Yang Hansen's Preseason in Four Games: Team-High Minutes and 13 Points Against London; Coach Nori Praises His Passing
Portland, October 16 — The Portland Trail Blazers closed their 2026-27 NBA preseason in San Francisco with Chinese center Yang Hansen appearing in all four games as Portland went 3-1. In the finale on October 16 at Chase Center, the Trail Blazers lost 128-118 to the Golden State Warriors. Yang came off the bench for 20 minutes 22 seconds, scoring six points on 3-of-4 shooting with seven rebounds and two assists; the seven rebounds were his single-game high of the preseason.
Game by game: in the October 7 opener at Moda Center in Portland, a 123-118 win over Golden State, Yang sat the first three quarters and played the entire fourth, finishing with six points, two rebounds, four assists and one steal without committing a foul in 12 minutes. On October 12, Portland routed the visiting London Lions of England 119-66; Yang played a team-high 21 minutes 28 seconds, scoring 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting with four rebounds and four assists. On October 13, in a 110-98 road win over the Sacramento Kings, he had four points, six rebounds and one assist in 12 minutes.
According to Sports Illustrated, head coach Micah Nori said after the London game: "The one thing he can do, he's a hub, as far as he's a very good passer. You see that, you see his touch. … I'm fine with Hansen. I think that he's really competing. … I like the way he's progressing." RotoWire noted that with Donovan Clingan and others ahead of him in the frontcourt rotation, Yang still has to compete for regular-season minutes.
Yang, born in Zibo, Shandong, in 2005, joined Portland after being selected 16th overall in the 2025 NBA draft. He appeared in 43 games last season, averaging 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds in about seven minutes a game. Portland opens the regular season at home against the Phoenix Suns on October 21. (GSM, based on Sports Illustrated reporting and Sportradar game data)
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Photo: 图：波特兰开拓者主场摩达中心（Moda Center，资料照片、示意图；经核Wikimedia Commons暂无杨瀚森本人开放授权照片）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 3.0）。Photo: Moda Center in Portland, home of the Trail Blazers (file photo; no openly licensed photo of Yang Hansen was available on Wikimedia Commons). Source: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
