Tips: Yang Hansen may have been firmly established as a backup center. It would be a loss for other teams to miss him in the draft.

On October 12, Trail Blazers reporter Reese Kunz published an article talking about Yang Hansen. The following is the full content.

Yang Hansen was widely projected as a second-round pick, but Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin had other plans. The Blazers had been scouting Hexion for two years and were confident in their evaluation process, ultimately deciding to trade down the pick to select Hexion at No. 16, even though there were other, better options around that pick.

Hexion is not expected to receive significant playing time right away. Starting center Donovan Klingen has said he is in better shape entering his second season and hopes to play more than 30 minutes a night. Additionally, Hexion still has some growing pains to go through. The Trail Blazers' first two preseason games exposed his weaknesses in speed, turnovers and fouls. However, this summer Cronin emphasized that despite some surprising immediate operations, the Trail Blazers still adopted a long-term rebuilding strategy. From that perspective, Hexion is the best value pick in the draft.

Many people believe that Hexion will be a project that requires long-term development and will not bring immediate returns. However, his performance in summer league quickly shattered that notion, and now more than halfway through the preseason. In the most recent game against the Sacramento Kings, Hexion contributed 16 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in just 17 minutes. He made an immediate impact for the Blazers on both ends of the floor, especially in rim protection and floor spacing - two skills that are crucial for big men in the modern NBA.

One thing that should continue in the regular season is that Billups is likely to make Hexion the backup center and become an important member of the frontcourt rotation. Compared with other rookies at the same pick, Hexion's potential is extremely high. He has been able to make moves that many NBA centers cannot. Whether it's counterattacking quickly, finding cutters, or creating shot opportunities with clever footwork, there's definitely some Shin Kyung in Hexion's game. For such a rookie who can be compared with the All-Stars, it is undoubtedly a huge loss for other teams in the league to miss him.