How The Chinese Jokic Became The Worst Player In The NBA

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]The Chinese Jokic seemed to grab the whole NBA world by the nutsack last year, and it's pretty clear why. Here was this 19-year-old dropping double doubles against grown men, hitting jumpers, and throwing passes that barely made sense. When the Grizzlies took a guy projected to go 35th with the 16th overall pick, people weren't asking why Memphis reached. They were asking how 15 teams let him fall. But today, the Chinese Joic might be the worst player in the NBA. From shooting numbers that look like tour dates to turnovers that made him look like the furthest thing from Joic, what the hell happened to Yang Hansen? This kid was destined to be the next coming of Yao Ming. Fresh off two impressive seasons over in the CBA where he led the entire league in total blocks and in top 10 for rebounding. But starting out, he would absolutely dominate as an 18-year-old in a league full of grown ass men. Playing for the Quing Dao Eagles his rookie year in 2023. He would show just everyone that there were flashes of some skill to go along with his massive height, averaging 15, 11, and two blocks a game in 33 minutes played throughout 51 games. And not to mention what might be his most unique skill in his playmaking as he dropped 40 cents a game. The older he got, the higher he climbed in the CBA as he followed up being just as dominant with 17, 10 12, and three along with nearly three blocks and a steal per game, proving his defensive dominance, winning the CBA defensive player of the year that season. Now, when you hear of a 719-year-old putting up these numbers in his country's professional league with his back-to-back all-stars and that defensive player of the year trophy, obviously the league was going to notice enough to get his draft stock rising and scouts and GMs so curious on how this kid could turn out. Literally wondering if he's going to be a baby Yao or maybe a Nicole Joic with a little defense or maybe it's just a Chinese wet dream.

[00:01:55]Clearly, there were concerns, but nothing unusual for someone his size and age, and typically stuff that could easily improve with proper NBA level training along with some dedication on his part. First things first, he's not as quick on his feet as you'd like out of a big nowadays. This may not have been the biggest deal even in the 2010s, but today with how fast-paced the game is, and especially how physically intensive today's defensive schemes are, you better be a damn good tree in the lane if you're not able to slide, which luckily Yang sure as hell was. But Yang at his height also had incredible vision, which was certainly one of the factors to his game that turned him from dime a dozen big guy to what the hell is the CCP feeding this kid? Now scouts are more intrigued with secondary playmakers now than ever before. Of course, you have Joic redefining what a center can be on the courts. And then you got to Mont Sabonis who added playmaking to his game, making him one of the more underrated bigs today. And even Shenun showing that you don't have to be the quickest on your feet, but quick with their decision-making to be an effective offensive player. Out of position playmakers, we'll call them, is certainly a rising trend that we're seeing more and more of. And likely what the root of that trend is is the death of the traditional point guard and the rescrambling of positions altogether.

[00:03:10]What once was one through five positional checklist has now turned into something much different. Maybe you need two ball handlers regardless of size.

[00:03:19]Maybe you need one rim protector and a guy who guarantees you don't get destroyed on the glass. Maybe you need four shooters and two guys who can dribble, drive, or penetrate. I say maybe because these unwritten team building rules seem to change by the day. But regardless, when you see a player that checks off close to all these boxes, you better get your passport poured out. Yangler showing flashes of that same unique archetype of big man, but with the added factor of elite rim protection as well. When you look at Jokic and Sabonis and Shenun, they're all nearly built the same way.

