This game might actually represent the typical experience for Yang Hansen in his rookie season.

The preseason finale against the Jazz was quite a tough final exam for Yang Hansen during this preseason period.

Yang Hansen came in at 8:10 of the first quarter. Observing these preseason games, the Trail Blazers’ first-quarter center rotation is basically Klingenberg starting for four to five minutes, then Yang Hansen playing about five minutes, and Klingenberg closing the quarter.

Therefore, Yang Hansen faced the opponent’s starting frontcourt duo, which today consisted of Kessler and Lauri Markkanen—one tall, one accurate; one strong, one quick. No matter who Yang faced, it was tough. In the first quarter, while helping on defense, Yang was dunked on once by each of them.

On offense, Yang Hansen tried to post up Kessler once but couldn’t overpower him, which is understandable since Kessler is a center long coveted by the Lakers. But then Yang showed his strength by pulling out and hitting a three-pointer over Kessler, making his first three-point attempt.

That was also Yang Hansen’s only shot in the first half, as offensive opportunities were limited. The coaching staff mostly had him catching the ball in the low post, where he clearly struggled to play comfortably.

Yang faced a strong frontcourt today: starters Kessler and Markkanen, with Philly and Nurkic coming off the bench, providing plenty of physicality. In the third quarter, Yang finally got a chance to post up Nurkic one-on-one, but after pushing twice without success, he lost the ball on a turnover.

At the draft, Yang Hansen weighed about 118 kilograms and has since undergone muscle-building training, reaching around 122 kilograms recently—an increase of about four kilos. But Nurkic, who he matched up against, weighs 132 kilograms, the second heaviest in the league. Most players can’t physically handle him, let alone rookie Yang.

In the third quarter, Yang also committed a needless reach-in foul, giving Nurkic free throws and two points. He had four fouls in three quarters, all unnecessary and avoidable. Early in the fourth quarter, he quickly picked up a screen foul and a rebound foul, reaching six fouls and fouling out very fast.

The foul trouble today was the worst Yang Hansen has had since the preseason began. Similar to the first game against the Warriors, Coach Billups wanted to give Yang more time in the fourth quarter, but he fouled out at lightning speed, which was unfortunate.

Of the six fouls, one was an unnecessary reach-in, two were offensive fouls, and three were fouls on rebounds. He didn’t commit a single proper defensive foul. No coach likes seeing a player on their team foul this frequently during a game.

One rebound foul involved Yang slapping Filipovski’s face. From the slow-motion replay, that slap was clearly inappropriate for a rebound contest—ultimately a matter of playing habits.

In the fourth quarter against Bamba, Yang committed his sixth foul. Honestly, if Yang Hansen still commits unnecessary fouls against a center of Bamba’s caliber, his learning curve will remain very long. He needs to learn when to fight for the ball, when to hold back, how to read referees’ calls, and control his fouls—there’s a lot to improve.

The Jazz may not be highly competitive, but their frontcourt depth is among the best in the league. Yang faced all five of their frontcourt players today and lost most matchups, playing poorly and looking frustrated. In 15 minutes on the floor, aside from that three-pointer highlight, the rest of his performance was rough, with six fouls and three turnovers.

The Trail Blazers’ rotation plan for Yang Hansen currently requires him to face both the opponent’s starting and backup frontcourt players, experiencing various types of centers and the different physical demands they bring. Today was a tough but valuable lesson.

At the same time, this game’s content might well become the norm for Yang Hansen in the early part of his rookie season. We should prepare mentally for some regular season games where Yang might struggle and hit the rookie wall early.

All we can do is remain patient and continue to support our player.