Zach Harper of The Athletic placed Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Yang Hansen 25th in his NBA center rankings:
Yes, I’m already buying the Hansen hype. No, I don’t care if it takes a little bit for him to realize it. I’m going all in, and I believe he’s a top-25 big man right away with his skill and size.
Absent from Harper’s rankings was Blazers second-year center Donovan Clingan.
Hansen, the only rookie on the list, was also slotted above former Blazers center Deandre Ayton (30th). Topping Harper’s rankings was Nikola Jokic, followed by Victor Wembanyama, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Bam Adebayo at second through fifth, respectively.
Hansen averaged averaged 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game in his four summer league appearances this year.
Clingan - who recently appeared at 5th on Sam Vecenie’s redraft of the 2024 NBA rookie class - averaged 6.5 points, 7.9 boards, and 1.6 blocks per game in 19.8 minutes per game in his rookie campaign, and was selected to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team.