Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Yang Hansen played a big part in the Rip City Remix’s 116-110 win over the Stockton Kings during the first-ever ‘School Day Game’ on Monday morning at the Chiles Center.
With over 1,400 K-12 students raising the energy for the 10:30 a.m. tipoff as part of a field trip, the 7-foot-2 big man produced 18 points (on 8-11 shooting), 10 rebounds, four assists and three turnovers in his fourth outing with Portland’s G League affiliate. Yang’s size and positioning also
contributed to some key stops late in the fourth quarter as the Remix protected a narrow lead and pulled out the win.
“He just does so much good stuff for the team,” Remix head coach Jonah Herscu said after the win, noting Yang’s production is happening while he’s still developing chemistry with these teammates. “ … I was proud of the way he defended and used his length in the paint. Any time they got in there, it really affected them. And offensively, he’s a hub, and we’re really good with him playmaking for us.”
By his own evaluation, Yang described his 31 minutes of playing time on Monday as “not bad” and “so-so.” After jumping to the NBA this season from the Chinese Basketball Association, Yang said these four G League appearances over the last month have continued to help him transition to the quicker pace of the U.S. leagues.
“For me, everyone knows I come from overseas,“ Yang said via his interpreter. ”So when I can go with the Remix to play I can adjust to the pace as much as I can, so once [the Blazers] call me back, I can just do my best to help the team.”
In the matchup with the Stockton Kings, Yang had a considerable size advantage. Kings 6-foot-11 forward Daniel Batcho was their only player over 6-foot-9 to see action, but he only played 20 minutes. Instead, Stockton primarily played small and tried to counter Yang by being ultra physical. Stockton forward DaQuan Jeffries — the 28-year-old journeyman who stands at a rugged 6-foot-5, 225 pounds — played a good heel against Portland’s young first-round draft pick. The two frequently bumped and wrestled for position in the paint. On one play, Jeffries dunked over a Yang contest on the fast break and pointed at the rookie in celebration.
On that play, and throughout the game, Yang didn’t shy away from the battle. Oftentimes, he greeted the physicality with the sly smile that is becoming his signature on the court. And he made Stockton pay for its lack of size by producing his most efficient game in a Remix uniform.
“Let’s be physical together, come on,” Yang said about his response to the physical play. “ … That’s normal. The more physical they’re playing, the more help I get from them. They’re helping me get better. I prefer that. I like that. Let’s be physical so the next time when you foul too much on me, and I get you to foul out, I will just say bye-bye and smile to you.”
“I had DaQuan when I coached for the Kings, and he’s short but he’s really strong — so [he’s] using his leverage, getting under [opponents],” Herscu said about Jeffries, who produced 21 points and seven rebounds. “The refs don’t always call the low foul. That’s what I was working on the refs, trying to get the low foul that they don’t always see, but I think as the game went on, [Yang] started to figure it out offensively.”
In a back-and-forth fourth quarter, Yang had his hand in several key plays that helped the Remix get across the finish line. There was an and-1 in the paint at the 9:54 mark that tied the game. A backboard-rattling slam that broke a tie with 1:05 left. And a huge defensive rebound in traffic with 23 seconds left as Rip City clung to a 110-108 lead.
With 11.3 seconds remaining and the Remix ahead 114-110, Jeffries was inbounding the ball from the left sideline as Yang pressured him with hands up high, mirroring the ball’s movement. The inbound spot happened to be directly in front of the courtside seats of Blazers assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren and Blazers player development coach/Remix assistant GM Pooh Jeter. As Jeffries struggled to find an outlet and Remix defenders stayed glued to cutters, Yang bounced up and down with more intensity, shouting in a high pitch, “Woo! Woo! Woo!”
Jeffries just got the ball out of his hands to avoid a five-second call, but Remix guard Javonte Cooke swooped in to deflect the pass away and grab the game-icing steal. After Cooke got fouled and Yang made his way down the court, he looked back at Jeter and Bjorkgren on the sideline, flashing that sly smile one more time.
“I saw them behind [Jeffries],” Yang said about the play, laughing a little. “So I just tried to show my resilience. I tried to get a five-second violation for them.”
The Remix get a rematch against Stockton on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Chiles Center. However, the Blazers announced they recalled Yang from his G League assignment following Monday’s win. So as of now, it doesn’t appear Yang will play Tuesday.
Other Game Notes
- Of course, Yang wasn’t the only player to suit up for the Remix on Monday. Javonte Cooke, the Blazers two-way contract guard, had his fingerprints all over the win. Along with that game-icing steal, Cooke led all scorers with 36 points on 10-18 shooting (including 7-13 on 3s).
- Blazers forward Rayan Rupert also played 32 minutes. Rupert registered 12 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, three steals, one block and five turnovers. He went 5-15 from the field and 2-4 from deep, with both of those 3-pointers coming at key moments in the fourth quarter. The Blazers also recalled Rupert following the win.
- Herscu wasn’t pleased with the team’s start, saying the team didn’t show up ready to play. That led to a 39-30 Stockton lead after the first quarter. But from there, the Remix tightened up, holding the Kings to 20 points in the second quarter, 25 in the third and 26 in the fourth.
- BOX SCORE
