Eagles star Yang looks set to soar in NBA

A 19-year-old 7-footer with a versatile game not unlike NBA superstar Nikola Jokic? No wonder scouts across the league have kept an eye on him. However, he remains a raw talent.

Yang Hansen of the Qingdao Eagles reaches for the basket as Nathan Knight of the Zhejiang Lions attempts a block during a Chinese Basketball Association playoff game last week in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Yang, 19, announced his decision to enter the NBA Draft on Saturday, expressing a strong desire to pursue his basketball dream in the world's biggest league. XINHUA

The youngster in spotlight is Chinese prospect Yang Hansen, a 2.18-meter play-making center who's proved his elite caliber after two years in the CBA and has emerged as, potentially, China's next big thing in the world's premier league after recently entering the 2025 NBA Draft.

Although far from a complete product, even by domestic standards, Yang has braced himself for a challenging, yet intriguing summer, confident that he will end up sharpening his game Stateside next year.

"Myself and my agent are both quite confident about my draft prospects this summer," Yang, a client of renowned American agency Klutch Sports Group, said in a recent interview with China Central Television.

"The experience of competing against the world's best at the FIBA U19 World Cup (in 2023) boosted my confidence and fueled my determination to go for higher goals.

"Then, it was the trip to compete in the NBA Summer League with the national team that exposed me to the intensity and pace of NBA basketball, and further prepared me for that level."

Boasting a strong build, similar to three-time NBA MVP Jokic, Yang has stood out from his peers in the paint. With a diverse skill set that features sharp shooting, slick passing, rebounding and rim protection, he dictates play with his full-court vision, staring down from the high post.

In only his second professional season in the CBA, Yang has averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.6 blocks per game in 45 starts with Qingdao Eagles in the regular season, before leading the No 8 seed into quarterfinals in the playoffs, where Qingdao was only edged out 3-2 by the league-leading Zhejiang Lions in the best-of-five series last week.

Having been selected into the All-CBA first team in his first two seasons, Yang's untapped potential, despite being virtually unknown to fans abroad, has turned heads from the US when his agent, which represents NBA stars such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis, announced his signing in January.

Klutch Sports Group CEO, Rich Paul, James' close business partner, will personally manage Yang during his US adventure, during which he is expected to practice with other NBA players under the same agency, before trying out in training camps with a selected number of NBA clubs.

"Klutch Sports Group recommended experienced coaches coming to China to provide guidance in basketball skills, tactics, and living habits. There will be more training plans in the US," said Yang, who will fly to Los Angeles on Saturday.

"I am ready, both mentally and physically. My goal is to earn more court time and gain the trust of my coaches and teammates."

A 'unicorn' player

Equipped with skills, size and a high basketball IQ beyond his years, Yang's rise to prominence at the 2023 FIBA U19 tournament has since raised high expectations that he has what it takes to fill in the sizable shoes of Hall of Famer Yao Ming, former CBA president and an eight-time NBA All-Star.

Yang, though, commands the court in a different style to Yao's traditional center role. The teen prodigy tends to take over offense in a high-post position, driving into the paint to attack, or dishing the ball to teammates, similar to how Jokic dominates the NBA as the "point center" of the modern game.

Liu Weiwei, his domestic club coach, who'd voiced concerns about his exposure to NBA basketball being "too early" two years ago, believes it's now time for his aspiring protege to go after his dream in the US.

"This was the plan, that, after a few years of development (in the CBA), he has to chase a higher stage and a bigger challenge," Liu said after the Eagles' quarterfinal series loss to Zhejiang last week.

"It certainly won't be smooth sailing, though. Hopefully, he can overcome all the challenges without his friends and family nearby. He has our full support from the coaching staff, teammates and the club at home."

This year's NBA Draft will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on June 25 and 26, with major US-based media outlets, including ESPN and Bleacher Report, predicting a mid-second round pick for Yang.

Since Yao, NBA teams have willingly rolled the dice on young Chinese prospects in the draft, and so far, they have not panned out quite as expected.

Yang's senior national teammate Zhou Qi, the last Chinese center touted as Yao's successor, was unproductive during his two NBA seasons with Yao's former club the Houston Rockets, being hampered by injuries. That has dented confidence in franchise front offices when selecting dominant prospects from the CBA.

However, Yang's strength and physicality, as well as being a more complete package, suggests that he might have a brighter, and more consistent, future in the NBA than Zhou, whose tall, yet frail, stature, saw him pushed around under the rim, limiting his chances in the NBA.

Developed in Qingdao's youth system, Yang first shot to attention on the international stage when he led China to a third-place finish at the FIBA U18 Asian Championship in 2022. He then tallied 12.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and a tournament-leading 5 blocks at the U19 World Cup in Hungary, where he was named on the youth tourney's All-Second Team.