First career start: Yang Hansen embraces mistakes and growth

For Yang Hansen, today was a significant moment in his career because, with Klingen and Lowry absent, he got his first starting opportunity. From the game’s progress, his performance was just barely satisfactory.

Right at the start of the first quarter, Yang Hansen quickly picked up two fouls and had to exit early, which was a serious problem. His first foul occurred at 10:25, a screen foul caused by a poor hand habit that opponents exploited—an issue Yang had already shown during the preseason.

The second foul came at 8:11 when Grizzlies’ Coward made a fast break, and Yang Hansen committed a blocking foul. This was mainly due to his defensive positioning; given Yang’s lateral speed, standing near the free-throw line made him vulnerable to being beaten off the dribble. Any slight contact resulted in a foul, and the opponent converted a 2+1 play. This reflected his lack of experience.

After accumulating two fouls, Yang Hansen was substituted out in the first quarter and didn’t return immediately. When he came back in the second quarter on the second possession, he quickly picked up his third foul. This foul was less problematic. Grant was beaten off the dribble by Coward, and Yang’s failure to help would have led to an easy dunk, so it was necessary to contest the play aggressively.

His fourth foul in the first half came at 7:55 in the second quarter, again on a help defense foul where he pressed down with his arm—another defensive habit issue. After quickly gathering four fouls, Yang played 8 minutes in the first half, shooting 0-for-2 from three, scoring no points, with 1 rebound, 0 assists, 1 turnover, and 4 fouls.

If the game had ended there, it would have been disastrous for Yang Hansen. On the court, he looked confused; the rapid foul accumulation forced him off, he lost rebounds he could have secured, and even when he boxed out Zach Edey, he couldn’t control the boards firmly. Compared to missing two three-point attempts, these issues were far more concerning.

Earlier, Yang Hansen was sent down during the road trip, flying from Cleveland back to Portland. After scoring 20 points in a game, he was recalled by the Trail Blazers and flew from Portland to Memphis. In five days, Yang traveled 7,000 kilometers, training and playing games in between—it’s no surprise he felt tired.

However, at least in terms of stamina today, Yang performed well without showing fatigue after a few minutes on the floor. In the second half, Yang began to warm up, and the Trail Blazers as a whole played with more energy, gradually climbing out of a 20-point halftime deficit.

In the third quarter, Yang didn’t score but was very active, dishing out two assists and grabbing two rebounds as the rhythm improved. Defensively, he avoided fouls and even forced Zach Edey into fouls, causing trouble for his opponent.

During this stretch, the Trail Blazers narrowed the gap to a reachable margin, but once Yang was subbed out, the Grizzlies responded with a 10-0 run, extending the lead again. Yang is still young; he looked lost in the first half but smiled as he found his groove in the second half.

The final quarter was Yang Hansen’s highlight moment, going head-to-head with Zach Edey twice. Once, he backed down Edey, spun around, and shook him off completely for an easy dunk—one of the most impressive plays early in Yang’s career.

Right after, Yang created space with footwork under the basket and scored two hook shots against Edey, adding four consecutive points. Compared to shooting from outside, I prefer seeing Yang attack inside; that’s his comfort zone and where he can best leverage his strengths.

After scoring those four points, the Grizzlies even started double-teaming Yang. Edey struck Yang in the face, but no foul was called—this should have been Edey’s sixth foul. Yang caused at least three or four fouls on Edey today, highlighting his improved physicality.

Overall, Yang Hansen played a career-high 19 minutes and 13 seconds, shooting 2-for-5 with two missed threes, scoring 4 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and dishing 2 assists. Despite the Trail Blazers losing by 23 points, Yang’s plus-minus was +2, meaning the team outscored opponents when he was on the floor.

Combining both halves, Yang’s performance was above average. The old problem of slow starts remains, but that’s understandable given his long absence from the court. After a half of adjustment, he looked much more comfortable defending Zach Edey in the second half, stopping him several times.

It’s worth noting that Edey has improved greatly this season, previously dominating players like Zubac and ranking among the league’s top centers. He bullied Yang early on but gained no advantage later, fouling out with six fouls. Yang only had five fouls and controlled them well in the second half.

Yang’s biggest improvement in this game was his stamina. He showed no heavy breathing in the second half, proving he can now handle NBA-level intensity for over ten minutes. At least as a backup center in rotation, his endurance is no longer a concern.

Coach Sprewell also showed care for Yang today. When Yang was hit in the face in the fourth quarter, Sprewell angrily received a technical foul. During halftime, Sprewell gave Yang special attention, personally guiding his movements—this may explain Yang’s improved second-half performance.

In his first career start, experiencing a rollercoaster from first half struggles to second half success, Yang Hansen’s game was a classic “slow start but strong finish”—fortunately, it was a promising beginning.