The Portland Path Blazers shocked the NBA world by buying and selling down with the Memphis Grizzlies after which deciding on Chinese language heart Hansen Yang with the No. 16 choose within the 2025 NBA Draft.
As our mates at Blazer’s Edge famous, proof this was a choose that was a bit off the board was The Ringer having Yang mocked at choose No. 40, whereas ESPN had him projected because the thirty sixth choose, so his being chosen within the high 20 was undoubtedly a shock.
However there was as soon as one other seven-footer from abroad who was projected (and finally went) within the second spherical earlier than turning into among the finest gamers in NBA historical past, and none apart from the entrance workplace that chosen mentioned three-time MVP advised NBA insider Jake Fischer that they see some Nikola Jokic in Yang:
That’s an unimaginable draft evening comp in that it’s utterly unhinged, wildly unrealistic, and follows the rule that each prospect have to be in comparison with a star in order that followers can perceive their sport.
And look, I gained’t declare to have watched a lot Qingdao Double Star Eagles basketball within the CBA final season, however for those who have a look at Yang’s highlights… effectively, the comp remains to be loopy, however principally as a result of Jokic is a wild comp for anybody!
However nonetheless, you possibly can at the very least see the talent which may lead somebody excessive on Yang’s sport to make the comparability when watching his greatest performs:
And even Jokic by no means gained Rookie of the 12 months twice:
Can Yang make it a threepeat within the NBA? Our personal NBA Draft skilled, Ricky O’Donnell — who has been projecting the NBA draft for over a decade — is much less positive. He favored the choose so much lower than mentioned nameless Nuggets worker, giving the choice a D in his dwell draft grades:
I favored Hansen as a possible second rounder for his dimension and passing, however it is a stunning choice. The Blazers have already got one other big heart in Donovan Clingan who they took within the top-10 final yr, and I don’t assume they will play collectively. That is simply complicated to me, however at the very least Portland did effectively to commerce down and choose up additional property.
We’ll see if Ricky or this unnamed Nuggets staffer is extra proper ultimately, however all I do know is that this: Fischer’s tweet has an opportunity to be iconic both method, and if Yang pans out, I’m placing leaking that to him on my resume if I’m that Nuggets individual.
Joe Cronin, Mike Schmitz and the Blazers have been courageous to take Yang so excessive, however you understand what’s braver? Evaluating him to Nikola Jokic earlier than he performs a single NBA sport if you work for the group that Jokic performs for. That’s the stuff true takesmen are fabricated from.
