Hansen Yang

[Hal14]

In a draft with no clear no. 1 guy, a no. 1 pick who would probably go in the 4-6 range in most drafts, and some major flaws for basically every dude in the draft, do we possibly look back 5 years from now and say "holy crap, Hansen Yang was the best player (or at least a top 5 player) from that class - why was he so slept on?"

18 yrs old.

7'1".

Has touch around the basket. Strong finisher inside.Good footwork. Pretty skilled for a dude his size, at such a young age.

Has good passing feel.

Leading the Chinese League in blocks.

Also played well last summer at FIBA.

Can even put it on the floor a bit and drive to the basket.

He even hit a 3 in his latest game.

Chinese League is obviously not one of the best leagues in the world but it's still grown men pros and he's pretty much dominating the league at age 18.

Watch on YouTube

;t=185s

Averaging 17 PPG, 12 RPG, 3 BPG, 4 APG. 3/15 on the season from 3..

Last summer at FIBA U19 (had a game vs Almansa on Spain and a game vs Sarr on France) he posted 13 PPG, 10n RBG, 5 BPG, 5 APG. 1/6 from 3..

Yang pretty much outplayed Sarr last summer at U19. Here's some footage, including a play at 2:00 where Yang shows some switchability, defending Melvin Ajinca out on the perimeter, sliding his feet to stay with Ajinca and then blocking the shot at the rim:

Watch on YouTube

[babyjax13]

Looks interesting at least. Defenders bite at every pump fake and he has a massive size advantage in a lot of these clips. Hard to tell how mobile he is laterally but at least looks coordinated and like he can run end-to-end.

[Hal14]

Damn. Look at this move. Looks like Arvydas Sabonis.

Read on Twitter

A 7'1" dude doing this at age 18 in a pro league, while leading that pro league in blocks.

1st round pick..

[babyjax13]

Damn. Look at this move. Looks like Arvydas Sabonis.

Read on Twitter

A 7'1" dude doing this at age 18 in a pro league, while leading that pro league in blocks.

1st round pick..

To be fair, Emmanuel Mudiay was one of the best players in the CBA when he was 17. That same year, Andray Blatche averaged 34/15/5, with 3 steals and a block, and Errick McCollum averaged 40/7/6 with 2 steals. Certainly, him playing well is a much better sign than playing poorly, but I'm not sure it means he is a lock for the first round. Still, looks interesting.

[CP War Hawks]

Sengun esque.

[Hal14]

Damn. Look at this move. Looks like Arvydas Sabonis.

Read on Twitter

A 7'1" dude doing this at age 18 in a pro league, while leading that pro league in blocks.

1st round pick..

To be fair, Emmanuel Mudiay was one of the best players in the CBA when he was 17. That same year, Andray Blatche averaged 34/15/5, with 3 steals and a block, and Errick McCollum averaged 40/7/6 with 2 steals. Certainly, him playing well is a much better sign than playing poorly, but I'm not sure it means he is a lock for the first round. Still, looks interesting.

Well it's less about the stats and more about the fact that he is a 7'1" dude who can put the ball on the floor and drive from the perimeter, good post up moves, good finishing touch around the basket, can rebound, block shots and has good passing feel at age 18 that puts him in the 1st round.

The fact that he's leading the league in blocks and is having a bunch of 20+ point, 10+ rebound games (even multiple games with 20+ rebounds) is just the cherry on top.

[CptCrunch]

Watch on YouTube

Kid is way too mobile and skilled for his size to not be in the NBA.

Doesn't even turn 19 until this June. He is draft eligible this year in 2024. Will be automatically entered in the 2027 draft.

[God Squad]

From these videos it looks like he has really good hands/touch. Even the way he dribbles, he's very much in control for someone his size.

[Chuck Everett]

So you're basically hoping this guy is another Sengun, because he looks like a below the rim big to me, even at his size from that footage.

[JMAC3]

I could see him going 25-35 range, but stats in the CBA are pretty useless.

He also looks like he is 4-5 inches taller than everyone which won't be the case in NBA obviously.

[Hal14]

I could see him going 25-35 range, but stats in the CBA are pretty useless.

