Known as the “Holy Grail of Shipwrecks,” the Galleon San José was reportedly carrying 200 tons of gold, silver and emeralds — worth a reported $20 billion — when it sank in 1708. The first expedition to recover it was carried out last summer, canvassing over 450,000 square meters of ocean floor and delving over 3,000 feet below the surface. A bit elaborate for what could end up being a glorified pile of detritus, that’s the risk you take for a potentially life-changing windfall.
We’re not sure how familiar the Portland Trail Blazers’ front office is with the sunken San José, but they displayed a similarly dauntless mindset by selecting Yang Hansen, a 7-foot-1 center from China, with the No. 16 overall pick in last month’s NBA Draft. Even with his intriguing skill set — don’t worry, we’ll get into that later — Yang was considered a fringe first-round prospect at best, landing at No. 43 in our final Top 100 Prospect Rankings prior to the draft.
But Blazers general manager Joe Cronin saw a $20 billion shipwreck just waiting to be recovered, and had no designs on watching some other team snatch him up before they got the chance.
“This is a very, very unique talent in our opinion,” Cronin said of Yang on the night of the draft. “High-end skillset. His ability to pass, his basketball IQ, his functionality in the post, his ability to step out. We think he’ll be a good free-throw shooter and we think he’ll be able to make perimeter jump shots as well.”
Yang, who turned 20 the day after the draft, immediately became a social media sensation when NBA reporter Jake Fischer posted that a source texted him two words after Yang was selected: “Chinese Jokić.”
To call the Blazers’ decision a reach would be like calling Hannibal Lecter “a little quirky.” Nobody expected Yang to go in the middle of the first round. That includes the NBA as the league didn’t even offer him a spot in the draft night green room. When his name was called, Yang and his icy French vanilla suit strutted to the stage from the stands.
While the Nikola Jokić comparison is presumably a bit tongue-in-cheek and will certainly be unfairly used against the Blazers if he fails to make a significant NBA impact, Yang has already become the darling of summer league with his penchant for making highlight-reel plays. He’s a social media phenomenon, garnering tens of thousands of likes for the NBA and the Blazers, while appearing more than comfortable against American competition.
Let’s take a look at Yang’s two games in the Las Vegas Summer League to explore why he’s already formed what seems like a lasting bond with NBA fans — and exactly how close he might come to The Joker himself.
A Jok of a passer
If you’re talking about Yang, you’re talking about his passing. The 7-footer has dished out a team-best eight assists, most of the silky smooth variety, in his two summer-league appearances. Even if you don’t believe Yang will ever achieve three-time MVP status (a solid bet), you can at least see where the Jokić comparisons originate.
Yang looks extremely confident operating as an offensive hub, shouting out instructions to teammates while relocating them through vociferous gesticulations. His most discussed passing highlights have come on backdoor cuts, hitting slashers in stride for easy layups.
And while not as flashy, Yang already appears skilled in the dribble hand-off game, using his large body to screen defenders as he dumps the ball off to open 3-point shooters. For all of his jaw-dropping exploits, this is an underrated skill that Jokić has mastered.
“I think in these playoffs, one thing I’ve really noticed is the way these successful teams think the game,” Cronin said just days after the Oklahoma City Thunder won the championship. “Their basketball IQ, their skill sets, their ability to make others and each other better is a critical component to winning these games. And that’s what Yang brings to this. His basketball IQ is very, very high and he makes others better. That’s what we’re trying to do here is find guys that help supplement and build each other up and it’s something that he thrives at.”
One of the most frightening sights for NBA defenses is Jokić dribbling the ball down court in transition with a full head of steam. While the MPH readings may be low, the efficiency is through the roof. Yang also appears to have no fear of pushing the ball to get his teammates easy buckets.
Watch this clip from a rookie Jokić and try to convince yourself that the similarity isn’t striking.
As a passer, Yang appears to have the goods to make an immediate impact on the Blazers’ offense. But, as we know, one-skill players rarely cut it in the NBA. How the rest of his game develops will tell the story of his career.
But can he score?
What transformed Jokić from a good player to the best in the world was his ability to find his own offense. As tremendous of a passer that he is, many of those openings are created because of the pressure he puts on defenses as a scorer. One of the most efficient post players of all time, Jokić has become aggressive in punishing single-coverage — something he was hesitant to do early in his career. On top of that, he’s now one of the league’s best 3-point shooters.
These are both skills that seem to be lacking in Yang’s game thus far, though he’s shown flashes. He’s averaged 10 points in his two summer-league games, shooting 47% from the field and going 1 for 5 from 3-point range… and the one make he had was banked in.
Yang shot 33% on 1.1 3-point attempts last season with Qingdao of the Chinese Basketball Association, so that isn’t really part of his game yet. But guess who else shot exactly 33% on exactly 1.1 3-point attempts per game as an NBA rookie? That’s right, Nikola Jokić.
What Yang can do, it appears, is put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He’s gone 6 for 9 at the basket in his two games, showing off some footwork and craft along the way.
Much like Jokić, Yang’s game is below the rim, but he can throw down a sneaky dunk if you give him a runway.
As a scorer, Yang surely has a long way to go, but even in just two summer-league games he’s proven that there’s clearly something to work with.
The ‘It’ factor
When you first saw Jokić, even in limited minutes you could tell he was special. Not everyone who’s special turns out to be an all-time great, but there’s something — often intangible — that lets you know this is no ordinary basketball player.
Yang has that.
The way he moves, the way he plays, the way he speaks. This kid oozes charisma out of every pore. A photo of Yang wearing a T-shirt that had his name altered to say “Handsome & Young” went viral shortly after the draft. When asked about meeting the man himself, Nikola Jokić, on the court in the near future, Yang was as adorable as he was refreshingly honest.
“Picture? Signature, please?” Yang said through a translator, accompanied by a sheepish grin.
Some thought Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose grainy game footage from underattended Greek gyms didn’t exactly instill confidence, was drafted too high (No. 15 in 2013). Jokić was famously picked in the second round during a Taco Bell commercial. Other gambles, like Bruno “Two Years Away From Being Two Years Away” Caboclo — drafted 20th by the Raptors in 2014, didn’t work out as well.
But you can’t hit a home run without swinging the bat, and in this case the Blazers are hoping their massive hack results in the ideal combination of launch angle and exit velo.
No matter how Yang’s rookie season goes — he’ll likely begin the season behind Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III on Portland’s center depth chart — his development will be fascinating to monitor. And who knows, maybe in 10 years we’ll be talking about how the Blazers’ 3,000-foot dive to find a $20 billion treasure trove ended up paying off after all.
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