[00:03:50]Not too fast, not overly athletic, and none are elite rim protectors. They all dominate the center position in their own style. Shenun can't jump over a sheet of paper. Neither can Joic or Sabonis, but they all dominate the glass on a nightly basis just due to efforts, IQ, and positioning. They aren't lobb threats or rocking the rim with shackle level dominance. They use footwork and control of pace to either create for themselves or use their height and positioning to find open teammates on the cuts or on the perimeter. These guys have shown how valuable having a center with this type of skill set could be, which only made Yang 10 times more interesting to scouts. I know that Shenun and Sabonis certainly leave a bit to be desired, but what that is certainly isn't anything to do with their playmaking ability. That's the reason we talk about them in the first place. And to add in a jump shot and the ability to block shots at a threatening level, and that should scare the [ __ ] out of you. Sabonis at 610 and Little Vert can do a good job to help alter shots in the paint. Same with Jokic and Shangun as well. I mean, these three guys as centers struggle to average a block a game, but that doesn't necessarily make them defensive liabilities 100% of the time, but having a center who consistently scares the [ __ ] out of offenses whenever they try to get anything going in the paints is just always nice to have in the back of your pocket. So, when you see Yang with nearly three blocks a game and showing above average vision at his position, you can see the vision that some scouts were conjuring up. While his higher level of rim protection compared to Joic, Shangun, and Sabonis can be a plus, scouts still had doubts about his game. As while he was showing consistency defensively, he was also showing consistency in his turnovers per game as well. And it was a bit out of hand because you guys remember when I said Yang led the entire CBA in blocks?

[00:05:38]Yeah. Well, he also led the entire league in turnovers as a center. Something that can definitely be concerning is there's a clear vulnerability in his offensive game. He has little control over his handle in the post, which he definitely needs to improve if he wants to face NBA level defenses. And while he does have the playmaking vision and shows flashes of that passing IQ, sometimes it can get a bit much. Nothing that's too uncommon from young guys, but it is a crystal clear weakness in his game, the Achilles heel that scouts certainly took notice in. It changed the outlook on Yang as a clear-cut NBA prospect to more of a high-risk high reward gamble. Just a tad bit of foreshadowing here. With all this in mind, Yang Hansen declared for the NBA draft. All the noise obviously surrounding Coupe and how he was going first to the Mavs with some buzz around Harper going with WBY and the crew over in San Antonio. Yang Hansen was more so the gimmick guy of the draft. Mockdrafts had him as a second rounder heading in even after some solid performances in the draft combine 5v5 where he had 11 points and six boards with six assists and a block. His draft stock would rise, but he was still just labeled as a late firstrounder to early second. Nothing really more than that. Scouts were certainly impressed with his vision.

[00:06:57]They were impressed with his touch around the basket, but they all had the same concerns with his mobility at the highest level. Heading into the draft, he was essentially looked at as, like I mentioned before, a high-risk, highreward, more of a working project that had extreme upside, but only with patience and proper development for the right team that had the time to give to him. Still, with no certainty that he was going to go in the first round, he showed up draft night, waiting patiently in the crowd with his family, hoping and praying that he'd hear his name called to the stage. and he heard it called way before he imagined I bet as with the 16th pick in the 2025 NBA draft. The Memphis Grizzlies took the CBA standout as he made his way from the upper stands past the tables of lottery picks and bigname prospects to shake Silver's hands. His dream was now in fruition.

[00:07:49]But there's more to that draft night's story as I bet some of you guys were like, "The [ __ ] Memphis?" And yeah, I mean, I couldn't blame you if you forgot, but there was a trade that night that would actually send Cedric Coward, who Portland took with the 11th pick, to Memphis for Yang at 16. So, even though Yang was handed that Grizzlies hat by Adam Silver, it was known that he was being sent to Portland for Cedric.

[00:08:12]Another little foreshadow, but I bet Memphis is thanking the basketballs for it. While it's definitely earlier than expected, people didn't really make that much of a fuss about it as Yang did look promising after the solid combine he had. And eventually when it came to the NBA summer league in the beginning of July, it was the first test for these guys to prove themselves to their new organizations on a bigger stage. Yang took full advantage of that with his debut for the Blazers that summer against the Warriors where they blew their backs out at 106 and 73. He would put up 10 points, four boards, five dimes, and impressive three blocks with a steel, even showing the ability to expand his range a bit. may have also had three turnovers and fouled outs, but still impressive with the plus 19 plus minus, but just proving that he needs the experience on the floor to get more comfortable with the ball in his hands.

