Team reporter: Yang Hansen has the possibility of becoming Shen Jing& Jokic, but at present this expectation needs to be lowered.

Top reporter Reese Kunz published an article today talking about Yang Hansen's performance in the first preseason game. The latter committed six fouls and left the game, but still contributed 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 turnovers. The following is the full content.

In their first preseason game against the Golden State Warriors, the Portland Trail Blazers lost 123-129. Yang Hansen made his NBA debut in this game, 4+4+1. This is a limited sample of 21 minutes, but we can still see Yang Hansen's performance in facing NBA-level competition. This is one of his biggest questions as a rookie.

As expected, his performance had both positive aspects and areas for improvement. In these limited minutes, it's already clear that Young will need time to adjust to the pace of the NBA game and figure out how to thrive in his reduced role. Most importantly, he should be able to improve.

Yang still needs time to adapt to the speed of the NBA.

Yang is widely projected as a second-round pick in part because there are questions about his ability to adapt to the faster pace and higher intensity of the NBA's game. In the game against the Warriors, there were many situations where the opponent took advantage of his speed disadvantage to attack. Especially in the pick-and-roll tactic, Yang Hansen could not quickly return to the three-point line to defend Post, who made 4 of 9 three-pointers. In the modern NBA, many centers are able to effectively stretch the floor, and this will be a problem that Yang Hansen will need to solve. If the Blazers hope to become a top defensive team this season, it will be very difficult to achieve this goal if opponents continue to target Yang Hansen.

Can Yang Hansen's advantages be transformed into practical effects?

Throughout the offseason, praise for Yang Hansen has been consistent: He is an elite passer with a high basketball IQ. His basketball IQ was on full display in the preseason, as he was often in the right spots and making the right moves off the ball. But the key is the word "off the ball". Yang Hansen has the potential to become an offensive hub like Nikola Jokic or Shen Jing, but he is still a rookie after all! At this point, he's not at the point where the entire offense revolves around him. This makes it harder to play to his strengths. He needs to impact the game in other ways, such as solid screening, rebounding and rim protection.

This game shows that we should slightly temper those expectations above, but we also shouldn't overreact to one game. Yang Hansen looked nervous at the start of the game, ending his first rotation five minutes later with only one foul and one turnover. He gradually settled down in the second half and showed the potential that the Blazers drafted him in the first round. It's obvious that Young and the rest of the Blazers' frontcourt miss Scooter Henderson. Jrue Holiday had 7 assists in the first half but did not play in the second half. Yang Hansen could have benefited from more playmaker help. There were multiple times when smaller defenders switched onto him, but the Blazers failed to get the ball to him in time, missing opportunities to take advantage of the mismatch. Young's next opportunity will be on October 10, local time, when the Trail Blazers will face the Sacramento Kings at home.