2025 NBA Draft: Hansen Yang Scouting Report
Evaluating the China and Qingdao center ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.
DRAFT EVALUATION: Top 10-15
LAST BIG BOARD: N/R
NBA ROLE: Playmaking center hub
REMINDS ME OF: Alperen Şengün with less rebounding, Brook Lopez, international Donovan Clingan
RAW STATS1: 16.2 PTS, 10.0 REB (2.9o/7.1d), 2.8 AST to 3.1 TOV, 0.9 STL, 2.7 BLK, 3.2 PF in 33.0 MINS over 53 GAMES
ADVANCED STATS: 1748 TOTAL MINUTES, 21.4 USG%, 63.6 TS%, 62.9 2P%, 0.4 FTA/FGA, 10.5 OREB%, 23.5 DREB%, 17.3 REB%, 0.9 A/TO, 14.0 AST%, 19.5 TOV%, 1.5 STL%, 7.1 BLK%
Background:
— by Harry Zhang
Birthday: June 26, 20052
Height: 7-foot-1 without shoes3
Wingspan: 7-foot-2¾
Standing reach: 9-foot-3
Hand size: 10 inches long, 11.25 inches wide
Weight: 253 pounds
Dad is an amateur baller. Mom sells medicines.
Started basketball training in Grade 3 (primary school), training at a local club in Zibo, China. After graduating from his primary school, he went to Zibo Sports school to train with coach Wang Ying, who was a friend of his dad.
Was trained to play point guard before hitting a growth spurt. That is when coach Wang decided to train his interior playmaking4.
Somewhat of a late bloomer. Wasn’t famous or considered among the best group of talent at all before 2020. Around 2020, was discovered by Qingdao Eagles and joined their academy.
This is a screenshot of when Yang played for Zibo Sports School in 2019. He was the leading scorer, but his team was beaten by 90 points by a middle school when they played in the National U-15 competition. He wasn’t known at all at that time.
In 2021, led Qingdao5 to their first national U-17 title. Was named the DPOY of that competition.
Became known in the 2022 FIBA U-18 Asian Championship when he helped China to win third place in that competition and was named all-tournament team. Averaged 12.4 points (63.2 2P%, 1/2 3P), 9.2 rebounds (3.6 OREB), 3.6 assists to 2.2 turnovers, 0.6 steals, and 3.6 blocks in 5 games (117 total minutes).
Later in 2022, played6 in the Chinese U-19 youth league and averaged 23 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks as a 17 year-old.
In 2023, really impressed at U-19 World Cup, including against last year’s No. 2 pick Alex Sarr. Averaged 12.6 points (54 2P%, 1/6 3P), 10.4 rebounds (1.1 OREB), 4.7 assists to 3.9 turnovers, 0.4 steals, and 5 blocks in 7 games (205 total minutes).
Had significant buzz to participate in the 2024 NBA Draft but decided not to declare. Unclear if that was a decision made by Yang or the club, although more likely that it was a combination of the two.
There were reports7 that Qingdao didn’t think he was going to successfully stay in the NBA, but there are other guesses that the underlying reason is that they wanted to reap the benefit of their academy for at least one more season by contending with Yang.
However, Qingdao has always prepared Yang for the NBA Draft with several Serbian coaches and a Greek national team fitness coach.
Takeaway:
— by Wilko Martínez-Cachero
Hansen Yang will be in the top 15 of my next board. His offensive talent at around 7-foot-2 in shoes and mitts for hands is unique and cannot be undervalued in this draft. The 19-year-old center can be counted on for advanced feel and passing reads, powerful play finishing, and creative inside scoring. This is backed by two years of strong production, albeit in the Chinese league (CBA).
In the best case scenario, Yang can be a starting center in the NBA who dribbles, passes, and scores on high enough usage (think one of the two best players in the lineup) and efficiency to overcome his defensive limitations. I think it’s fair to wonder whether he’d be in similar talks to Derik Queen had he played NCAA basketball this season. Yang’s lowest end outcome is being out of the league and back in the CBA. NBA teams might hesitate with him since returning to China and carving out a long career there will always be an option. A median outcome sees Yang as as a sparkplug second unit big, but ultimately being limited (especially in the playoffs) due to his defensive versatility and old-school, paint-bound game. That can still be valuable and raise a team’s regular season floor.
