Yang Hansen's selection for the Rookie Game sparks heated debate! American journalist predicts a surge in viewership: questions arise over taking LeFleur's spot

On January 28th Beijing time, the NBA officially announced the roster for the Rookie Game yesterday, with Yang Hansen chosen for the Development League team, stirring much discussion. Portland reporter Mike Richman said on a podcast that the Rookie Game's ratings will definitely soar, but he believes one reason the impressive LeFleur was left out is because the spot was given to his teammate.

Richman stated: “Yang Hansen’s inclusion will surely boost the event’s viewership. However, if you had to pick one rookie from this year’s Portland Trail Blazers who is part of the Development League system, Caleb LeFleur is undoubtedly the rightful choice—after all, he’s on a two-way contract, effectively making him a Development League player, fully deserving that spot. While Hansen’s selection is welcome and will attract attention, frankly, his performance in the Development League hasn’t been outstanding, and his NBA court contributions are debatable. So, if anyone feels upset that Caleb LeFleur didn’t make it, the reason is clear—the Development League team slot should have been his but was given to his teammate instead.”

It must be said that Richman’s statement is unreasonable. First, Yang Hansen’s Development League performance has been quite solid: in 8 games, he averaged 17 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks, shooting 51.7% from the field, 28.6% from three, and 79.3% from the free-throw line. Second, LeFleur has zero Development League stats this season as he has already joined the Trail Blazers’ rotation, so selecting him for the Development League team would lack credibility. Therefore, the claim that Hansen took LeFleur’s spot is not justified.

Richman also mentioned that both the Rookie Challenge and the All-Star Game face the same issue—the competitiveness of the games is greatly diminished, and their attention pales compared to the All-Star main event. “Frankly, these games lack entertainment value. Still, congratulations to Hansen—no one can take away his experience participating in the Rookie Challenge. Finally, congrats to the Rookie Challenge itself; the ratings are bound to skyrocket now. Turning this game into a captivating TV spectacle is actually quite reasonable.”