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Yahoo Sports’ Draft Live crew reacts to the Portland Trail Blazers selection of Qingdao Eagles big Hansen Yang with the 16th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
I, I, I don’t know we just got the pick here at 16 with Portland.
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It’s Hanson Yang from China.
Oh my God, this is, this is now no we asked earlier what’s the biggest shocker of the draft?
This is the biggest shocker of the draft.
It’s Hanson Yang.
He’s not even in the green room.
There are rumors that Yang would go to the Nets with their late first round draft pick, and instead we see him at the 16th pick to Portland.
Hanson Yang, 20-year old big man, averaged 16 points for a game last year playing in China.
I would compare him to like a Nikola Vuccevich, type of guy, connective piece can really pass the ball.
He’s massive, 7’1 tall, 7′ 3 wingspan.
And he showed up at the draft combine.
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Big questions any time a player is coming from overseas, especially from China, where there’s not a high hit rate for players making it in the NBA, but Yang was great in Chicago.
He survived defensively.
He was impactful offensively with his shooting with his passing ability, and with him.
I think for Portland it’s fascinating because they drafted Clingan last year.
They got DeAndre and on the roster still under contract.
So does this mean moves are coming for Portland?
Are they did they did they envision Yang as a shooter next to Klingon?
I, I’m just fascinated from a fit standpoint.
Or is this about, hey, the Brooklyn, we’re drafting him for you?
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You gave us a ton of picks.
Maybe that’s what this could be about where that’s where the Nets consolidate, uh, with Joey, who did want to target Yang with one of their picks.
I did say Portland was gonna go big.
I didn’t think they would go this level of big.
I can’t, I can’t say that, but, but I am more fascinated from Portland because they didn’t go guard.
You want, you want guard, you want, but he wanted TJ.
I didn’t want, I didn’t want them to take to kick KJ.
I just, you know, that’s just the rumors, but no, but, but my thought was Scoot Henderson.
This is your time.
Like this is the time like we so often forget the hype after two years and thinking, remember how quick that was?
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It was going to be Scoop Henderson’s league.
He was, he was big, he was quick.
He was athletic, and then you saw him in play and you’re like, oh, he’s having trouble adjusting to the speed of the game, having trouble.
Running an offense, you wonder if he’s ready to take that.
Look, Chauncey Billups is a Hall of Fame point guard.
If he can’t get it out of him, it’s not gonna happen.
And now with Simon’s gone, you’re going to give him the ball unless you’re going to take another point guard, which I don’t think they will.
That’s where the most critical element of their development is going to be.
