Here's What to Know About Blazers' Surprise First-Round Pick Hansen Yang

The NBA draft is always good for plenty of surprises. And there was no shortage of surprises and movement in Wednesday night's first round.

The Portland Trail Blazers caught the NBA world off guard when they took Chinese player Hansen Yang with the No. 16 pick, just outside of lottery range. The center was technically taken by the Memphis Grizzlies, but will land in Portland via trade. The Blazers traded their initial pick (No. 11) to the Grizzlies, who used the pick to take Washington State's Cedric Coward. Portland acquired No. 16 in the deal, which they used to take Yang.

Yang was widely projected to hear his name called during Thursday night's second round, so hearing his name in the first round, let alone near the lottery, was a shocker. Only a year removed from their draft of Donovan Clingan, Portland has rolled the dice with the versatile 7-footer out of China.

Here's a rundown of the newest Blazers big man:

Who Is Hansen Yang?

Yang, a 7'1" center from China, turns 20 years old on June 26, just one day after he was drafted. He has played for the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association and made his professional basketball debut in 2023.

He was named the CBA's Defensive Player of the Year in '24 and was named an All-Star in each of the last two seasons. In his pre-draft season with Qingdao, he averaged 16.2 points, 10 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.7 blocks per game over 53 appearances, per RealGM.

He clearly has the size to make an impact at the NBA level, but the upside lies with his touch around the rim and secondary playmaking potential. He didn't shoot threes at a high volume last season, but flashed the ability to knock down shots beyond the perimeter, a skill he could develop over time.

While CBA Defensive Player of the Year is an impressive honor that shouldn't be ignored, Yang's defense is still his biggest question mark as he transitions to the NBA. He'll have to adjust to a much faster pace while working to defend the best athletes in the world.

The upside is real, though. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, a source of his referred to Yang as a Chinese Nikola Jokic.

Hansen Yang Highlights

Here are some of Yang's highlights from the Chinese Basketball Association, where he played for the Qingdao Eagles:

And here are some highlights from his pre-draft process, when he competed in the NBA draft combine scrimmages:

Why Did the Blazers Draft Hansen Yang?

The Blazers are playing the long game here. By taking Yang in the first round, they get an extra year of team control for the young big man to continue developing within their organization. Sure, maybe they could have traded for a later pick in the first round and gotten the same number of years on his rookie deal. But maybe their front office received buzz another team was interested in Yang earlier than expected. Either way, the Blazers went and got their guy.

Yang's fit in Portland makes sense when you consider the juxtaposition with Clingan. The Blazers have their rim protector of the future in Clingan and now have a more offensive-first center with an intriguing skillset—one that may be hard to find in the free agent or trade market at the position.