Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Yang Hansen began Friday night by showing off the skills that influenced the franchise to target him during last month’s NBA draft.
Within four minutes of what became a 106-73 Blazers’ blowout victory over the Golden State Warriors, Yang delivered two exquisite passes in the 2025 NBA Summer League debut for both teams at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
The first came on a bounce pass from the three-point line to a crashing Sidy Cissoko for a dunk. The other, Yang whipped passed the head of a Warriors’ defender and into the hands of a cutting D.J. Carton for a layup.
Yang didn’t let up, ending his first summer league game with the Blazers with 10 points, five assists, four rebounds, three blocked shots and a steal while committing three turnovers.
“I think he played how some of us expected him to play,” Blazers assistant coach Ronnie Burrell told reporters. “He showed a lot of facets to his game. We know he’s very versatile and skilled. I just like the fact that he was having fun. He was loose and relaxed. He played tough and he made some amazing plays tonight.”
Yang wasn’t equally as impressed with his play.
“I have a lot to improve,” he told reporters through his translator Chris Liu.
The 16th pick in the draft, Yang shot 3 of 7 from the field and banked in a three-point field goal to go 1 of 3 from beyond the arc.
Yang displayed toughness and physicality inside while blocking shots and picking up six fouls. It takes 20 to foul out of a Summer League game.
“He was fearless,” Burrell said. “He didn’t have a problem with fouling early in the game, the physicality. He plays with a smile on his face, but he doesn’t back down from the contact, which I love. He’ll need that going forward.”
Yang said he tried to have fun.
“I enjoy winning more than losing,” he said with a laugh.
The Blazers were led by forward Rayan Rupert, a second-round pick in 2023, still trying to find his footing in the NBA. He led the Blazers with 23 points on 5-of-8 shooting and added nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. A large chunk of Rupert’s points came from making all 11 of his free-throw attempts.
Rookie guard Caleb Love, signed to a two-way contract after going undrafted, scored 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting and had six rebounds.
Love went 4 of 7 from three-point range, a good sign given that he shot just 32.6% from long distance during his college career at Arizona and North Carolina.
STARTERS
Burrell, who is leading the Blazers’ Summer League team, began the game with veteran James Bouknight, who finished with 11 points and four assists, and Love in the backcourt. Yang started at center. Rupert and Cissoko began the game at forward.
Burrell said he was happy with the pace his team played with and their ability to force 19 turnovers while racking up 26 assists.
“We played our style of basketball,” he told reporters. “We played fast, we played hard.”
GAME RECAP
The Blazers (1-0) jumped out to a 35-13 lead at the end of the first quarter after shooting 57.9% from the field and going 4 of 8 on threes. Rupert scored 12 points in the quarter.
The Warriors (0-1) played better in the second quarter, winning 27-19. But the Blazers essentially put the game away with a 27-12 third quarter to go up 80-52 entering the fourth quarter.
The Warriors shot just 32.9% from the field and 22.2% on threes. Will Richard and Jackson Rowe each had 12 points for Golden State.
Portland shot 48.6% from the field and 41.2% from long distance.
NEXT UP
The Blazers play the Memphis Grizzlies at 7 p.m. Saturday night.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)
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