On offense, Yang can score & pass out of multiple spots, execute advanced reads with outlier feel for his position & age, and finish plays at the basket. In the CBA, Yang is an excellent post scorer, often against multiple defenders. He genuinely shakes and bakes defenders, so NBA teams shouldn’t take Yang away from the block, but he will have to play even more in the pick-and-roll. Yang can do this, too. The Qingdao center is great on the short roll, both to finish with craft and similarly find cutters and shooters with accuracy. Yang is a below average run+jump athlete, but he’s still 7-foot-2, has no issues dunking, and can definitely pick up momentum when he has a runway.
However, Yang can suffer from tunnel vision at times. He averaged 3.1 turnovers to 2.9 assists this season. That needs to improve, although I’m not overly concerned since I generally like his reads at this developmental stage. Still, Yang can suffer from tunnel vision as a scorer, and he still needs to get better at leveraging the attention he commands in the post to create shots for others. Yang is great with his passing reads, but he’s not always great at making the read to pass. This can happen on the roll, as well. Yang also has to improve as a rebounder, and he needs to make more of his free throws. Right now, the Chinese prospect cannot space the floor — and it’s not like he will have to — but he’s started taking more threes. This included the draft combine scrimmages. On the glass, Yang gets by in the CBA by being massive and skilled, but he generally doesn’t make much of an effort to gain position and he has not been tested as a rebounder. Still, his pre-draft advanced numbers on the boards are less impressive than contemporaries like Nikola Jokić, Alperen Şengün, Isaiah Hartenstein, Domantas Sabonis, Donovan Clingan, etc.
Yang is a slightly odd case on defense in that his stats look great, but his film shows massive NBA concerns that could even make him unplayable. The Qingdao big averaged 2.7 blocks per game (144 total) with a potent 7.1 BLK% in 53 games this season. That’s even better than last season, when Yang was the CBA’s Best Defender with 2.2 blocks per game and a 5.6 BLK%. However, the 19-year-old constantly struggles guarding the pick-and-roll in any sort of space. Yang gets cooked repeatedly in ballscreens because of his slow feet and hips. He is super versatile and skilled on offense, but he won’t be on the floor if he’s barbecue chicken on defense. This will be a massive test for Yang in the NBA, and can be very decisive in determining his minutes on the court. I think that the only way to overcome Yang’s defensive limitations will be by employing him almost exclusively in drop coverage. There, his radius of movement is under control, his responsibilities are narrower, and he can use his huge hands and one-step-ahead thinking to get stops.
Offense:
— by Wilko Martínez-Cachero
Does most of his scoring in the post right now. Monster on the low block with huge hands. Commendable motor in that he makes repeated post-up efforts in basically every game.
Scores with two, three, or even four defenders on him. Scores at a high clip with sturdy efficiency (63.6 TS%) even while generating massive amounts of attention on a nightly basis. Defensive level of the CBA isn’t high, though.
Has multiple go-to moves, with accompanying counters. Loves to get middle into a right/left hook across the paint. Can half-spin, usually to his left. Adept at using the glass to finish. Turns baseline off his defender with one dribble and dunks or finishes over the help. Soft touch despite colossal hands. Likes to step-through under the rim and finish on the other side of the basket. Shake-and-bake.
Strong to rip through doubles and overall traffic. Listed at 253 pounds at the draft combine.
Left-sided and left-handed scoring can keep improving. Maybe slightly nitpicky since Yang can use his left hand, but he’s more comfortable with his right. Can miss some makeable shots with his left. Or prefer to use his inside right hand to finish on the left, when switching hands is the better alternative.
Can post-up heavy diet hold up in the NBA? Not every team will give this style of play a shot. Or maybe they can’t, if Yang doesn’t survive on defense.
Will need to adapt to different spacing and dimensions of NBA basketball. At the same time, should have much more space than in the CBA. Early on, won’t command anywhere near as much attention when he gets the ball down low.
Will need to make even quicker moves and reads against increased size, length, and athleticism. Average low man in the CBA, for instance, is much less impactful and athletic than in the NBA. Doesn’t have bounce despite size. The length of a defender doubling in the post is also much rangier in the NBA than right now. This applies to both scoring and passing.
Effective pick-and-roll finisher thanks to his size and skill. Secures bounce passes and overhead passes alike. Operates in traffic against multiple bodies at once.
Crafty and patient on the roll, using similar moves as in the post to create advantages. Step-throughs, Pinoy steps, half-spins, etc. Will dunk when he has a runway.
