Klingner and Lowry are both out! Yang Hansheng makes his first NBA career start: set to match up against Zeke Eddy.

On December 8th Beijing time, prior to the Trail Blazers facing the Grizzlies, the official injury report revealed that Klingner and Lowry were both sidelined with injuries. Subsequently, the Trail Blazers’ starting lineup was announced, featuring Yang Hansheng, who had just been called up from the G League, as the starting center. He will go head-to-head with the Grizzlies’ starting center, Zeke Eddy. It’s worth mentioning this is Yang Hansheng’s first time starting in his NBA career. The other four starters are Sisoko, Avdiya, Grant, and Kamara.

According to earlier reports, Yang Hansheng traveled through three cities in five days, covering nearly 7,000 kilometers by plane! After the Trail Blazers lost to the Cavaliers on the road on the 4th, he was assigned to the G League. He flew about 3,800 kilometers from Cleveland back to Portland and participated in a G League game on the 5th. On the 6th, the Trail Blazers officially announced his recall, and he flew another 3,200 kilometers to Memphis to take part in today’s game against the Grizzlies.

The Trail Blazers recalled Yang Hansheng from the G League because the team urgently needed available rotation players, with both Klingner and Lowry injured. With both main centers out, this also provides Yang Hansheng a valuable opportunity to showcase his skills and progress.

In his last game with the G League team, Yang Hansheng played 35 minutes, shooting 7 of 14 from the field, including 2 of 6 from three-point range, and made 3 of 4 free throws, finishing with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Upon learning of his recall, he immediately headed to the arena to practice shooting.

Earlier, when discussing this game, Eddy said: "What I’m most looking forward to is seeing how he (Hansheng) performs on the court. I’ve been following him since the Summer League. Yang Hansheng can do a lot on the court, and he does it well. Of course, he’s still young and needs some time to adjust to the pace. But it’s really special to see another Asian player on the court. I used to be almost the only one. Now, when I look over during defense and see someone with the same background as me next to me, it feels a bit unusual but also really cool.”