Portland reporter: Yang Hansen is the bright spot in the Trail Blazers' loss; his progress matters far more than the outcome.

On January 28th Beijing time, Portland journalist Reese Kunz wrote that although the Trail Blazers narrowly lost to the Wizards, Yang Hansen was a major surprise in the defeat. Here is Kunz’s report—

The Portland Trail Blazers played away against the rebuilding Washington Wizards, and they were expected to win—particularly with Avdija back from injury. However, the team failed to help Avdija get revenge on his former team, ultimately losing 111-115. Still, amid this disappointing defeat, there was a bright spot: rookie Yang Hansen delivered the best performance of his young career, showing immense potential.

In this game, Yang Hansen’s plus-minus rating reached +11, the highest on the team.Even more impressive, he achieved this in just 12 minutes of playing time. Within this limited period, he played with increasing composure and confidence. This was also the first time in the entire gamewe truly felt that whenever Yang Hansen was on the court, the Trail Blazers’ overall performance improved noticeably.

Yang Hansen arguably had his best game of the season so far.In fact, we all hope coach Chauncey Billups will give him more minutes!

Klinger's plus-minus for the game was -17, the worst on the team. Wizards big man Sarr, with his rare combination of height, athleticism, and outside shooting, caused Klinger constant matchup problems throughout the game. By comparison, Yang Hansen’s short stint was far more efficient.If given more playing time, it would be interesting to see if he can maintain this momentum; it would surely be a positive development.Especially now, when the Trail Blazers need a fresh lineup and style to break through the deadlock.

In this game, Yang Hansen finally showed the promise that Trail Blazers fans had hoped for since the Summer League. His passing from the free throw line was very precise, repeatedly setting up teammates for cutting layups (one beautiful pass unfortunately missed by Love).

His stat line of 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist may not stand out at first glance, but the +11 plus-minus reveals his huge potential.Top-tier basketball IQ has always been Yang Hansen’s greatest strength, and now, we finally see him converting that talent into tangible impact on the court, contributing to the team’s chances of winning—this kind of contribution cannot be measured by stats alone.

At 20 years old and as a rookie, Yang Hansen still has a long and challenging learning curve to fully adapt to the NBA’s pace. But this game at least gave a glimpse of the role he might play for the team in the coming seasons.

From the perspective of the team’s long-term development, Yang Hansen’s progress in this game is far more significant than whether the Trail Blazers have won 23 or 24 games this season.The Western Conference is fiercely competitive, and every game’s result affects standings, but the Trail Blazers’ rebuilding ceiling is closely tied to the gamble they took in drafting Yang Hansen.

At the time of the draft, many believed this pick carried more risk than reward. However, judging the Trail Blazers’ management decision based on games like tonight’s is clearly premature.

A player’s growth path is never smooth, but as long as Yang Hansen continues to show such bright performances and occasionally flashes his talent, the Trail Blazers’ bold draft choice may ultimately prove to be a complete success.