Yang Hansen

A 19-year-old big man out of China, Hansen Yang is considered one of the top prospects in the country. Yang has plenty of experience at the professional level, as he spent the previous two seasons playing for the Qingdao Eagles in the CBA. He played 51 games as a rookie in 2023-24 and logged 45 more appearances in 2024-25. He posted outstanding numbers for his age in both seasons, although he averaged a career-high 16.6 points in 2024-25. He also averaged 10.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.6 blocks per game in his second year with the team while shooting 58.6 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. Few prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft have experienced a bigger rise in draft boards among experts than Yang, who continues to wow scouts with his impressive ability to make an impact on both sides of the ball. Yang has enough potential to be a starting-caliber center in the NBA in only a few years, though for that to happen, he'll need to add muscle to his frame and get used to the speed of the NBA games. The skill set and talent are all there, though he is far better on offense rather than on defense. His size and instincts compensate for most of his defensive limitations, but most of his upside comes on offense due to his ability to score and pass at all three levels. He excels in the post and finishing through traffic while also being outstanding in pick-and-roll situations either as a screener and finisher. Yang is a bit rough around the edges and may need to bulk up, although being a 19-year-old who averaged a double-double in a professional environment suggests the talent is clearly there. He's drawn comparisons to several modern bigs due to his scoring and passing ability. A floor could be Dewayne Dedmon as a player who could provide reliable minutes as a stretch big and high-post facilitator, although a best-case scenario would see Yang becoming someone like Nikola Vucevic or Alperen Sengun -- a scoring-first big who might not excel defensively but should still be an imposing presence while thriving as a passing weapon. Yang could very well play his way to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after impressing in the combine earlier in May.