[00:09:02]Following the next night against the Grizzlies with a similar statline of 10 points, five boards, three assists, and a block in the 10-point loss, but the real eye popper still being those turnover numbers with five that night.

[00:09:15]It's becoming a bit of a trend now, and at this point, he's being pointed out for it. Although he was gaining some fame with some of his interviews and some highlights of his slick assists and overall vision as a seven-footer, real ones knew the turnover to assist ratio was a real problem if you're running any sort of offense through this guy.

[00:09:32]Something he so desperately would have to tighten up if he ever wanted a real chance to get minutes in the NBA. A coach could live with a couple turnovers from a rookie. I mean, it's only natural for a rook to have to take some time to acclimate to the NBA defensive pressure and just overall feel the game. But three to five turnovers nightly from your big guy can be the literal difference maker in a game. And that's not something coaches are going to want to risk. And with two other similar performances, it was getting clear that he did have some talent for sure, but he was going to be a work in progress. But still, he was showing glimpses of his talent, getting attention from around social media. People had their eyes on Yang Hansen now. Even if he wasn't that known beforehand, he was now known across the league. And it was honestly fair to say he was one of the more talked about prospects throughout the summer. Obviously not glazed like Kubra was and still is, but he was making a name for himself nonetheless. Like Channing Tatum's Gambit and Deadpool and Wolverine. I bet Yang never imagined he'd ever get to that point. Looking back coming from China to America and becoming a 16th pick and seeing yourself on ESPN in NBA's Instagram, it's crazy.

[00:10:40]But the summer league is just the beginning. Just a little teaser for what the big league is like. Yang was doing well, but a key rotation piece throughout the regular season, well, not yet. That was the next thing he'd have to prove to everybody. when the real NBA season started, the actual test. And just like that, all the hype, all the summer league clips with dramatic music and comments saying, "Baby Joic and next Yao started fading really quick."

[00:11:08]Because once those regular season lights came on, Yang Hansen got introduced to what every overseas prospect eventually learns the hard way. Summer league defenders are not anywhere close to legitimate NBA defenders. Those little windows he was threading passes through in the CBA gone. Those slow post moves where he could take his time backing someone down disappeared. The NBA speed was just a whole another ball game. You could literally see it in real time, too. Every minute he got on the court for Portland in his first few games.

[00:11:36]Granted, not a whole lot of minutes, he never really showed anything too impressive. Given like 5 to 7 minutes a night for the first few, he would display how vulnerable he can be with his agility and just overall speed at this level. not even really being effective protecting the rim like he'd shown flashes of greatness with over in China and even during the summer league.

[00:11:56]He only managed to get 10 the whole season. Back in China, he could probably get that in a game if you really wanted to. Now, obviously, he wasn't playing too many minutes, but at this level, you have to make the absolute most of any second you get on the floor to prove that you deserve any more. Yang never once really had done that this year. The Blazers tried easing him in at first.

[00:12:15]They weren't throwing him out there expecting 20 and 10 or anything crazy, but they did want to see if he could survive rotational minutes. Problem was, surviving became the issue. Throughout his first handful of appearances, Yang looked hesitant as hell offensively.

[00:12:30]Like all that confidence he had during summer league just disappeared overnight. Instead of making quick reads and playing naturally, he started secondguessing everything. catching the ball in the post and instantly looking nervous. Pump faking himself into bad positions, holding the ball too long until defenders collapsed. And the turnovers, they were still an issue, of course. Yang would come into games for little 6-minute stretches and immediately pick up two fouls. Or grab a rebound, try to start a break like Joic would do, and instantly get stripped by some backup guard half his size. Coaches started shortening his leash quick.

