One step before the milestone, one step forward on the road to growth

Reporter Feng Zihan reported

On November 24, the NBA regular season Trail Blazers lost to the Thunder 95:122 away from home. Although this was a disastrous defeat for the Trail Blazers, for the Chinese player Yang Hansen who played for this team, he officially ushered in a "milestone" in his NBA career: his playing time and number of shots hit a personal high, he officially opened his three-point scoring account, and his career total score reached 28 points.

In this game, the Thunder came for revenge. The only defeat the defending champion suffered since the beginning of this season was to the Trail Blazers. Facing the Thunder's offensive, the Trail Blazers were a little overwhelmed. Starting center Klingen was in foul trouble early, Dupu Reese was in poor condition, and Lowe was directly exempted from the game.

Under such circumstances, Trail Blazers coach Split hired Yang Hansen. Shortly after debuting in the second quarter, Young hit his first three-pointer in his NBA career in front of Thunder center Hartenstein. As the Thunder widened the point difference and the game lost suspense early, Yang Hansen got more time on the court. He played the entire fourth quarter, and also contributed to the wonderful scene of beating Hartenstein to create a "2+1" and alley-oop dunk.

In the entire game, Yang Hansen played 17 minutes and 12 seconds, scoring 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. This data almost caught up with the total of the first 5 games of his NBA career; the 11 shots he took ranked third in the team, which reflects his confidence.

Prior to this, Yang Hansen had been sent to the G League to play two games and gained quite good data. This experience allowed him to more fully integrate into the game environment. Previously, Split revealed that Yang Hansen has more communication with his teammates on the court and is more active in the locker room. In this game, when there was a conflict between players on the field, Yang Hansen immediately stepped forward to intervene. This was also a new experience in his career.

"It's good for him to be able to go on the field and compete against a very good team and feel the intensity of the game. And he feels more comfortable holding the ball. I think we haven't seen all his talents in passing and other aspects." After the game, Split said of Yang Hansen. Obviously, the coach has great expectations for the Chinese guy.

It should be noted that Yang Hansen's contribution in the data column is not an efficient and stable performance in the stalemate stage of the game. In addition, playing for a long time exposed his shortcomings in physical reserves: he only made 2 of 8 shots in the final quarter and 0 of 5 three-pointers. On the defensive end, due to his poor defensive habits, he did not dare to attack the outside for three-pointers, otherwise he would be easily broken through by his opponent.

However, these growing pains are the only way for young players to go through. From struggling at the beginning of the season, to being transferred to the G League for training, and then returning to the NBA, Yang Hansen is adapting and learning every step of the way. With the accumulation of experience and targeted training, he will gradually break through the "bottleneck" and show his value at more important game moments.