Gilbert Arenas Puts Chinese Rookie Yang Hansen in Nikola Jokic Lane After Explosive Summer Games

Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas made a bold statement regarding No.16 Draft overall pick and Chinese sensation, Yang Hansen.

Gilbert Arenas Puts Chinese Rookie Yang Hansen in Nikola Jokic Lane After Explosive Summer Games

Gilbert Arenas and Yang Hansen (Image by FirstSportz)

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Every year in the NBA, rookies tend to spring a few surprises. Fans all over the world remain in much anticipation regarding which young player their respective teams will draft in the early NBA draft. Notably, in 2023, the French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama broke onto the stage, making his presence known in the NBA in his first-ever year, winning the 2024 rookie of the year.

Last year, it was Stephen Castle of the Spurs who won the 2025 Rookie of the Year award. This year, Chinese rookie Yang Hansen has been a sensation through Summer League. Not only among the fans, but also, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas was left awestruck by Hansen’s gameplay during the NBA Summer League matches. Arenas was so taken aback that he compared him to one of the NBA’s greatest players at the moment, Nikola Jokic.

These are the types of guys that, when they get into the game, you can see all their attributes. You know what he does, you can tell that he’s a five on five player. It looks like he has one-on-one skills. Playmaking, he can shoot. So, the lane you put him in is the Jokic, Sengun, type of lane.

Gilbert Arenas said

Despite his lack of spectacular 20-point or double-double games, Hansen’s adaptability exemplifies the current center skill set. With eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks in a recent game against the Houston Rockets, he demonstrated this balance. No wonder, Arenas made his comparison with the likes of Jokic and Alperun Sengun due to his hold in the center position.

Arenas also stressed that players like Hansen have to be drafted in the first round pick itself. And that’s exactly what happened as the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Yang Hansen as the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft. Getting compared to the likes of Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun is not usual, especially in his rookie year.

This showcases the impact the Chinese player has had in such a short amount of time before even making his NBA debut. His Basketball IQ and vision, similar to greats like Jokic, suit the modern style of a center, as claimed by the former NBA player.

How will Yang Hansen settle into the Blazers’ roster?

The Portland Trail Blazers are not messing around at all this upcoming NBA 2025-26 season. That is because during the ongoing trade market, the Blazers added NBA champion Jrue Holiday and former Buck, Daman Lillard, to bolster their attack, sending a clear message to their rivals that they are ready for a playoff push.

Now, in all this, they have added Rookie Yang Hansen, the Chinese player, as the 16th pick in the NBA draft this year, as mentioned above. Hansen brings a different blueprint to the Blazers’ side. As it is expected that he won’t be playing or getting many minutes in his first year, Hansen has huge potential. But he is expected to get spot minutes when injuries arise or in late-game scenarios.

He is dubbed as the next Nikola Jokic by former player Gilbert Arenas, as mentioned above. His basketball IQ and passing vision were on full display during the NBA Summer League matches recently. He is also a very good three-point shooter, as it came to light against his match against the New Orleans Pelicans, where he connected on 50% of his attempts, showcasing his immense potential even before making his NBA debut.

Yang Hansen’s Summer League matches have surpassed the NBA Viewership record in China

The Chinese basketball community is surely locked in on their newest star, Yang Hansen, as he continues to perform for the Portland Trailblazers in the ongoing NBA Summer League. The Chinese player has made rounds in and around the NBA community in general, but in his home nation, the hype is on a whole new level, so much so that his Summer League matches have surpassed the NBA playoffs viewership record in China, as per the Washington Post.

Yang Hansen
Yang Hansen (Credits: MARCA)

Due to the interest in Yang, a Tencent documentary crew and other Chinese reporters traveled to Las Vegas to produce a ten-part series about him. Notably, he is becoming more well-known thanks to his impressive Summer League play, which averaged 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game.

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