[00:13:05]Splitter especially looked like he was losing trust game by game because while the flashes were still there occasionally the mistakes completely outweighed them. One possession Yang would make this vet level read and pass from the high post and the next play he'd completely blow defensive rotation and give up a bucket or try forcing some no look pass through traffic that gets intercepted immediately leading to a fast break dunk on the other end. And when you're a rookie on a rebuilding team, people think that means unlimited freedom. But rebuilding teams still want to build good habits. They still want to establish structure. And Yang wasn't reliable enough yet. The mobility concerns were looking very real. Teams started hunting him in pick and rolls almost instantly. Those slow feet we were talking about. Yeah, this is why you don't want to ignore that. Small guards would drag him out to the perimeter and it's a wrap for them. And unfortunately, this is something you probably can't really fix. He wasn't getting embarrassed or anything, but he looked way too stiff. slow to react, one step behind everything. And in today's NBA, being one step behind defensively is lethal, especially as a big.

[00:14:09]Eventually, Portland started doing the thing that NBA teams always do with project players where they say all the nice PR stuff publicly. We love his development. He's progressing. We see long-term potential. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, they're probably like, "Yeah, this dude is not anywhere near ready." So, after barely cracking the rotation through the first month and a half, Yang finally got sent down to the G- League with the Rip City remix. And honestly, at first, people didn't even think it was a bad thing. Fans were still optimistic. They were still like, "Okay, cool. Let him develop, get reps, work through mistakes, build confidence, which is what the G- League is ultimately for." But then something weird started to happen. Yang would go down there and immediately look way too good for that level. Like, instantly.

[00:14:57]Suddenly, the game slowed down again. He was back throwing flashy passes, back controlling the paint defensively, back putting up stat lines like 22, 12, and six with four blocks against dudes fighting for two-way contracts. Every single time he dominated in the G-League, social media would explode.

[00:15:14]Call him up. The Blazers are wasting him. He needs minutes now. But then Portland would bring him up. And it'd be the exact same story all over again.

[00:15:24]Limited minutes out of force, hesitation, turnovers, foul trouble, conditioning issues, getting targeted defensively, looking overwhelmed by NBA pace. Then boom, right back to the remix. It became this constant elevator ride between Portland and the G-League.

[00:15:39]Up, down, up, down, to the point where fans started joking that Yang probably knew the highway route between arenas better than anybody in Oregon. And the worst part about it honestly wasn't even that he was struggling. it was that he never really got enough consistent NBA minutes to play through the struggles either. One bad shift and he was yanked immediately, which is understandable because coaches are trying to win and develop other young guys, too. But for Yang specifically, it created this awkward limbo where nobody actually knew what he was. Too skilled for the G- League, not polished enough for the NBA, and eventually that early season hype started completely flipping against him.

[00:16:17]If you're not producing immediately, people move on fast as hell, especially when you were hyped up a bit online at first. And Yang became the perfect example of that. Every few weeks, he'd have another viral G-League clip, some insane dime, a five block game. This was when Portland finally unleashes him.

[00:16:35]Then he'd get called back up, play eight awkward minutes against actual NBA athletes, finish with two points, four turnovers, five fouls, and one pair of [ __ ] pants. And then he would disappear from the rotation again. By mid-season, he honestly started looking less like the next great international center and more like one of those legendary G-League players like M. McClung that everybody swears deserves a chance but isn't actually built for NBA basketball.

[00:17:00]He's the kind of player where fans fall in love with the idea of him more than the actual production he ever had. And that's what made Yang's rookie season so frustrating to watch because the talent was obviously there. You could see the vision, the passing, the rim protection, the touch around the basket, but the gap between flashes and actual winning NBA basketball still looked massive. And suddenly that high-risk high reward project label scouts gave him before the draft. Yeah, it was starting to look painfully accurate and not in the way that you hope. And the thing that made it all even rougher for Yang, Portland actually started winning, which low-key couldn't have happened at a worse time for his development. Because when a team's losing 50 games, coaches can afford to throw raw prospects out there and let them learn through mistakes.

[00:17:46]Once the playoffs become a real possibility, every turnover matters.

[00:17:49]Every defensive mistake gets magnified.

