US media questioned Yang Hansen s performance, interviewed with tricky problems, and the head coach directly criticized him

When Chinese star Yang Hansen was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 16th pick in the first round at the 2025 NBA Draft, while Chinese fans were celebrating, the US media was in an uproar.

The American media, including ESPN, recognize Yang Hansen's ability and potential, but many people believe that Yang Hansen's draft results do not match his immediate combat power and ranking, and doubts followed.

Now, with Yang Hansen training with the Trail Blazers, his performance in training has become the focus. In the face of difficulties caused by US media, the Trail Blazers coaching staff and teammates choose to support this Chinese big man. After the first day of training, the questions from the American media were obviously tentative. "When you complete a beautiful pass, a perfect pick-and-roll, or a down-scoring score, which performance will make you most satisfied?" This question seems ordinary, but it actually has a secret. The deeper meaning is that Yang Hansen is not a player with comprehensive abilities.

In the basketball world, beautiful data has never been the ultimate answer, and victory is the touchstone of player value. Yang Hansen, who has high IQ and high-ball quotient, obviously did not fall into the trap dug by the media, but responded calmly: "The most important thing is the team's victory."

If the interview with Yang Hansen on the first day of training was a "soft doubt", then the training interview the next day was directly upgraded to a "head-on-head confrontation".

When the American media faced the Trail Blazers Summer League head coach Ronnie Brell, he directly threw out "Is Yang Hansen's performance better today than yesterday?", the head coach who was originally facing the reporter turned his head and turned his head, with a bit of offended seriousness in his tone: "Yes, he is indeed better today. But his performance yesterday was not bad at all - he is just going further in the right direction."

Brell's "hard attack" was not emotional venting, but based on his arrangement of training content and on-site observation. "We have added more tactical details in today's training, different terms and more complex cooperation. He learned very quickly, completely exceeding expectations."

"He has a more and more tacit understanding with his teammates. You can really see from the training. I said yesterday that we must say it again today. He learned very quickly, his learning ability is particularly strong, you will see that Yang Hansen will perform completely differently in the beginning and ending stages of the summer league, because he is becoming more and more adaptable to the rhythm of the game. He really performed well."

Not only did the coach support him, new player Caleb Love also praised Yang Hansen in the interview. When asked about his first impression of Yang Hansen, he said, "Oh my God! He is great! Although there are language communication problems, his basketball IQ is very high, his footsteps, feel and passes are excellent, and it is easy to play with him." Love even affectionately called him "brother", which shows the team's recognition of him.

Compared with the basic training on the first day, the training intensity on the second day was significantly improved, and the confrontation and tactical cooperation links were added. Yang Hansen also practiced three-pointers. From coach to teammates, to his own efforts, Yang Hansen is responding to questions with practical actions.

When the curtain of the summer league is about to open, Yang Hansen's "provement battle" has entered the countdown. From the "unexpected selection" on draft night to the current use of training performance to respond to doubts, he interprets with his actions: the value on the basketball court has never been defined by the ranking, but the progress in every run, every pass, and every confrontation.

As Brell said, "He learns very quickly, and you will see his progress." For all doubters, perhaps the most powerful response is hidden in the upcoming summer league field - when Yang Hansen put on the Trail Blazers' gown and told everyone with his actions: the performance of the Chinese star in the No. 16 show is worth looking forward to.