Yang Hansen’s debut featured a rejection dunk! A big block! Welcome to the NBA! Not playing in the second half? That’s quite normal.

Today is the Trail Blazers’ first game of the new season, facing the Timberwolves.

We are all observers of this historic occasion.

Yang Hansen’s debut marks the return of a Chinese first-round pick to the NBA after 18 years, from Yao Ming to Yi Jianlian and now him...

Seasons change, but every generation carries its own responsibility.

At the same time, he is the eighth Chinese player to appear in an official NBA game, following Wang Zhizhi, Batier, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Sun Yue, Zhou Qi, and Cui Yongxi.

On October 31, 2002, Yao Ming made his NBA debut off the bench for the Rockets against the Pacers.

In 11 minutes, he scored zero points, grabbed 2 defensive rebounds, committed 2 turnovers and 3 fouls, with a plus-minus of -6, and was mocked by American media as a “bust top pick.”

On October 31, 2007, Yi Jianlian started in his debut game.

He played 25 minutes for the Bucks, shooting 4 of 5 for 9 points, along with 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal, but fouled out with 6 fouls.

Then, on October 23, 2025, it was Yang Hansen’s turn.

In the first half, he had 5 minutes and 16 seconds of playtime, missed his only field goal attempt, made 2 free throws out of 2, totaled 2 points and 1 rebound, committed 1 foul, and had a plus-minus of -5.

Being new, paying your dues is inevitable.

Getting blocked by Gobert? That’s perfectly normal.

He is a multiple-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and earned a multi-million contract through defense.

Being dunked on by McDan? That’s also normal.

It’s the usual “welcome ritual” for NBA rookies.

At that moment, what I felt wasn’t brutality, but a memory from over 20 years ago:

When Yao Ming first entered the NBA and was faked out by Marbury, bench players like Smits and Joe Johnson laughed uncontrollably on the sidelines...

Especially for interior players, as the last line of defense, being a highlight reel for opponents isn’t shameful; the best response is to find a chance to return the favor later.

We mentioned “lowering expectations” yesterday.

So what do I want to say today?

For Yang Hansen, the biggest challenge currently is adapting to the NBA’s pace.

As early as early October, Billups already expressed this.

“Yang Hansen is performing well and working hard. I think on offense, he sets some very good screens. He has some playmaking ability, but the game’s pace is too fast, and he still needs to adjust to our tempo.”

If you compare his CBA games with Qingdao to today’s NBA official game, you’ll see: the NBA is really damn fast; no one drags or lingers.

It’s basketball, but ours is slow-paced basketball.

In this process, Yang Hansen still has a long way to go to adapt to NBA-style high-speed defensive rotations.

Adjusting to the rhythm is a gradual process that depends on gaining real-game experience.

What else can be done? Leonard’s advice to him was very genuine:

“Once you get more game experience, the pace will naturally feel slower.”

Putting aside his identity as a Chinese player and our simple emotions, looking at the Trail Blazers as a whole:

First, about rotation timing.

Yang Hansen gets about 3 minutes near the last 8 minutes of both the first and second quarters. For a rookie, playing 5-6 minutes in a half is quite respectable.

Not giving a rookie minutes in a tight second half is completely understandable.

Second, about the Trail Blazers’ style and changes.

Though this is only the first game of the new season, you can clearly feel the changes in the Portland Trail Blazers: these guys really fight hard.

Billups’ coaching philosophy: defend well and run fast breaks.

Zhu, Klingen, Grant, Sharp, Kamara, Sabur, Wesley... the Portland gang?

In the brutal Western Conference environment, their results might not reflect their level, but this season, the Trail Blazers’ games are truly exciting, showing a clear style imprint: tough defense and relentless effort.

This is Billups’ transformation of the team.

What’s the Trail Blazers’ problem? Limited offensive development and heavy reliance on Holiday.

That’s why they lost to the Western Conference finalist Timberwolves.

For rookie Yang Hansen, to earn trust and more playing time with the Trail Blazers, the requirement is to first excel at the center’s core duties.

Quality screens, rebounding, reducing defensive mistakes, and rim protection.

Currently, Yang Hansen’s defense does not meet the standards; adapting to NBA intensity remains a huge task.

Today’s game intensity was quite high, and everyone could feel the battle for possession.

Who is the role model? Klingen, who plays the same position.

In this era of viral content, Yang Hansen’s dunk block video will surely spread widely both domestically and internationally.

Therefore, I’ll end with a quote from another Asian NBA player, Yuta Watanabe:

“When I get dunked on, I let everyone know by laughing it off, but I never want to make it easy for my opponent to score. If I don’t jump, I don’t deserve playing time. Even if it happens 100 times and I get dunked on 99 times, I will fight with all my strength for that one block.”

No complaints—the NBA is inevitably ruthless.

“Winning is earned, not given.”