US Media: Trail Blazers' Selection of Yang Hansen is Low-Risk, High-Reward; Clingan's Safe Floor is the Best Insurance

On February 27, Beijing time, Portland media RipCityProject published an article mentioning Yang Hansen and Donovan Clingan. The outlet pointed out that the Trail Blazers' choice of Yang Hansen is actually a low-risk, high-reward move, while Clingan's "safe floor" provides the team with the best insurance. The details are as follows—

In the 2025 NBA Draft, the Trail Blazers used their first-round 16th pick to take a chance on Yang Hansen, which can be considered a bold gamble. Although his rookie season performance was unremarkable, it is still too early to label him a "draft bust." At just 20 years old, Hansen deserves more patience and time within the Trail Blazers' multi-year rebuilding plan.

Whether this draft pick ultimately succeeds remains to be seen. However, in the meantime, the Trail Blazers' starting center position is now completely secure—all thanks to Clingan's breakout performance in his second season.

Clingan's "safe floor" is the Trail Blazers' best insurance. Building on his impressive All-Rookie Team season, Clingan has continued to evolve, showing improvement in key areas like conditioning and three-point shooting. Coupled with a larger role following Deandre Ayton's buyout and departure, he is now delivering on the value of the Trail Blazers' draft investment from the previous year.

The Trail Blazers' front office has faced heavy criticism for selecting Hansen. It is widely viewed as a significant reach—Hansen was generally projected as a second-round pick, and the Blazers already had Clingan firmly established at center.

Using two consecutive first-round picks on the center position was already questionable, especially since both players lack the lateral quickness to play power forward in today's NBA.

In just one season, Clingan has already proven himself as a starting-caliber center, with all his strengths from UConn translating perfectly to the NBA. His physical tools and interior dominance make him one of the players with the safest floor from the 2024 draft class.

But it is precisely this "security" that, in turn, gives the Trail Blazers the confidence to gamble on Hansen.

Hansen's career trajectory will most likely fall somewhere between "bust" and "steal." However, compared to other rookies, Hansen's potential outcomes are more polarized—he could either become a standout success or a complete miss.

Clingan's safe floor provides the Trail Blazers with much-needed insurance—even if Hansen truly turns out to be a bust, the team's rebuild won't suffer a major setback. Moreover, they also acquired a future first-round pick (2028, from Orlando) in a draft-day trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Conversely, if this unconventional selection pays off, it could directly elevate the ceiling of the entire Trail Blazers roster and fundamentally alter the team's rebuilding trajectory.

Hansen himself appears to be a high-risk, high-reward selection. But for the Trail Blazers, due to their roster structure, the risk is actually significantly reduced.No matter how Hansen performs, the foundation of their rebuild remains solid—and this is largely because Clingan is already performing at a high level.

The Trail Blazers should still add frontcourt depth in the offseason, but that won't overshadow the quality of their existing interior lineup.

Clingan's stable floor and underrated ceiling, combined with the low-risk, high-reward gamble on Hansen, allow the Trail Blazers to achieve a near-perfect balance between future potential and a secure safety net.