Coach Lee + Holiday! The Trail Blazers lead the new with the old. Is Yang Hansen successful if he enters the rotation in the new season?

The countdown to the new season is 12 days away. Looking back on last season, the Trail Blazers have missed the playoffs for four consecutive years.

Billups will serve as the head coach of the Trail Blazers starting from the 2021-22 season. Lillard underwent season-ending abdominal surgery in January 2022 and played only 29 games throughout the season. Due to Lee's season reimbursement, the management successively traded Covington, Norman Powell, and CJ McCollum in February 2022 to reduce total salary tax avoidance and hoard future assets. Due to the injury of ace Lillard in Billups' first season as coach, the Trail Blazers temporarily adjusted their team building goals and ended up with only 27 wins and 55 losses.

In the second season of Billups' coaching, the Trail Blazers formed a trio of Lillard + Grant + Anfernee Simons. Although all three of them averaged more than 20 points per game, their defensive efficiency ranked 27th in the league. The offense was strong and the defense was weak. The Blazers' new trio won only 33 games in the 2022-23 season, finishing 13th in the Western Conference and missing the playoffs.

Director Lee submitted an application to leave the team on July 2, 2023. The Trail Blazers packaged away Lillard + Nurkic on September 28, officially starting a comprehensive reconstruction in the 2023-24 season.

The Trail Blazers' rebuilding road is not ideal. In the 2023-24 season, they were 21 wins and 61 losses, and in the 2024-25 season, they were 36 wins and 46 losses. They missed the playoffs for four consecutive years. What's even more difficult is that although the management has recruited a lot of young people, last season Simmons, Sharp, Avdija, Ayton, Henderson, Kamara, and Klingen were obviously not ideal candidates for the cornerstone level of the team.

During the offseason, the Trail Blazers first selected Yang Hansen with the 16th pick in the draft, and then signed back the former ace Lillard. The attention, popularity, and market value were full, but in fact they were preparing to sell the team.

Before the start of the draft, the Trail Blazers had stocked up on four centers including Klingen, Ayton, Lowe, and Reese, and still selected Yang Hansen with the 16th pick.

On the one hand, Yang Hansen is indeed capable. He is 216 centimeters tall, has a wingspan of 221 centimeters, and weighs 115 kilograms. He is a standard large-scale inside model. He also has classic inside low-post fantasy footwork skills and the ability to shoot three-pointers from the pick-and-roll. His biggest selling point is his golf intelligence and passing coordination ability - he is known as "Chinese Jokic", which is also the key to his being favored by the NBA.

On the other hand, Yang Hansen is backed by the Chinese market, and the "Yang Hansen Effect" quickly allowed the pioneers to reap economic dividends.

Trail Blazers jersey sales increased by 83% within two weeks of selecting Yang Hansen. His jersey order volume exceeded Lillard's peak period by three times within 48 hours. Sales of team peripheral merchandise soared 10 times year-on-year, and the amount of sponsorship information from Asian brands doubled.

On July 18, the Trail Blazers signed back their former leader Lillard (who was waived by the Bucks using the extension clause) for 3 years and 42 million. It also came with player options and trade veto rights for the 2027-28 season, which is full of sincerity.

Lillard tore his Achilles tendon and will most likely be injured and unable to play in the new season. This three-year, 42 million contract is equivalent to one year of Bai Yangli's guidance in the first year. Starting from the second year, it is actually a 1+1 player option. After Lillard fully recovers, he can jump out of the contract and return to free agency as soon as the summer of 2027.

The Trail Blazers successively signed Yang Hansen and Lillard to maximize the team's market value and sold them for a total valuation of over 4.25 billion US dollars. The valuation was second only to the Lakers' 10 billion and the Celtics' 6.1 billion, setting a record for the third-highest team transaction in history.

The Trail Blazers took the initiative to send away Anfernee Simons, and agreed to Ayton's buyout request to allow him to return to free agency, making room for young people who need important training.