He also looks like he is 4-5 inches taller than everyone which won't be the case in NBA obviously.

Summer 2023 FIBA U19, China vs France
Yang: 14 pts, 6/7 FG, 6 rebs, 3 blocks, 3 assists, 4 turnovers, 1 foul
Sarr: 9 pts, 4/11 FG, 9 rebs, 1 block, 1 assist, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls

[Hal14]

So you're basically hoping this guy is another Sengun, because he looks like a below the rim big to me, even at his size from that footage.

That's really oversimplifying it..

[Chuck Everett]

So you're basically hoping this guy is another Sengun, because he looks like a below the rim big to me, even at his size from that footage.

That's really oversimplifying it..

Feel free to share more tape, if you have it. Just giving my impression of what I saw. Feel free to disagree with my supposition.

[shangrila]

So you're basically hoping this guy is another Sengun, because he looks like a below the rim big to me, even at his size from that footage.

That's really oversimplifying it..

Feel free to share more tape, if you have it. Just giving my impression of what I saw. Feel free to disagree with my supposition.

Getting a Sengun at the range Hansen is currently projected would arguably be one of the greatest draft steals of all time.

I'd also argue that vertical athleticism isn't as important for a guy like this that's 7-1. He's going to impact shot attempts just by raising his arms. The key physical attribute for him will be mobility and based on the tape he's solid enough there to not be played off the court defensively.

[Chuck Everett]

That's really oversimplifying it..

Feel free to share more tape, if you have it. Just giving my impression of what I saw. Feel free to disagree with my supposition.

Getting a Sengun at the range Hansen is currently projected would arguably be one of the greatest draft steals of all time.

I'd also argue that vertical athleticism isn't as important for a guy like this that's 7-1. He's going to impact shot attempts just by raising his arms. The key physical attribute for him will be mobility and based on the tape he's solid enough there to not be played off the court defensively.

Zach Collins is 6'11 and has leaping ability, yet offers no rim protection (even though he was an elite shot blocker in college) whatsoever at the pro level. Just raising your arms is not a legitimate defense against NBA athletes who attack the basket. Sabonis and Jokic are also similar size and again are not rim protectors. They have to do their work positionally before the ball even gets near the rim to even have a chance. If this guy is a below the rim big, then he will need to make his bones on the offensive end or have an elite athlete next to him to help defensively.

Can he show the same kind of game Jokic, Sabonis and Sengun have? Don't know, but it would be a lot easier to project if Hansen was also playing in Europe against better competition.

[FarBeyondDriven]

moving him to near the top of my board. He's a better prospect than Sengun (because of his defense) so why shouldn't he be considered a top prospect? I think Sarr has taken it up a notch and has elite upside so he remains #1 but Yang isn't far behind. Things could change once we get to see him against stiffer competition but there's no denying how insanely skilled he is at a large 7'1". If he's drafted by a team that will trust him and give him the same usage as Sengun gets he'll put up similar numbers.

[EvanZ]

世界大同

I think that's how you write MMM bop in Chinese, which is the sum total of my contribution to the conversation about this fraud

[zzaj]

He shoots and passes like later years Sabonis...they look very similar in their motions.

[FarBeyondDriven]

He shoots and passes like later years Sabonis...they look very similar in their motions.

I don't want to be hyperbolic but he's world's better at 18 y/o than Sabonis or even Jokic was at that age. He does pretty much what Jokic does now except he's even bigger and actually plays defense. Granted, he's only done it in China and in a FIBA U19 tournament and that's the whole question...will it translate, but still. I watch the games, I see his size, his movement, his skill. It's all really impressive. I don't get how he's not being considered by scouts and in draft circles.

Sarr is being talked about as the #1 guy and Yang, despite a much worse surround cast, more than held his own. That tape will undoubtedly be used to disparage Sarr but it should be used to elevate Yang instead.

Watch on YouTube

I think Almansa won MVP of the tournament and Yang looked great against Spain too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=70&v=IsW4Iivi5yE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com&source_ve_path=MzY4NDIsMjM4NTE&feature=emb_title

[BlazersBroncos]

Which Sabonis are we talking here? Because it sure as hell better not be Arvydas lol.