NBA Draft: Hansen Yang Looks To Continue Climbing Draft Boards

Hansen Yang is a connecting interior force who, similar to former first-round selections, uses his size advantage to make a strong case for himself ahead of the 2025 NBA draft

Dec 4, 2022; Sacramento, California, USA; General view of a basketball on the court during the second quarter between the Sacramento Kings and the Chicago Bulls at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

With the 2025 NBA draft being considered very strong, a number of promising prospects have built strong cases for themselves, not only for their incoming freshman seasons but also overseas. One international prospect who has caught attention with his statistical impact is Chinese big man Hansen Yang.

Through his first six games in the Chinese Basketball Association this season, Yang has been consistently productive on both ends of the court and seems to be on pace for one of the more impressive seasons from an international big man draft prospect in recent memory. This article will take a closer look at how Yang could translate to the NBA and how his impressive play style stacks up against other first-round selections from recent drafts.

Yang is a massive interior force, standing at 7-foot-2 inches and weighing around 250 pounds. He has decent mobility for a player of his size and plays with a standout feel that not only helps him score the ball but also sets up easier looks for his teammates.

So far this season, Yang is averaging around 15 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Being this productive while serving as an offensive hub against professional-level players overseas stands out and has quickly built strong draft stock for him in his second year of professional play. He is clearly working on his long-range shooting ability, and while it is still a work in progress, his improved confidence in taking these shots is promising for his long-term potential.

Hansen Yang is so fun to watch. He is also 7'1. pic.twitter.com/QPWB6jX7hD

— g (@freewave3) October 18, 2024

Back-to-the-basket big men seem to be slowly fading out of NBA offenses, but we have seen that players who dominate this play style can still hold value. The most recent example of this can be found in Memphis rookie Zach Edey. Although he was not playing against professionals leading up to last year’s draft, he had similar averages and efficiency to Yang. Edey was selected with the ninth pick, suggesting that teams were not overly concerned with his questions but were more intrigued by his unique blend of size and skill. Yang is not quite as physically imposing as Edey, but he is not far behind. Considering his superior feel as a playmaker, Yang could rise up draft boards as the season progresses.

A former international standout who was a productive interior player with a similar play style is 2019 first-rounder Goga Bitadze. He has had an up-and-down NBA career but stood out in the Euroleague, averaging 12 points, six rebounds and just over two blocks per game in his 13 outings before his draft. While Yang and Bitadze have a size disparity, they play with a similar level of aggression and physicality. Bitadze drew attention with his apparent feel for the game, but Yang distinguishes himself in this area due to the results he achieves while playmaking. Both players have a similar level of mobility and Yang's two-inch advantage is a plus. While Bitadze worked his way into the top half of the first round, Yang could easily continue to surpass other players in this class and become one of the first international prospects selected. He may find himself in a more advantageous situation, allowing him to showcase his impact early in his NBA career.

The final former draft prospect who relied on interior scoring while showcasing playmaking skills leading up to his draft is Alperen Sengun. Sengun had a similar level of efficiency to Yang, and while he was more mobile, he was a considerably smaller prospect. Averaging 19 points, nine rebounds and just above two assists per game, Sengun was viewed as one of the better connective big men in the 2021 NBA draft. These two players produced similar stats at comparable levels of competition. While they have different play styles, Sengun was a bit more well-rounded on offense, whereas Yang has an undeniably larger defensive impact. Currently averaging over a block per game more than Sengun did overseas, Yang's two-way upside should be a major difference-maker in terms of where he is selected in the upcoming draft.

While Yang’s game is not flawless, the combination of his play style and size seems extremely promising. He may not fit the current mold of an NBA big man, but we have seen that outliers do exist and can still be placed in situations to succeed, as demonstrated by the comparisons made in this article.

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