chorus of Hansen’s supporters compared to elite centers such as Nikola Djokic and Alperen Senggun.
Arenas believes the Chinese center is fully capable as a modern big, which is why he deserves to be chosen as the first round.
“These are the types of people who can see all the attributes when they enter the game.
“In the past, the draft has missed this. I don’t know how they’re missing out on Jokic, but when you talk about guys like this, you know that he doesn’t want him to go to the second round.
The Arena placed Hansen in the same category as the league’s most skilled big men, highlighting his basketball IQ and versatility.
“What he’s doing, you can say he’s five players. He seems to have one-on-one skills. Playmaking, he can shoot.
The former player highlighted Hansen’s age and physical attributes as an additional advantage. “And with those guys, do you always want to take him to the first round, because they can do a little bit of everything.”
“I can say he has a very high IQ. It’s top 15, top 20. He’s 20 years old, 7 feet. He can put him in any position and he’ll be effective in court.”
Arenas believes Hansen’s flexibility is considered a key asset and can play alongside other big men and act as a support star. He compared Hansen’s potential with legendary players Vlade Divac and Chris Webber.
“He’s not the main guy, but you’ve got two centers now. You can put him in four. You throw the ball at him and just sit there and look at the defense and have him cut these back doors,” Arenas said.
“And you can treat him like a VLADE divac or say, ‘Oh, you can become Chris Weber.’ So his ceiling is so high, whatever he makes, he is certainly low paying. ”
Hansen’s development journey remains long and requires improvement in several areas before reaching NBA preparations.
However, with Damien Lillard’s return offering veteran mentorship, Hansen’s prospects look promising.