Anfernee Simons has been playing for 7 seasons. He averaged 19.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game last season, shooting 42.6% from the field and 36.3% from three-point range (3.1/8.5). Next season is a contract year. Since Simmons is already 26 years old, his offensive strength and defensive weakness cannot be used as the cornerstone of reconstruction, and the Trail Blazers are full of defenders, so his contract renewal issue is very difficult.

The Trail Blazers sent Simmons (27.67 million), who had an expiring contract, to the Celtics in exchange for Jrue Holiday (3 years, 104 million) + two second-round picks.

On the surface, this transaction is a loss for the Trail Blazers, but in fact, the Trail Blazers previously sent Holiday to the Celtics in exchange for two first-rounders + Brogdon + Lowe. The Trail Blazers actively repurchased Holiday because they value his defensive ability and championship experience, allowing him to lead the new with the old and guide the growth of young guards.

Ayton has a 35.55 million contract that expires next season, and he actively seeks a buyout and wants to join a championship team. The Blazers' total salary is close to the luxury tax threshold. Ayton is willing to give up US$10 million for free agency. The Blazers can save US$10 million in salary and retain the full mid-level exception. The two parties can make a deal.

Another reason is that the Trail Blazers have five major centers in Ayton, Lowe, Klingen, Reese, and Yang Hansen. Last season proved that Lowe, Klingen, and Reese cannot be cultivated as cornerstone insiders for building the team. This year's No. 16 pick Yang Hansen is naturally given high hopes.

The Trail Blazers waived Ayton to make room for Yang Hansen, killing two birds with one stone. In the new season, they will focus on cultivating Henderson, Sharp, and Yang Hansen.

The Trail Blazers have missed the playoffs for four consecutive years, with 27 wins, 33 wins, 21 wins, and 36 wins. After four years of failure, they still have not found the cornerstone for their reconstruction.

Henderson and Sharp are regarded as the core of reconstruction by the Trail Blazers, but their performance is not ideal.

Henderson is the draft prospect in 2023. He played 56 regular season games as a substitute last season, averaging 26.7 minutes per game, contributing 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.0 steals every night. He shot only 41.9% from the field - 38.5% in his rookie season. He averaged less than 15 points per game for two consecutive seasons. He was labeled as a "parallel import prospect" early on..

As the No. 7 pick in the first round of 2022, Sharp's third-year performance has both surprises and shortcomings: he averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was only 31.1%. He also needs to improve the stability of the three-pointers, optimize offensive options, and improve defensive awareness.

It is not difficult to find that both Henderson and Sharp are semi-finished products, with incomplete skills, lack of stability, and currently do not have the leadership talent to lead a team to win. Neither of these two brothers are spiritual players who can be cultivated as the cornerstone of a team when they debut. They still need time to refine their talents and potential - this is long enough and painful for the Blazers who have failed for four years.

In the same way, Avdija, Kamara, and Klingen all have their own advantages and disadvantages. Counting Henderson and Sharp, almost none of the five young people the Trail Blazers have high hopes for are talented stars like Doncic/Venbanyama who can be sure to be the cornerstone of the team as long as you select him.

Considering the brutal competitive environment in the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers' current lineup will only be weak in the new season. Continuing to find the right man who can serve as the core of reconstruction is still the top priority of the management's future work. This is also where Yang Hansen's opportunity lies. There is no clear cornerstone candidate in the team. Referring to the growth trajectories of Yao Ming (averaging 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in his rookie season), Howard (averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds per game in his rookie season), and Jokic (averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds per game in his rookie season), Yang Hansen does have a chance to rebuild the Trail Blazers.

It is understandable that Yang Hansen did not perform well in the first game of the preseason. After all, Yao Ming only scored 0 points and 2 rebounds in his NBA regular season debut. It takes time to adapt to the environment, the rhythm of the game, and the intensity of the NBA. Especially in the fast-paced small ball era, it is even more difficult for tall and bulky insiders.

First enter the rotation, and then follow the steps and grow step by step. Sooner or later, the opportunity will belong to Yang Hansen!