Trail Blazers reporter questions team strategy: Yang Hanson's victimhood under Cronin’s plan and how retaining Lowe blocks his potential

On November 24th Beijing time, Trail Blazers reporter Reese Kunz detailed Yang Hanson's predicament, labeling him a victim of Portland’s current approach, and stated that the team’s decision to keep Lowe has in fact prevented Hanson from fulfilling his potential. Below is his full report—

As the 2025-26 season reached its first month, Bleacher Report journalist Buckley recently reviewed the biggest offseason regrets for various teams. Regarding the Portland Trail Blazers section,he believes this regret stems from their unconventional draft choice of Yang Hanson—not due to the pick itself, but because the Blazers failed to maximize the value of that selection, leaving Hanson buried at the end of the rotation with limited playing time.

“Given his unique skill set combined with a 2.16-meter, 122-kilogram frame, this was a highly appealing gamble, making the Blazers a must-watch team during the Summer League. Yet even before he joined, a pressing question loomed: can he keep pace with the NBA game speed?” Buckley wrote.

Yang Hanson has shown some promising flashes that justify this draft gamble. However, as Buckley pointed out, in Portland’s crowded frontcourt, he has yet to secure consistent minutes, and there remain reasonable concerns about his ability to adapt to the NBA’s tempo.

Buckley also stated, “These questions remain unanswered because he ranks too low in the rotation. Remember, the Blazers used the 7th pick last year on another center, Klingen, and they still have Robert Williams and Duop Reath on the roster. That explains why Hanson’s NBA minutes have been so limited so far.”

Isn’t facing real game challenges and growing pains an essential part of Hanson’s learning curve? The Blazers seem to be delaying an inevitable process—keeping Williams III as a “backup” in case Hanson doesn’t break through, but Williams’s very presence may actually be obstructing Hanson’s potential from being realized!

Yang Hanson has consistently failed to secure a stable spot in interim coach Splitt's rotation, highlighting the Blazers’ “double bind” in roster construction. As a rebuilding team, they overvalue veterans and keep them too long; they should have prioritized young core players from the start, but the team’s current push for wins makes it difficult for young players to develop in the best environment.

Henderson and Shaden Sharp previously faced similar dilemmas, and Hanson now appears to be the latest victim of GM Joe Cronin’s attempt to “balance rebuilding with competitiveness.”

That said, the Blazers’ offseason regrets are actually few, as Cronin has so far managed the rebuild relatively well. The departures of Anfernee Simons and Ayton were “subtractive upgrades.” Even with Ayton gone, the center position now faces a new tough issue—Klingen, whom they drafted last year, still ranks ahead of Hanson.

This inevitably raises questions: what exactly is the Blazers’ plan for Yang Hanson? Why did they draft him in the first place? Especially since other clear lineup deficiencies, such as lack of shooting, remain unresolved to this day.