Yang Hansen's streak of bad luck has lasted for half a season.

What level are the Trail Blazers without Avdija? They basically become a team competing for the number one pick. Their set offense lacks any structure, scoring only through transition plays and small opportunities. They cannot maintain possession, their turnovers explode, and the Warriors tore them apart in just over a quarter.

In the third quarter, the Trail Blazers made some progress in closing the gap, but the Warriors blew them out again. Being blown out twice in one game shows that the Blazers’ comeback wasn’t due to their strength, but rather because the opponents relaxed after building a big lead.

Before this game, the Trail Blazers had beaten the Warriors three times, but after losing Avdija, they were completely outmatched. This was the first game Avdija missed this season, which clearly shows how crucial he is to this Blazers team.

Of course, the game eventually entered garbage time early as expected, giving Yang Hansen a decent amount of playing time. Unexpectedly, after just two possessions, he collided head-first with an opponent’s knee during a falling pass and had to leave for the locker room early.

Replay shows Yang Hansen’s head falling backward while Richard’s knee was pushing forward; the forces collided, causing a severe impact to Yang’s head. The team doctor immediately came over. To be safe, Yang was taken to the locker room, likely for a concussion evaluation, and later returned to the court.

Yang Hansen was injured with 6:55 left, but returned with only 2:58 remaining, losing nearly four valuable minutes of playing time, which is very unfortunate. It was expected he would play seven or eight continuous minutes, but even in garbage time, his minutes were fragmented and limited.

We have to admit Yang Hansen has been quite unlucky on the court recently. In the previous game, he fell while fighting for the ball and his head was pressed by Adams’ body. Considering Adams’ size, even slight pressure can be dangerous. Earlier, Yang’s arm was scratched twice by Adams during a tussle, and the marks are still visible.

Going back further, Yang Hansen was hit in the face by Zach Edey’s arm, lost balance, and hit his head on the floor. That play was even recorded as a turnover by Yang. After the game, he experienced dizziness and headaches and missed the next day’s G League match.

Since entering the league, Yang Hansen hasn’t suffered many injuries, but all have involved his head. Today’s knee-to-head collision, though he quickly returned to play, will surely be followed by more detailed concussion tests. Hopefully, Yang will show no concussion symptoms.

It can be said that from on and off the court, Yang Hansen’s bad luck has never stopped since joining the NBA. After his season debut, the coach who trusted him left. The new coach, whether a puppet or not, has made it hard for Yang to get real playing time.

Recently, Yang Hansen has indeed received more minutes, appearing in the Blazers’ regular rotation, mostly as a spacing option in the twin towers setup. Counting today’s 1-for-3 from three-point range, Yang has made 5 out of 31 threes in his career and has never hit more than one three-pointer in a single game.

Honestly, with such a three-point shooting percentage, can he truly serve as a spacing threat? Standing on the perimeter, defenders don’t guard him closely. The main purpose of a spacing player is to stretch the floor, but Yang clearly lacks this ability, and even his teammates recognize it.

At the end of the third quarter today, in one possession, Lowry had the ball at the top of the key, Yang was wide open on the wing, but Lowry didn’t pass to him and instead gave it to Kamara in the corner. Kamara drove in, Yang remained unguarded, but Kamara didn’t pass back either and instead gave it to Lowry who eventually turned it over.

Watching that play made me both angry and helpless. Yang was desperately signaling for the ball, but no pass came. Of course, given Yang’s poor three-point shooting, it’s understandable his teammates hesitate. The main problem is that Yang simply isn’t suited to be a spacing player.

At the start of the season, Yang played as the only center in the lineup, running pick-and-rolls and pops, sometimes getting low-post opportunities—these are his strengths. His three-point shooting was never stable even in the CBA, so it’s unrealistic to expect improvement in the NBA.

Nowadays, centers can shoot threes, and Lowry even made one today. The key is having a consistent three-point shot, not just hitting one or two randomly. Yang hasn’t developed the skill to be a spacing big yet, so the Blazers’ use of him in this role is a mistake.

He consistently has open looks on offense, but his accuracy on open threes remains poor. He keeps taking those shots, sometimes making one, but his confidence doesn’t grow; instead, it gradually diminishes.

Rather than struggling awkwardly in the NBA, it would be better for Yang Hansen to get more games in the G League. He has performed well there this season, though only sporadically and in limited games.

Yang’s situation isn’t the worst among last year’s first-round picks; for example, 12th pick Essengue played only six games before season-ending injury. Still, seeing Yang gradually fall behind other centers from his class is concerning.

Hopefully, Yang Hansen’s bad luck will end soon, and 2026 will bring him better fortune.