Trail Blazers Wasted A First Round Pick On Yang Hansen

Cedric Coward, averaging 13 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, with shooting averages of 44/33/85, is well on his way to a spot on the 2025–26 NBA All-Rookie Team. Yang Hansen is not. Coward has a season-high game of 27 points. Hansen has scored just 30 in twelve games. When the Portland Trail Blazers swapped the 11th pick for the 16th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, many were wondering why they would make the deal with Memphis. While the Blazers did acquire a future first-rounder out of it, their selection of Hansen at 16 was a head-scratcher.

Considering proven names like Ryan Kalkbrenner, Will Richard, and even Walter Clayton were still on the board, the Blazers' decision to go with Hansen made little sense. Why would the team be willing to use a mid-first round pick on a raw 20-year-old project, who was at best predicted to go in the second round? With Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams already manning the paint, adding Hansen seemed unnecessary. 

Sure, the 7’1” big man from China had an impressive skill set with a shooting and passing touch that reminded some of Nikola Jokic, and yes, he was the Chinese Basketball Association Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, but he was still a project. The thing about projects is that they need time, patience, and most importantly, playing time to develop. Hansen isn’t getting any of that in Portland.

The numbers tell the story of a wasted pick. Hansen is averaging just 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per game across twelve appearances. He's shooting 32.3% from the field and spending more time in the G League than actually developing against NBA competition. Meanwhile, Coward is averaging 27 minutes mostly off the bench for the Grizzlies and is thriving as a versatile wing who can score, rebound, and facilitate. He's exactly the type of player Portland could use in its rotation. 

Portland's front office will defend the pick by pointing to Hansen's upside and their long-term vision. They'd scouted him for two years and clearly believed in the potential. But here's the reality: the Trail Blazers have been "rebuilding" for years now, cycling through lottery picks and hoping something sticks. They can't afford to waste first-round capital on players who might pan out in three years when guys like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe need help winning games today.

The comparison to Coward is particularly brutal because it highlights everything Hansen isn't. Coward's physical, NBA-ready, and productive from day one. He plays with energy, defends multiple positions, and doesn't need the ball to impact winning. Hansen, meanwhile, looks overwhelmed when he sees the floor, struggling with the pace and physicality of NBA games.

Maybe Hansen eventually develops into something. Centers do take longer to figure it out, and he's shown flashes of the passing vision and shooting touch that made Portland fall in love with him. But "eventually" doesn't help a franchise stuck in perpetual mediocrity. And unless Hansen starts showing significant improvement soon, this becomes another entry in Portland's growing list of draft-day mistakes.