SB Nation    •   4 min read

Lillard on Yang Hansen: ‘This is a Real Player’

WHAT'S THE STORY?

2025 NBA Summer League - Houston Rockets v Portland Trail Blazers
Photo by Ian Maule/NBAE via Getty Images

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is liking what he’s seen so far from rookie teammate Yang Hansen.

After the grand event of Lillard’s re-introductory press conference on Monday, Trail Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl asked the NBA veteran about his first impressions of the 7-foot-1 center from China. Lillard spoke glowingly of his new teammate, particularly Yang’s demeanor on the court:

“I didn’t know much about him before. One of my assistants in Milwaukee during my first year actually coached

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him I think in China, and he spoke highly of him as soon as they picked him. But I hadn’t seen much, and then watching him during Summer League, I was like, this is a real player, especially with the way the league is now with a lot of these bigs that teams use as a hub to playmake and facilitate the offense at times.

And he’s got some swag to him. He’s got some stuff to him, and I think that’s good for a rookie, especially somebody coming over that’s not from the United States. ... You can tell the way he plays and how he goes about it, he has some real confidence.”

The Blazers selected Yang with the No. 16 pick in June’s NBA Draft. Yang, who recently turned 20, averaged 10.8 points, 5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 blocks per game over four games in NBA Summer League this July.

Between Yang’s flashy, confident play in Las Vegas and Lillard’s feel-good reunion with the Trail Blazers, it’s been an exciting and unpredictable offseason in Rip City.

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