Yang Hansen’s season-high came against Klingen.

As the All-Star Weekend began, many fans focused on the rookie game this year because Yang Hansen is set to be the third Chinese player to compete in the rookie game following Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.

In the opening game, Yang Hansen’s development league team played against Klingen’s Anthony team. At first, Yang Hansen was not a starter; the starting center was Clippers rookie Niedhauser. This was somewhat surprising given Yang Hansen’s strong performance in the development league.

However, Yang Hansen didn’t keep everyone waiting long. When the score was 9-14, he was subbed in. The game was played to a target score rather than time, with the first team to reach 40 points winning. Before Yang Hansen entered, Klingen was dominating, scoring 9 points out of the 14.

Yang Hansen showed no signs of nervousness; it was clear he was here to enjoy the rookie game without the usual pressure of regular-season playing time. His first shot was a three-pointer, and it went in, with Klingen guarding him.

Klingen was positioned inside the paint, while Yang Hansen stood outside the three-point line on the wing. A teammate drove and passed the ball out; Klingen made a token attempt to contest, but Yang Hansen’s smooth three-pointer went in. It’s evident Yang Hansen has a solid three-point foundation, as he practices extensively; otherwise, the Trail Blazers wouldn’t let him shoot so often.

But game conditions and training are completely different environments. Yang Hansen’s playing time is unstable; the more he misses three-pointers, the less time he might get, which increases his mental pressure. In a pressure-free game like today, he made his first shot right away.

Yang Hansen’s second basket came on a fast break after receiving a long pass from a teammate. He caught the ball, spun, made a layup, and drew a foul. He calmly sank the free throw, scoring 6 points straight away. Both physically and mentally, he was fully engaged. After the game, Yang said, “I was just playing for fun.”

Yang Hansen grew more relaxed as the game went on. His third basket was the most impressive of the game. Receiving the ball at the top of the arc, Klingen dared not give him space. Yang faked twice, making Klingen react, then drove in for a layup. During the move, Klingen fouled him, but Yang protected the ball well, and the referee did not call the obvious and-one.

Yang Hansen’s fourth basket showcased Coach Rivers’ tactical acumen. Niedhauser posted up low; after the guard passed to him, he quickly moved to the baseline to set a solid screen on Klingen, allowing Yang Hansen to get free. Yang received Niedhauser’s pass and used his height advantage to score with a hook shot.

Coach Rivers used a twin-tower lineup throughout the game. Since being subbed in at 9-14, Yang Hansen never left the court. The twin towers of Yang Hansen and Niedhauser worked very well, scoring 10 and 11 points respectively. Yang posed a threat from outside and near the basket, while Niedhauser dominated under the rim and executed tactics effectively.

The Trail Blazers had previously tried a twin-tower lineup with Yang Hansen and Lowry, but the results were mediocre, and it was abandoned after a few games. Yang only got rotation minutes when Lowry was absent, and even then, it was limited. Today, Coach Rivers demonstrated to the Blazers’ coaching staff how Yang Hansen could be used effectively; twin towers are not a dead end.

Although Yang Hansen’s team lost and did not reach the finals, his individual performance was nearly flawless. In 8 minutes, he shot 4 of 5, including 1 of 2 from three-point range, scoring 10 points and grabbing 2 rebounds—one point more than Klingen.

An interesting phenomenon this season is that many centers have scored high against Klingen, whose defense has been jokingly nicknamed by fans as “Old Klingen’s big stage, come if you dare.” Even today, Yang Hansen scored his career-high against Klingen, though it won’t be recorded in official career stats.

Although the rookie game is more for entertainment, every young player competes seriously. This kind of match is very valuable for Yang Hansen’s development and, more importantly, for building confidence.

As always, Yang Hansen certainly has various issues, but he is definitely not as bad as some extreme fans claim. In a postgame interview, Yang said his stamina and mobility have improved significantly, but there is still room for progress in finishing and technique.

Hopefully, this game will help the Trail Blazers recognize more of Yang Hansen’s strengths, allowing him to earn more playing time in the remainder of the rookie season.