Got blocked and dunked on, welcome Yang Hansheng to the NBA.

The Trail Blazers versus Timberwolves game was Yang Hansheng’s first NBA appearance. At 7:13 into the first quarter, Yang came in for Klingenberg, officially starting his NBA journey. Additionally, Yang became the eighth Chinese player to play in an NBA regular-season game, making today a historic moment for all of us.

When he first came on, Billups gave Yang some instructions. From the subsequent defensive plays, we can infer that Billups wanted Yang to guard McDaniels instead of Reid.

Billups wanted Yang to stay close to the basket as much as possible, since McDaniels isn’t as strong a three-point shooter as Reid. Yang was quite “obedient,” staying near the rim to protect the paint, but he soon got called for a defensive three-second violation. In fact, just before that call, he had another possession where he stayed too long in the paint but wasn’t penalized.

Yang’s mentor Liu Weiwei was also at the game today. During commentary, he mentioned he had already emphasized the defensive three-second rule to young Yang. Actually, Klingenberg was also called for a defensive three-second violation in the second half; this kind of paint-protecting center often gets called for this.

In the first quarter, Yang played for 2 minutes and 55 seconds before being subbed out. Besides the defensive three-second call, he also set two very effective screens, with clean hand-offs that helped teammates get open looks. This showed Yang’s active side on the court, using his body to create valuable screens.

In the second quarter, Yang had two “welcome to the NBA” moments, but first he scored his first NBA points. Receiving a pass from Avdiya, he drew a hand-check foul on Randle and made both free throws, scoring the only 2 points he had in the game.

Yang took just one shot today: a low-post isolation against Gobert. Yang backed down twice, but didn’t rush his hook shot despite not sensing Gobert’s exact position. Gobert, with his huge wingspan, blocked it in midair. Clearly, Yang underestimated Gobert’s defensive reach, as in his previous experience such hook shots were usually uncontested.

Next, Yang got dunked on by McDaniels on defense. Objectively, Yang’s defense wasn’t bad—no foul was called, which proves it. Yang jumped hard and fully committed to the block attempt, but this is the talent gap at the NBA level.

Yang said in a previous interview that the NBA is full of players who run fast and jump high. This play became Yang’s first highlight reel moment in the NBA, giving him a direct sense of the difference in athleticism.

In the first half, Yang played 5 minutes and 16 seconds, shooting 0-for-1, making 2-for-2 free throws for 2 points and 1 rebound, with a -5 plus-minus. These were his full game stats, as Billups did not send him back out in the second half.

On the Timberwolves’ lineup, Yang was naturally a target because he couldn’t keep up defensively. So Billups sitting him out was also a way to protect him. It’s the first regular-season game; just get a feel for real NBA intensity and gradually adapt.

The Trail Blazers indeed used a small-ball lineup for a long stretch today. Grant, who scored 29 points, came in as Klingenberg’s replacement in the second half. The Blazers’ small-ball lineup pressured well and repeatedly forced Timberwolves turnovers.

However, when the game reached the decisive moments, the Blazers’ lack of a go-to star showed. Huazi kept scoring consecutively, and no one on the Blazers could respond. Avdiya tried his best, but Sharp’s 5-for-20 shooting was quite inefficient.

The Blazers played very well overall, carrying over last season’s defensive intensity into the new season. The game pace was fast throughout, focusing on defense and fast breaks, very exciting to watch. Losing to Huazi’s 41 points and consecutive superstar plays is not shameful.

Compared to Yao Ming’s debut — 11 minutes with 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers, and 3 fouls — Yang’s performance today wasn’t too bad. He played steadily on the court; the only regret was limited playing time. For Yang, getting into the regular rotation in the opener is already commendable.

In this year’s draft, Bellinger, picked 17th overall by the Timberwolves behind Yang, didn’t play a single second today. Many first-round rookies also didn’t see any minutes in their season openers, so Yang’s 5 minutes and 16 seconds is not bad.

The beginning is always the hardest. Having passed this step, we hope the road ahead will be smooth.