Team Report: After overexerting himself, Yang Hansen showed clear composure; Reece’s poor performance gave him a chance to gain experience.

On December 25th Beijing time, the Trail Blazers fell 106-110 to the Magic yesterday. After missing five straight games, Yang Hansen was finally given an opportunity to play. He contributed both offensively and defensively, logging 7 minutes and 52 seconds with 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Trail Blazers reporter Mike Richman shared his thoughts on Yang Hansen’s showing in his newest podcast. Here is his commentary—

“When Yang Hansen first entered the game in the first quarter, I felt he was a bit too eager to prove himself and made several unnecessary moves, coming across as somewhat overzealous. However, by the second quarter, when he re-entered, his play was noticeably more composed, matching the standard expected from a regular rotation player. Of course, he still struggles in several areas, especially on defense, which remains a clear weakness. Nonetheless, his second-quarter performance was solid, and the team’s decision to put him on the floor was justified.”

“In contrast, Reece’s performance was underwhelming. I actually like Reece as a person, but if he can’t make his three-pointers, his contributions become very limited. As a stretch big man, three-point shooting is fundamental to his role, but he failed to deliver in this game. Defensively, he showed no highlights, and offensively, he was uninspiring. Therefore, this game was a perfect opportunity for Yang Hansen to gain experience — since he’s on the team, he should be given more playing time. He played nearly 8 minutes, and his second-quarter showing was definitely his best stretch of the season so far.”

It’s important to note that this was the second game of a back-to-back, so Lowry was rested, which was a key reason Yang Hansen was included in the rotation. Given Coach Splitter’s personnel approach, if both Lowry and Klingen are healthy, Hansen will likely find it difficult to get minutes. Most likely, he will continue to be assigned to the development league for further growth in the future.

The Trail Blazers currently hold a 12-18 record, ranking 10th in the Western Conference and still within playoff contention. Their next back-to-back games are on December 29th and 30th, when they will host the Celtics and Mavericks respectively. Hansen is expected to have opportunities to play during those games as well.