Team reporter: Yang Hansan is expected to average 8+5 in the new season, and compared to Jokic, he resembles Marc Gasol more.

On August 8, Beijing time, Trail Blazers reporter Mike Richman talked about Yang Hansan on his podcast, believing that Hansan resembles Marc Gasol more and predicting that he could average 8 points and 5 rebounds in his rookie season. Here are his insights:

“To say 'the Chinese Jokic,' I don’t think that’s accurate. But the first time I saw Yang Hansan pass the ball, I was in the garage with my brother-in-law—who is a die-hard fan—sitting in lawn chairs on a summer night watching the game. We both jumped out of our seats; it was such a fun and exciting moment. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he performs in the future.”

“However, when I watch him play, I don’t see him as Jokic. I know people will point out their similarities, and to be honest, if we’re talking about historical talent, Jokic is likely in the top ten. We’re setting the bar too high for Yang Hansan with such comparisons. Conservatively speaking, Jokic is clearly one of the top 20 players of all time, right? If he wins another championship, people will surely rank him in the top ten. He is indeed a player of historical caliber.”

“If we’re discussing Yang Hansan’s potential and calling him ‘the Chinese Jokic,’ I might spend the entire year referring to him that way, just like others do, which is quite amusing. But actually, I think his growth and development might resemble Marc Gasol more— a tall player who isn’t particularly fast but can maneuver well in the paint and has developed outside shooting skills. Yang Hansan already shows some outside shooting ability, at least evident in the summer league, and he has good passing skills. So if I were to compare, I would lean more towards that direction.”

“I just don’t like placing that kind of burden on someone who hasn’t played an NBA game yet. Such comparisons are a heavy load for him, as he already carries the expectations of millions of Chinese basketball fans, and that pressure is immense, really immense.”

“I appreciate what he has shown, but I still feel he is quite raw and needs to learn more about footwork in the low post, which takes time and patience. He’s only 20 years old and comes from the CBA. I’m a bit concerned about his speed in the NBA, especially his foot speed.”

When discussing Yang Hansan's projected averages for his rookie season, Richman stated: “Probably around 8 points and 5 rebounds. I think that’s the best-case scenario.”

In the four games of this summer league, Yang Hansan averaged 10.8 points, 5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 blocks.