Lacks lift and speed, but plays with power. Improvement points are also similar as a finisher. Both hands to finish, but again, needs to keep working on left.
Can he develop a push shot/floater? Willing to take a push shot from around the free throw line, but doesn’t make it. A shot from the short-midrange would be great.
Advanced and creative passer, but with the need to cut down turnovers. 3.1 TOV to 2.8 AST has to improve. Playstyle will always be conductive to turnovers of some extent, but it’s a matter of how and when.
In the post, can use his size to fling hook passes over defenses and accurately find his cutters. Again, massive hands come into play with how he can hold the ball and then execute the read.
Usually makes quick decisions. Doesn’t pound the air out of the ball. Quick give-and-go is an option. Near-touch passes sometimes.
Play finishing helps unlock short roll passing. In the NBA, will need to adjust to increased size, length, and speed of defenders — but can make similar reads diving as in China. Again, rapid decisions with real craft. Distributes no-look passes, although consistency can still go up a notch.
Easy fit in hand-offs and dribble hand-offs. Already does this a lot with Qingdao. Displayed this at the draft combine. Hands are very safe. Intentional about using his body to create space. Physical when he sets picks. Will get easy (D)HO assists, and indirect screen assists. Can surround him with shooters and slashers to generate shots from three and at the rim. Some flashes of Keep and driving.
Hand-offs and rolling lead to touches above the break as an orchestrator. Acts as a hub in the half-court in any context. Flows into (D)HOs, but capable of making reads over the top and finding cutters with sharply-angled bounce passes. Kills opponents with passing reads from a multitude of spots.
Misses passing reads when he is too single-minded about scoring. This especially happens in the post, but can also happen on the roll. Balance was slightly more scoring than passing this season, and maybe more balanced or even leaning the opposite way last season. What will his focus be in the NBA?
On-court context at Qingdao wasn’t ideal, since Yang’s teammates were very static on his post-ups. Can find movement, but there often was none. Spacing could also be off. This will get better in an NBA-coached team.
If he doesn’t draw a double, then he’ll score down low on smaller defenders. If he draws the double, the hope is that he can consistently make the right read when he has better space and teammates.
Needs to keep his head up on the short roll and not predetermine his read.
Risky decision maker. Difficult passes through tight windows will naturally lead to turnovers. Those windows might initially seem bigger in the NBA with more spacing, but they could actually be smaller with better players/athletes/defenders.
Handle, particularly in the post, can keep getting tigher. Needs to keep ball snug to body at 7-foot-2. Smaller defenders can poke the ball away from behind, or swoop in helping to get the steal.
Can’t play around with handle and have unforced turnovers. Effective putting the ball on the floor for a dribble or two on the roll/post/face-up, but don’t want him doing this from the perimeter right now. High, loose handle — but creative process.
Rebounding is swing skill. Averages 10 REB per game and a double-double, but numbers and film are not truly that dominant.
Inferior rebounder by the numbers to Nikola Jokić, Alperen Şengün, Isaiah Hartenstein, Domantas Sabonis, Donovan Clingan, etc. 10.5 OREB% and 23.5 DREB% (last season: 8.4 OREB%, 26.4 DREB%).
Usually gets by on being the biggest, most skilled guy on the court. Lots of uncontested rebounds. Barely has to work for position a lot of the time. Doesn’t have to fight on the glass. Can coast without needing to improve technique — but will have to do this in the NBA. Rebounding was only ok at the combine.
How durable is he? Can he make repeated efforts? Get up-and-down time after time in the NBA? Limited minutes?
1748 total minutes played this season, and 1782 minutes last season. That’s more than Zach Edey (1248), Domantas Sabonis (1149), Jahlil Okafor (1143), Alperen Şengün (1043), Nikola Jokić (964), etc. in their pre-draft seasons.
Has worked hard to improve his body. Will leak out and run after contesting/blocking a shot on the perimeter. Moves his feet to get up and down the court.
Handles a ton of possessions and attention. He won’t be able to produce in the same way going forward, but can’t overlook that he’s a teenager getting double/triple-teamed and still making very high level passing and scoring reads.
Shooting improvement needs to focus on free throws. 67.7 FT% (170/251 … 4.7 FTA per game) this season. 62.4 FT% (143/229 … 4.3 FTA) last season. Total of 65.7 FT% (362/551) over 127 games tracked.
