Portland Trail Blazers rookie Yang Hansen made his NBA preseason debut in style—if style means a roller-coaster of promise and punctuation errors. In a 129-123 loss to the Golden State Warriors, the 20-year-old logged 21 minutes and ended the night with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 turnovers.
Yang started tentative but found his footing after halftime, showcasing the athleticism and rim presence that convinced Portland to use a first-round pick on him. Still, his pace and decision-making were challenged repeatedly by the Warriors’ experience-led attack.
The debut highlighted clear areas for growth: quicker lateral recovery, sharper rotation reads and playing his strengths within a defined role. If Yang can check off these tasks in training camp, Portland’s gamble could prove astute.
Post-game, Yang admitted there’s work to be done. “I think this preseason game was much more physical than summer league. I have to step up in competitive matchups and refine my game in training,” he said. “Facing Steph Curry felt unreal. I usually manage the Warriors in NBA 2K, so seeing Green and Curry live was surreal.”
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Yang Hansen makes NBA preseason debut as Blazers fall to Warriors
cgtn.com
