The Portland Trail Blazers made a big move in the NBA Draft to trade down and position themselves for one key player.
That guy was Chinese center Yang Hansen.
Since then, though, the Blazers haven't used Hansen like a team that wanted him.
The big fella dubbed the "Chinese Jokic" has been a non-factor in the early going.
That has confused Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley, who has called it regretful that the Blazers made a move to land Hansen and yet haven't gotten him into the action more.
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This is Buckley's logic:
While Portland hinted at having some win-now interest this offseason—acquiring Jrue Holiday and bringing back Damian Lillard—the Blazers still took the long view at the draft. Only instead of adding another lottery prospect to the roster, they traded out of the No. 11 spot (where they could have had Cedric Coward or Derik Queen) and wound up shocking everyone by spending the No. 16 pick on Yang Hansen.
It was a fascinating wager on his unique skill level for his size (7'1", 270 lbs) and immediately made the Blazers a must-watch team on the summer circuit. There were pressing questions even before his arrival, though, about whether he could keep up with the NBA's speed.
Those questions are no closer to being answered, since he's buried so far on the depth chart. Remember, just last year Portland used the No. 7 pick on a different center (Donovan Clingan), and it has held onto both Robert Williams III and Duop Reath. That's why Hansen has, to this point, logged only 29 more NBA minutes than you and I.
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It's definitely a bit stupefying, but there's a lot to be unpacked in there, too.
It'd also be fun for hoops fans to see the rookie center on the court. He's huge, moves well and has some skill. It'd likely wind up being a very fun one for NBA fans to follow.
But first, the Blazers actually have to let Hansen see the floor.
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