Yang Hansen has issues, but Splitter's problems are even bigger.

Today is a major NBA game day with 14 matches, plenty of thrilling basketball, but my primary attention is on Yang Hansen's game.

After five games off, Yang Hansen finally earned another opportunity to play in the NBA. This was largely due to the Trail Blazers playing back-to-back games, Lowry sitting out, which allowed Yang Hansen to enter Splitter’s rotation. Thus, Splitter first subbed in Reese as the backup center before bringing in Yang Hansen.

Yang Hansen’s highlight moments today mostly happened during the two minutes he played in the first quarter. He started with a put-back dunk, then got a chance for a face-up one-on-one, used his footwork to draw a foul from Isaac, and made both free throws.

Yang Hansen saw playing time in the first three quarters, but his minutes were very fragmented. He never played more than three minutes in a single quarter, yet in the limited time during the first half, he performed quite well, keeping up with the fast pace and executing the tactics effectively.

There was a play where Yang Hansen held the ball at the top of the key and passed to Love after he cut, showcasing Yang Hansen’s individual skills. However, such plays were rare today, especially in the two minutes he played in the second half, which mostly involved running back and forth with very few touches.

Overall, Yang Hansen played 7 minutes and 53 seconds, shooting 1-for-1, making 2-for-2 free throws, scoring 4 points with 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, filling up the stat sheet in a short time. His rim protection block and loose ball hustle clearly demonstrated his defensive effort.

Of course, Yang Hansen also made some mistakes, mainly related to foul control. In the first quarter, he committed a very slight pushing foul under the basket, probably unintentional, but the referee called it anyway.

Another foul occurred in the third quarter when Yang Hansen set a screen and used his hand a bit too much on the defender, who then fell down, resulting in an offensive foul call on Yang Hansen. This old issue of hand usage during screens tends to get him caught by referees. Sometimes Yang Hansen tries too hard to block the opponent; his moves might not actually make them fall, but NBA defenders are very skilled at using leverage to draw fouls.

Both fouls caused the Trail Blazers’ offense to stall, and Yang Hansen was subbed out after each foul. This explains why, despite playing well, his minutes and opportunities were limited today.

That said, isn’t Splitter being a bit too harsh on Yang Hansen? After one offensive foul, he’s benched. Other centers also commit similar screen fouls or slight pushing under the basket. As a rookie, Yang Hansen can’t avoid these mistakes. If every foul means immediate substitution, does a 16th overall pick in the first round not deserve any margin for error?

Yang Hansen spent the entire fourth quarter on the bench while Klingen played all 12 minutes. Not only Klingen, but undrafted players and two-way contract player Love also played the entire fourth quarter. The Trail Blazers used six players in the last quarter; they did manage to catch up and even take the lead early on, but ultimately failed to hold on and lost to the Magic.

Sharp made 1 of 2 free throws, and Klingen’s dunk at a crucial moment was blocked by Bain from behind. After running back and forth continuously, Klingen’s legs couldn’t jump anymore, so the block by the smaller guard seemed accidental but was actually inevitable. Splitter was desperate to win, wanting a big center to play the entire quarter, but any sensible coach wouldn’t do that.

Splitter has successful coaching experience in the French league, but before this NBA season, he had no head coaching experience in the NBA. He wasn’t even the Trail Blazers’ lead assistant coach. He got the chance only because the lead assistant Yorklen didn’t want to take over Billups’ mess.

At first, the Trail Blazers had decent results, but after Holiday got injured, the offense relied solely on Avdija, and the team’s performance declined. Without the small-ball lineup, Splitter’s coaching level showed—it was tactically chaotic, and in the final moments today, he couldn’t set up an effective offensive play.

Of course, the Trail Blazers’ loss might not be bad for Yang Hansen personally. Lowry definitely isn’t part of the team’s long-term plan. If Lowry is traded early, even if the team remains mediocre halfway through the season, the overall direction would shift, and Yang Hansen’s chances would increase.

Before that, Yang Hansen needs to prepare well to seize the opportunity. Everyone has noticed his progress recently, whether in the G League or in limited NBA minutes, his contributions to the team have been positive.

Stay patient and wait for the chance; when it comes, it will come.