Chinese rookie Yang Hansen gets on the scoreboard in NBA debut, but still faces an uphill task

Two points and a sobering “welcome to the NBA” moment — China’s star rookie Yang Hansen learned the magnitude of his task in the NBA in a hard, yet positive, way as his league debut sent both sides of the Pacific abuzz on Oct 22.

Four minutes and 47 seconds into the Portland Trail Blazers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Yang, Portland’s No 16 draft pick this summer, opened a new chapter in the history of Chinese basketball after stepping into the game as a substitute for starting center Donovan Clingan, to play in his first regular-season NBA game.

The highly anticipated moment, witnessed by hundreds of millions watching at home and those on their feet cheering at the Moda Center, saw Yang become the eighth Chinese player to appear in an NBA regular-season game since Wang Zhizhi became the first to do so in 2001 when he turned out for the Dallas Mavericks.

It did not take long for the 20-year-old Shandong province native to draw another round of applause, as he scored his first points in the NBA in the second quarter, from a pair of free throws. He eventually signed off from Portland’s 114-118 loss to Minnesota with two points, one rebound, and a foul from his five minutes on court.

Not that impressive a debut stats-wise, but Yang’s brief appearance itself speaks volumes.

After going without a Chinese player making any legitimate impact in the league since the retirement of legend Yao Ming more than a decade ago, the NBA — as much as the hoops community in China — is counting on Yang to grow awareness of the game and plant more seeds in the hearts of the next generation.

A bumpy start, maybe, but it remains a step forward, despite Yang’s limited role with his team at the moment. For now, every on-court second counts, good or bad, for the intriguing prospect to eventually deliver on his huge potential.

“That’s the moment I will probably remember forever,” Yang said in his post-match news conference of hearing his name called by head coach Chauncey Billups early in the first period.

“It’s a whole new experience, a new league, and definitely a new level of intensity. I will just try to figure out where I can still do better, and correct those things as soon as possible,” Yang said of his takeaways from his first game.

Given his already surging popularity among fans in Portland, Yang’s full Chinese name, which sounds similar to “Young Handsome” when pronounced in English, is expected to be among the most anticipated to be chanted at the Moda Center, where the MC introduced his position, jersey number, and name in Chinese during the team’s entry on Oct 22.

“It’s terrific, probably the first time I’ve felt such high energy since I came here,” Yang said of the crowd reaction to his appearance.

The feel-good moment, culminating in Yang making the two free throws, was followed by a jaw-dropping reality check, as Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels posterized Yang by slamming a monstrous dunk on his face midway through the second quarter, sending the Minnesota bench nuts.

A humbling welcome like this will serve the rookie well, McDaniels said.

“It feels good, but I don’t mean no harm. It’s just all about basketball, and I’ll see y’all next time,” McDaniels told Chinese broadcaster Tencent after the game.

A little bit of such “bullying” does help, with McDaniels’ throw-down further exposing Yang’s current weakness on the defensive end, where the physicality, intensity, and lightning-fast transition in NBA games are proving a little overwhelming for Yang at the moment.

The agile, 7-foot-1 (2.16-meter) center, who at his best draws comparisons to Denver Nuggets’ three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic for his all-around offensive game, seems to be struggling to meet the NBA’s demanding defensive requirements against modern bigs — such as being able to rebound well, protect the rim, while switching fast in rotation to cover unmarked attackers on the perimeter.

Having already learned this the hard way during preseason — where he had to foul 5.3 times per night across four games — Yang promised to continue working on his speed, strength, and conditioning and defensive awareness.

“Our vets played tough defense tonight. When I watch them play, I can learn a lot of details from them,” said the former Qingdao Eagles starting center.

“I should’ve had better positioning in defense. I will embrace the experience and improve. Everything is different from the CBA, from the summer league to the preseason, and now the regular season.

“I will take it one step at a time. On the court, or on the bench, I will be ready, cheering for my teammates and making each and every minute count toward improving.”

Yang’s former head coach with the Eagles, Liu Weiwei, gave a thumbs-up to the efforts of his young pupil, whose NBA aspirations were carefully nurtured by the CBA club since he was 15.

“I think he handled the high-stakes moment just fine,” said Liu, who was invited to Portland by Tencent as a guest commentator for Yang’s game.

“With all the attention focused on him, he didn’t appear nervous and scored his first points. I think it was a successful enough debut for a rookie, as far as a learning experience and an opportunity to understand his pros and cons in the NBA.

“He will have more chances to improve his game and prove his value. It takes time. There remains a gap between him and a competitive NBA player now, but that shows his huge potential as well.”

Pundits from the United States agreed, summing up Yang’s debut as more than a pass.

“He came in early, getting used to the speed and the physicality of the NBA games well. A nice rebound, getting to the free-throw line to score the points, I didn’t expect the first game to be a smooth one. That’s what happened with the rookie,” said Sean Highkin, a reporter with Portland’s Rip City Radio.

Contact the writers at sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn