The Portland Trail Blazers shocked much of the basketball world during Wednesday night’s NBA draft by trading back from the No. 11 pick to select center Yang Hansen out of China at No. 16.
Count Yang among those surprised.
“I was expecting to be selected at the end of the first round,” Yang told reporters at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, site of the draft. “So, this is definitely a big surprise for me to be selected in the middle of the first round.”
But the 7-foot-1 Yang wasn’t surprised that the Blazers picked him.
“The Blazers had scouts scouting me in China the last couple of years,” Yang said. “I also had a pre-workout with them last month. Everything went very well and I got along with all of the front-office people. But at the end of the day, this is sort of beyond my wildest imagination.”
NBA draft picks usually hold video conference calls with the media covering their new team. However, Yang was not made available in part because he uses a translator during interviews.
The Blazers will introduce Yang at their Tualatin practice facility on Friday.
Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said following the draft that the Blazers began scouting Yang in the fall of 2023 and entered the draft targeting him from the start.
Most mock drafts projected Yang to be available in the second round. But Cronin was only willing to trade back five spots to avoid losing out on the talented big.
“He’s a very capable player,” Cronin said. “His skillset is very, very advanced for his age. His physical stature, he’s mature physically already. He’s not a young, gangly guy. He’s strong and firm and sturdy and can withstand the strength of these NBA guys to a large extent.”
Cronin also pointed to Yang’s basketball smarts.
“His basketball IQ is very, very high, and he makes others better,” Cronin said. “And that’s what we’re trying to do here, is find guys that help supplement and build each other up. And it’s something that he thrives at.”
The Blazers used the No. 11 pick to draft Washington State wing Cedric Coward, then traded his rights to Memphis for the No. 16 pick, a future first-round pick via Orlando and second-round picks in 2027 and 2028.
The second round of the draft will be held on Thursday, but the Blazers have no further selections.
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)