[00:17:52]And somehow, despite being one of the youngest rosters in the entire league, the Blazers started putting together a genuinely solid season. I mean, still mid as mid can be, it definitely surprised a lot of us. Denny turned into a monster. I wasn't expecting to see it.

[00:18:05]Shannon Sharp was turning into a nightly highlight reel and Cllingan was anchoring the paint at an already elite pace and finally learned that shooting three balls makes you a better basketball player. And the team just slowly built this gritty identity where they played hard as hell every single night. They weren't contenders or anything, but as Anthony Edwards said, you no longer can stumble into Portland expecting an easy W. Before people even realized it, Portland was sitting right there in the playin picture. Meanwhile, Yang, he was becoming invisible at the NBA level. At a certain point, fans stopped even asking when's Yang playing because they already knew the answer. He dominated a random Tuesday night G-League game with the Rip City remix, then sit three NBA games collecting DMPS while Portland tried to push for postseason basketball. And honestly, Splitter wasn't even wrong for doing it because while Yang still had upside, the Blazers had accidentally stumbled into meaningful basketball games way earlier than anyone expected. They couldn't afford developmental minutes anymore, especially not at center when they already have producing members at that position already where defensive communication and positioning are literally everything. While Portland kept climbing, Yang kept watching. And then came the playing game, winner go home atmosphere. Suns fully expecting him to win this one. But Portland came out swinging and stole it. Denny dropping a disgusting 41 points to punch their ticket to the first round against the Spurs. and Yang didn't touch the floor once, not one minute, which honestly told you everything you needed to know about where he stood in the organization at that point. Then came the first round matchup against the alien himself. WBY looked absolutely terrifying, blocking everything, hitting step back threes, looking like some created player with max sliders.

[00:19:50]Portland fought hard, stole a game, made things competitive for stretches, but talents eventually won out. San Antonio just had another level they could reach.

[00:19:59]And throughout basically all of it, Yang Hansen was nowhere to be found. Game after game, sitting at the end of the bench in warm-ups while the rotation tightened more and more. Even in moments where Portland desperately needed size, rebounding, anything, they still wouldn't go to him, which had to be a brutal feeling considering this was supposed to be the biggest stage of Yang's life. his rookie season ending in the playoffs, national TV, all eyes watching, and he couldn't even crack the rotation. Then finally in game five, with the series basically over in San Antonio skull [ __ ] Portland late in the fourth, Yang checked in. 1 minute.

[00:20:36]Literally 1 minute of playoff basketball. The crowd gave a little cheer. Fans online got excited for maybe half a second and then clank missed three. Next possession, another three.

[00:20:47]Clank again. And before people could even react, the buzzer sounded and Portland season was over. That was it.

[00:20:54]Yang Hansen's entire rookie NBA playoff experience. 60 seconds and two miss shots in garbage time. And man, that image kind of summed up the whole year perfectly because coming into the season, people were talking about him like he was the steel of the draft, the hidden gem, and the next great international big. But by the end of it, it looked more like a long-term experiment that Portland accidentally drafted too early and accidentally saved Memphis's ass. Watching Memphis thrive after trading out of that pick only made it sting even more. Because while Portland spent the season trying to convince themselves Yang was a developmental project, the Grizzlies were sitting there thanking the basketball heavens that he spared them.

