Team Report: Yang Hansen's Assignment to the G League Will Boost His Conditioning and Skill Development; The Remix Team Plays Even Faster Than the Trail Blazers

On November 15th Beijing time, Yang Hansen will make his first appearance in the G League. Prior to the game, team reporter Mike Richman spoke about Yang on his podcast, addressing the importance of his G League experience and his situation upon returning to the Trail Blazers. Below is the relevant podcast content—

Yang Hansen has not played in six consecutive games and has had no playing time throughout November. His last appearance dates back to October 29th (local time, same hereafter). Early in the season, he only saw sporadic minutes in the first half, usually 3 to 4 minutes and never exceeding 6 minutes, with almost no playing time in the second half.In his early-season appearances, he never logged double-digit minutes; his highest playing time was about 8 minutes, marking him as a pure fringe rotation player..

Although the Trail Blazers’ management and former coach Billups (who is still nominally the head coach) stated before the season that Yang would be an important part of the team’s plans and ready for immediate play, the reality has clearly been different—this might reflect a communication lapse within the team.

Yang struggled somewhat during both the preseason and regular season. For a team aiming for the playoffs, it’s unrealistic to grant a young player still adjusting consistent minutes. After all, he just turned 20 and is undergoing a significant transition from the CBA to the NBA’s high-intensity competition, and his on-court performance confirms he is not yet fully prepared.

However, young players ultimately need game experience to grow. For teams without playoff ambitions, rookies should receive more playing time (for example, the Brooklyn Nets, who picked five rookies but barely played them, which is quite puzzling). The Trail Blazers currently have clear playoff goals, and as some Western Conference teams (like the Grizzlies and Clippers) have faltered, their path to the playoffs has become clearer. Therefore, the team prefers to allocate rotation minutes to more immediately effective players like Robert Williams, while also rewarding Duup Reese with increased playing time based on performance.

To provide Yang with necessary real-game experience, the Trail Blazers officially announced his assignment to the Rip City Remix, their G League affiliate — previously, he had only briefly joined the G League for training. He is scheduled to play two away games: against the Valley Suns (Phoenix Suns’ G League team) and the South Bay Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers’ G League team).After these games, he will return to the Trail Blazers on Monday following their Dallas road trip (Sunday’s game vs. the Mavericks). The team hosts the Suns on Tuesday, where Yang is expected to appear in the new PDX carpet-patterned warm-up gear, though he will likely not be on the active game roster.

As I predicted earlier this week on the show,the G League is the ideal environment for Yang at this stage. The Rip City Remix play at an extremely fast pace, even faster than the Trail Blazers themselves, who are known for their quick transition style. This will help him build stamina and adapt to the NBA-level pace of offense and defense. Additionally, he needs to improve his physicality and explore effective scoring methods suitable for the NBA.

Certainly, the level of competition in the G League can’t compare to the NBA—he won’t face interior players of the caliber of Sabonis, and even Yabusele, whom he matched up against in preseason, is far stronger than most G League centers. But for Yang, who has been out of action for a while, the value of live game experience is irreplaceable. After being sidelined on the bench by coaches (DNP, did not play) for two consecutive weeks,he urgently needs to gain experience through actual games, not just training and watching film..

Originally, the team planned to send him back to the G League during a stretch of five consecutive home games in December, but management decided not to wait any longer—since he struggles to get minutes when the roster is healthy and has now basically adapted to the NBA’s professional rhythm and lifestyle, this is the best time to facilitate his growth through real competition. This move is likely a win-win: the Trail Blazers fully utilize the G League’s resources to provide playing time that the NBA cannot offer;Yang can build confidence and refine offensive skills in live games, such as improving movement efficiency, perfecting post hook shots, and mastering pick-and-roll finishes..