Portland Trail Blazers’ draft pick Yang Hansen has already dazzled the Summer League with his flashy passes and creative offense, and it’s a sign of things to come.
With the 16th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Chinese standout Yang Hansen. While Yang has the size and footwork to be a decent NBA center, most mock drafts had him going in the second round.
Portland, however, identified their guy, and through two Summer League games, he has shown his handle, an array of passes, and decent defense.
Dubbed “the Chinese Jokic,” Yang is just the first of a new crop of big men who grew up watching Nikola Jokic.
In the early 2000s, NBA scouts were looking for the next Shaquille O’Neal, someone who could use their size to dominate in the paint. In the 2010s and into the 2020s, as the 3-point shot took over, players who could space the floor became popular, regardless of position.
In the 2020s, thanks to Nikola Jokic, the league is now centered on creativity and creating easy baskets for yourself and your teammates, and the center position has become a passing hub, with players like Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren excelling at facilitating.
Holmgren and Wembanyama, however, are simply better at other things, like their defense. Jokic is a true pass-first center, and his three MVPs speak for themselves.
Much like how Stephen Curry changed the point guard position, Jokic is doing the same for the center.
Yang was 14 years old when Jokic made his first All-Star team, and is just the first of a new generation who grew up watching him.
“He’s like one of the first generation of big men who grew up idolizing Nikola Jokic,” said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on The Hoops Collective podcast.
“If you watch him play, like you can tell, he has studied how Jokic plays, wants to play out of the high post, made some crazy passes.”
Rookies these days don’t remember the power of prime Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, and Andre Drummond.
They’ve seen the defensive prowess of Rudy Gobert and the ballhandling of Jokic, and a new brand of center is expected to take over the league.
In 2016, Jokic’s first year in the league, the All-NBA centers were Jordan, DeMarcus Cousins, and Andre Drummond. They averaged 1.8 assists per game, and Cousins’ 3.3 dimes were considered significantly high.
In 2025, the All-NBA centers (Jokic, Evan Mobley, Karl-Anthony Towns) averaged 5.5 assists per game.
That increase is entirely thanks to Jokic, who is not an elite defender or dominant physical force, although he manages to stuff the stat sheet thanks to savvy play.
Shaq and Dwight Howard can be thanked for the high-fliers that made the 2010s so exciting, and Jokic is responsible for the pass-first revolution that is just getting started.
Yang might be the first true Jokic disciple, similar to how Trae Young followed Stephen Curry, but he won’t be the last, and likely won’t be the best.
