The first round of the NBA draft on Thursday was pretty boring, with a few exceptions. Ace Bailey's strange, oafish attempts to get himself on an East Coast team of his choosing ended with him going to the Utah Jazz at No. 5. The New Orleans Pelicans made what appears to be a very dumb trade in order to take Derik Queen at No. 13. The Brooklyn Nets drafted one million guards. But nothing was as exciting as the arrival of Yang Hansen.
Yang, projected to be taken in the late first or second round, ended up going to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 16. The 20-year-old, 7-foot-2 center has spent the last few seasons playing pro ball in the Chinese league. He's the kind of player who generally profiles as a long-developing project, which makes the Blazers' decision to take him in the middle of the first round something of a historic reach. So what gives? How did Yang jump so many spots?
Two words, which I doubt have ever been paired together in history: "Chinese Jokic." According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, that's what a Denver Nuggets source texted him after the Blazers picked Yang.
Finding the right player comparison for any NBA draft pick is typically a fool's errand, and it's unwise to describe an unheralded prospect such as Yang as some other version of one of the unlikeliest superstars in league history. And yet it's impossible to deny the intoxicating promise contained within the words "Chinese Jokic," which is somehow not an unreleased Post Malone single. Its mellifluousness is only surpassed by its promise.
Can Yang live up to it, though? He was the 2024 Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the Chinese Basketball Association, and he averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game last season. But Chinese Jokic is not something that can be found in box scores. For that, we must go to the tape:
I've seen enough: That's Chinese Jokic. He should, at the very least, have a better NBA career than Israeli D'Angelo Russell.