0.4 FTA/FGA this season and last season. That could be better. Points to some of the athletic run+jump concerns he has.
Has started taking some more threes, but cannot space the floor and will not need to. Any floor spacing right now will be a nice bonus. 28.6 3P% (16/56) this season, 21.9 3P% (7/32) last season, 26.3 3P% (26/99) in 127 total games.
Range looks more suited to catch-and-shoot twos around the free throw line and elbows. Takes some of these off slight movement. Can also screen, then roll and stop short into this midrange shot.
Interesting flashes off the dribble. Very small sample size, so cannot overthink — but has shown off a eurostep more than once. Dexterity and body control in all-around game is just very intriguing, but has to be channeled appropriately.
Two seasons of strong production in the Chinese league with year-to-year improvement at 18 and 19 y/o. Averaged a 16/10 double-double this season. Was a CBA All-Star in 2024 and 2025.
Has been dominant with China in FIBA youth tournaments, as well, including the 2023 U-19 World Cup. Very productive at 2025 NBA Draft Combine, too.
Defense:
— by Wilko Martínez-Cachero
Incredibly low floor on defense that can make or break his NBA future. Even in the CBA, can look like an easy target in the pick-and-roll. NBA teams will test him now and maybe always.
Below average physical tools despite his size and standing reach. Slow footspeed. No lift. Lacks a second jump. Rigid, inflexible hips. Plays with a high center of gravity. Cannot get low to or explode off the ground as a result.
Will have to prove that he can survive in ballscreens. Barbecue chicken in empty side or high pick-and-roll right now. Backline help at Qingdao was often very lacking, but not an excuse at all.
Can only open up his hips once, then leave his feet once. If he has to repeat either of those efforts, problems arise. Really lacks functionality and versatility guarding the pick-and-roll. Tape is worrying in the CBA, so concerns are amplified re: NBA.
Can’t add value on offense if he gets picked apart on defense. Offensive value is curtailed if he can’t stay on the floor, or can only play for very limited spurts.
Playoff projection is concerning because of his severe defensive limitations. At this point, resembles more of an 82-game than a 16-game player.
Might only be playable in Drop coverage. Needs to be insulated with length and size, plus on the clipboard. Cannot handle too much space. You don’t want to ask him to change directions often.
Drop simplifies his responsibilities and narrows down his radius of action. Needs to stay in front of the ball and keep his hands active. Better at doing this — also a more logical ask, in my opinion — but needs to do it more.
Flexibility must improve. It’s a tough ask, but needs to bring gargantuan frame closer to the ground. Otherwise, cannot truly be impactful on a regular basis. Might only be an NBA-level defensive athlete in very limited contexts.
Some improvement has taken place, but much more still needs to happen — and against better competition. Has gotten better at showing his hands to disrupt ballhandlers and take away their passing lanes. Advanced numbers improved year-to-year in the CBA.
Comparable to Derik Queen in the 2025 draft. Can offset limitations with his size (Yang is even bigger) and large hands. Good feel for the game allows him to read passers’ intentions sometimes. Can spot cuts ahead of time.
Reliant on timing+hand/arm placement to get blocks. I hate to mention his massive hands for what feels like the 10th time but they show up all over his game. Not twitchy or explosive. Margin for error is very slim.
Can he switch to any extent? Results are probably better than his profile implies, although it’s still a constant struggle and he’ll give up blow-bys. Footspeed is slow, but he’s huge, so a single step can take up a ton of space if he times it correctly.
Struggles to decelerate and change speeds. Heavy feet, big body. Ballhandlers can just get lower than him and blaze past. You don’t want him guarding in space. Tougher competition in the NBA, obviously.
Cannot leave feet. If he does, he’s in trouble. No second jump or real recovery tools.
Has started moving his feet better. Body transformation shows up on defense, as well. Looks more nimble than at previous stages. Much more toned. Muscle/frame looks fine right now (will still get better); it’s more so the footspeed and reaction time.
Athletic thresholds in the NBA are more demanding. Blocked a stepback three at the combine. Under control closeout to slide with drive and block at the rim. Interesting recent flashes in front of league decision-makers.
Will be surrounded with better size, athletes, and scheming in the NBA. Hope is that, plus being largely played in drop, can cover up his deficiencies enough for his brilliant offensive arsenal to shine. Maybe even needs to play with another big.
Measured at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine.
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