American journalist: The Trail Blazers might have picked the biggest bust, and if the general manager is replaced, Yang Hansen’s future looks bleak.

On January 6th Beijing time, Trail Blazers reporter Reese Kunz wrote an article about Yang Hansen. The headline read, “The Trail Blazers may have selected the biggest bust in the 2025 draft.” Here are some excerpts from his article—

“This is undoubtedly the most ridiculous draft decision I have witnessed, and the Trail Blazers’ front office might not keep their jobs.” At the 2025 NBA Draft, the Trail Blazers used the 16th overall pick to select Yang Hansen, a choice that shocked the basketball community. An NBA team executive, speaking to reporter Siegel, gave this harsh assessment.

Although Yang Hansen has only played 20 games for the team, a limited sample size, his current performance suggests the Trail Blazers’ management likely regrets this bold draft move. In his limited minutes, he averages just 2.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game, with a troubling shooting percentage of only 30.2% and a three-point accuracy of merely 13.6%.

What’s even worse is,Yang Hansen appears lost on both offense and defense.Offensively, although he shows decent basketball IQ and passing vision, the limited role assigned to him prevents these strengths from being utilized—the Trail Blazers simply don’t trust him enough with the ball. Defensively, he has become a glaring weakness: opponents continuously exploit his defensive area with outside attacks, using their speed advantage at will whenever he’s on the court.

To be fair, Yang Hansen is a very good young man with a selfless and humorous personality that is highly infectious. We sincerely hope the Trail Blazers made the right bet in this draft. However, it must also be acknowledged that at just 20 years old, he faces a much steeper development curve than most rookies in his class—he must adapt not only to the NBA’s pace but also to life in the United States.

Handling so many challenges at once comes with obvious pressure. Looking back now, the excessive hype around this first-round "dark horse rookie" may have saddled Yang Hansen with expectations too heavy to bear. Fortunately, he still has plenty of time to prove himself and silence all doubts. After all, the Trail Blazers’ management took a job-risking gamble to draft him and naturally are willing to be patient.

However, by 2026, the team’s management influence may shift, and it’s uncertain whether they will still lead Yang Hansen’s development plan. It’s worth noting that when new owner Dundon took over the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, he completely overhauled the management. The Trail Blazers’ current GM Cronin now carries the burden of this controversial draft choice on his record, making it even harder for him to keep his position.

In fact, Yang Hansen was widely projected as a second-round pick before the draft for good reasons. His NBA performance has fully confirmed scouts’ evaluations in their draft reports—both his strengths and weaknesses are clearly visible.The NBA’s fast pace is particularly challenging for him, and he clearly struggles to keep up.

Many question why the Trail Blazers drafted another center when they had just selected promising big man Klingen the previous year. But that is not the core issue—the frontcourt roster needed reinforcement. The team soon bought out Ayton’s contract, Dupree’s performance has been poor, and Robert Williams’ future remains uncertain with his contract ending, trade rumors swirling, and persistent injury concerns.

What truly puzzles people is what exactly the Trail Blazers saw in Yang Hansen. They could have used the 11th pick to draft a player like Derrick Quinn but instead chose to trade up. The management clearly overthought this draft decision and took on an unnecessary risk.

Although it is too early to label 20-year-old Yang Hansen as a “bust,” the current trend looks grim. The risk of this draft pick far outweighs its potential reward. Meanwhile, the frontcourt lineup painstakingly built by the Trail Blazers remains full of uncertainties.