The Good, Bad and Ugly From Yang Hansen's Blazers Summer League Debut

Portland Trail Blazers center Yang Hansen is the main player to watch for the team during their run at the Las Vegas Summer League.

All eyes were on him in the Blazers' 81-79 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night in Las Vegas. Yang scored 12 points while grabbing nine rebounds in 26 minutes of action.

Yang Hansen full FOOTAGE vs. Phoenix Suns (81-79 L) in a Summer League game in Las Vegas:

12 Points on 5/10 FG (50.0%), 2/3 from 3 (66.7%), 0/1 FT, 9 Rebounds (3 Off. Rebs), 4 Assists (4 TOV), 4 PF, and a +/- of +6 in 26:11 minutes played.

Including missed shots, turnovers,… pic.twitter.com/lABTHIHIKo
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) July 11, 2026

The Good

Yang has really strong footwork for a 7-foot big man. This is evident on both ends of the floor, and that is part of the reason why he was considered a first-round pick to begin with. When looking at him as a total prospect, this is what is redeemable, and it's why Portland fans should be excited about his potential.

On top of that, Yang is a very good passer for his size. He dished out four assists during the game, and a lot of those came on high basketball IQ plays. That is going to work in his favor as he attempts to wiggle his way up the depth chart.

The Bad

While Yang has a strong sense of himself on the basketball court, it's clear that he isn't using his size to the greatest of his abilities. This was a good matchup for Yang because he went against fellow 2025 first-round pick Khaman Maluach, another 7-foot big man who already has a year of experience in the NBA.

Maluach's power and strength were too much for Yang to handle. If Yang is getting beat physically and outmuscled in the paint in summer league, it is going to be very hard for him to win matchups when it's the regular season. 2026 first-round pick Koa Peat was also giving him some trouble at times.

Yang can fix this over time as he strengthens into an NBA player. He is only 21 years old, so he still has a lot of room for growth.

The Ugly

There were some poor decisions made on Yang's behalf that just showed how green he is to the NBA. Teams were struggling to shoot from beyond the three-point line. During the game, both teams shot a combined 15 for 64. Three of those triples came from Maluach while Yang was guarding him. Yang just let him open on the perimeter without much challenge.

If Yang does not improve his perimeter defense, it's going to be hard for him to make a rotation for the Blazers. His perimeter defense should get better over time with his conditioning and strength training, but his clock is ticking with only this year on his contract guaranteed.

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