Behind Yang Hansen s abandonment: Lost the chance to win Jokic s signature and will have to wait 112 days for the next meeting

On November 1, Yang Hansen was not able to play in the sixth game of his NBA career and the first NBA Cup game. He missed the opportunity to compete with his "idol" Jokic. Jokic once said during his trip to China this summer, "If Yang Hansen doesn't play well in a matchup, give him an autograph and a photo." But obviously Yang Hansen needs to wait until the next time, and the next matchup is against the Nuggets at home on February 21, 2026, and he still needs to wait another 112 days.

As we all know, Yang Hansen has long been hailed as "Chinese Jokic" by the outside world. One of his templates during the draft was Jokic. It can even be said that Jokic is Yang Hansen's ultimate template. When Jokic started his trip to China this summer, when talking about Yang Hansen's NBA prospects, he humorously said, "It doesn't matter whether he takes a photo or autographs, as long as he doesn't play well against me. If he beats me, then I won't sign him."

It was only the first time in Yang Hansen's NBA career that he sat on the bench. In the first five games, Yang Hansen only played 5.8 minutes per game, averaging 1.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game. His shooting percentage was as low as 2 of 9 at 22.2%.

I never thought that Yang Hansen would be directly DNP in the sixth regular season game, and he would be benched for the first time in his career. Since Lowe has returned for his first appearance of the season, he directly took away Klingen's number one substitute position. In addition, Reese scored 9 points with 3 three-pointers in a single quarter in the last game and joined the rotation, which also further reduced Yang Hansen's living space.

Yang Hansen was suspended in the 6th regular season game, which made him the team's fourth center and completely fell out of the rotation for the first time.

With Yang Hansen's current status and abilities, it can be said that he has not really integrated into the NBA competitive environment. His confrontation ability, physical reserves, shooting control, defensive selection and other aspects have shortcomings that need to be upgraded and improved. Delegation may be the best option for Yang Hansen at present.

As for Yang Hansen wanting to face Jokic, he may have to wait for the next opportunity. The next time the Trail Blazers face the Nuggets, they will have to wait until February 21, 2026, but it is still unknown whether Yang Hansen will be available.

Of course, compared to losing the opportunity to face idol Jokic, perhaps Yang Hansen is more frustrated that he was completely abandoned for the first time. We can only hope that Yang Hansen can not be damaged by his self-confidence. Next, the competition within the Trail Blazers team will become more intense. Yang Hansen needs to work harder to train and improve himself before he can hope to get a rotation spot.

(Text/Drunk Wo Fu Sheng)