[00:21:34]especially once Cedric Howard started looking like a legit NBA player already with 146 and three averages on 48% shooting already starting 47 games this year. Suddenly that draft night trade started looking butt ugly from Portland's side. And maybe it's unfair to completely write Yang off after one season. Plenty of big men take years to develop. Hell, centers historically struggle more than anybody adjusting to NBA pace and defensive schemes. But first impressions definitely matter in this league. And Yang's first impression unfortunately felt less like the arrival of the next Yao and more like you're trying to put lipstick on a pig. Because right now he doesn't look like a future franchise cornerstone. He doesn't even look like a reliable NBA player. He just looks like a dude who absolutely kills it in the G-League and then disappears the second the competition rises. And for Portland, a franchise that desperately needed this pick to hit, that's a terrifying place to be in after only one year. Now, to be fair, this doesn't necessarily mean it's over for Yang. Like, we got to stop acting as if every 20-year-old rookie who struggles immediately is automatically doomed forever. Big men especially take forever to develop sometimes. We've seen dudes who look completely lost their first couple seasons randomly figure it out by year three or four once the game slows down for them naturally. So yeah, technically there's still time. The problem is Portland's situation kind of makes their timeline awkward as hell for him because unlike other rebuilding teams that can afford to wait around on projects, the Blazers already have a pretty solid center rotation forming without him. And that's what makes Yang's future feel so weirdly uncertain already. You've still got Robert Williams III when healthy being one of the better defensive specialists in basketball. Dude is basically a walking lob threat and weak side defender whenever his knees decide to cooperate for longer than 3 weeks. He doesn't need touches, doesn't force offense, and he already understands NBA defensive rotations at a pretty high level.

[00:23:29]Coaches love guys like that. Then on top of him, you got Donovan Klingan, who honestly made Yang look even more expendable this year. Because while Yang was bouncing between Portland and the G-League trying to figure out the speed of the NBA, Klingan was out there actually contributing meaningful minutes to some winning basketball in only his second season, setting hard screens, protecting the rim, rebounding everything in sight, and doing all the dirty work young centers usually struggle with early on. Nothing flashy, nothing viral, no crazy IG highlights, just effective basketball, winning basketball. And unfortunately for Yang, coaches are going to choose reliable production over potential every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[00:24:12]Especially when that production is coming from another young center on the roster. That's why Yang's situation feels kind of brutal right now, because it's not just that he struggled, it's that the guys ahead of him proved they fit the team better already. And once that happens, minutes become even harder to earn. Like realistically, where exactly does Yang fit right now? He's not a better rim protector than Klingan.

[00:24:31]He's not more defensively trustworthy than Williams. He's not quicker. He's not stronger. And offensively, the passing upside is still intriguing, but it's hard to justify giving someone playmaking responsibility when they still cough up the ball every other possession when under pressure. So now you're looking at a former 16th overall pick. a guy people were hyping up as this Jokic style offensive hub less than a year ago. And suddenly there are real questions about whether Portland even sees him as part of the future anymore, which is insane when you remember what the conversation around Yang Hansen looked like during summer league. Back then, every clip went viral. Every pass had people losing their minds. Fans were calling him one of the steels of the draft. A potential unicorn. this massive seven-footer with touch, vision, rim protection, and actual creativity offensively. For a few weeks, it felt like Portland found something special.

[00:25:23]Now, the energy around him feels completely different. And that's how brutal the NBA is with young players.

[00:25:29]The hype disappears fast, especially when you're a project player on a team that suddenly wants to start winning games. Because development only works when there's patience, and right now, Portland doesn't feel like an environment built for patience anymore.

[00:25:41]Klingan is emerging. Williams is still in the rotation. The Blazers are trying to transition from a rebuilding team into a legitimate playoff contenders way sooner than people expected. And once that shift happens, coaches stop letting young Bigs play through mistakes. That's the problem. Yangster looks exactly like what he always was, a long-term project with very real upside. The passing flashes are still there. The soft touch is still there. Even defensively, you can see why scouts were intrigued by his ceiling. but he's stuck in the worst possible spot for a young center. Not good enough yet to force minutes, but too talented to give up on. So, he ends up in basketball limbo. Random minutes, short leash, one mistake, and he's headed right back to the bench. And unfortunately, fans don't usually care about context once a first round pick stops seeing the floor. That's when the conversation changes. Suddenly, people start calling you overrated. A reach, a draft mistake, and then eventually the word every young prospect hates hearing, bust. Fair or unfair, that's the direction Yang Hansen's reputation is drifting to right now, which honestly feels crazy considering how different the conversation was only a few months ago. Because not long ago, he looks like one of the most intriguing young big men in basketball. Now he's becoming another what happened story before his career has even really started.