The NBA path of Chinese genius center: Why did Yang Hansen make his first round alone?

In recent years, many highly anticipated talented centers such as Yu Jiahao, Li Yanzhe, and Xu Xin have emerged in the Chinese basketball world. They are tall, long arms and outstanding skills, and are highly expected by fans. However, when the NBA draft horn sounded, the young Yang Hansen finally succeeded in the top spot - the 27th pick in the first round of 2024 was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves (later traded to the Lakers). Why among the many talented centers, Yang Hansen can open the NBA door? Behind this is the profound reshaping of the role of center in modern basketball, as well as the gap between the cultivation of Chinese basketball talent and international standards.

NBA basketball philosophy has undergone a fundamental change, and the living space of traditional standing centers has been greatly compressed. Domination of space and speed: The modern NBA emphasizes the "five foreign" offensive system, and the center must have reliable three-point shooting ability (average at least 1.5 three-pointers per game and a shooting percentage >35%) and fast offensive and defensive conversion ability. Traditional heavy centers are struggling in high-speed rotation. "Transformers" on the defensive end: Unlimited defense switching has become the mainstream, and the center needs to have excellent lateral movement ability and be able to switch defenses outside the three-point line to limit small players. Although protecting the basket is important, a single function cannot gain a foothold.

The value of support and ball quotient soars: The center's support ability in the high position or elbow area has become the starting point of the offensive, and the passing vision and decision-making ability (per-game assists >3 times) are highly valued, and are even regarded as the core of the offensive. Yang Hansen's technical characteristics fit the NBA's "new species" needs. Excellent support and passing vision: He is known as the "domestic Jokic". He showed amazing high-level support and precise passing ability in his CBA rookie season (period of nearly 4 assists per game). This kind of organizational center attribute is extremely scarce in the NBA. Body size and mobility that meet the trend: With sufficient height (2.18 meters) and wingspan, its mobility is excellent among the centers of the same size, and it has the basic conditions for switching to the outside line.

Photting potential and soft feel: Although the three-point shooting has not yet been stable, the distance feel and shooting mechanism show development potential, which is in line with the development direction of the space-type inside line. Young is synonymous with "plasticity": At the age of 18, he ran for the election. Huge room for growth and plasticity are the key to his bet on by NBA teams. In contrast, although Yu Jiahao has a better height (2.21 meters), his movement speed may become a shortcoming in NBA-level conversion offense and defense conversion; Li Yanzhe has a foothold with solid low posts and tough defense, but his response ability and shooting range are limited; Xu Xin has huge potential, but his game experience and maturity still need to be accumulated. Their technical characteristics are top in the CBA, but under the NBA's "new species" standards, Yang Hansen's comprehensive adaptability is more prominent.

The failure of other talented centers to enter the NBA is not because they lack talent, but because they have encountered structural obstacles: solidified tactical status: the dependence of CBA teams on big foreign players has often made local centers become "blue-collar workers" and lacked the opportunity to hold the ball and handle the ball and organize offense (Yu Jiahao is mainly responsible for finishing and defense in the Zhejiang team). The gap between game intensity and rhythm: There is a gap between the overall offensive and defensive rhythm, confrontation intensity, and tactical complexity of the CBA, and it is difficult for players to directly transform their outstanding performance in the CBA into NBA competitiveness. "Greenhouse effect" and insufficient competition: the domestic league competition pressure is relatively small, lacking the continuous stimulation of top talents, and it is easy to fall into the comfort zone.

The tragedy of movement ability: The movement speed of most domestic tall centers is significantly amplified under the requirements of pick-and-roll offense and switchover at the NBA level, becoming a fatal weakness. Lack of projection stability: Stable mid- and long-distance projection ability is an essential skill for NBA centers, while domestic centers are generally insufficient or slow to develop in this regard. The gap between confrontation and core strength: The intensity of the NBA's inside confrontation is far higher than that of the CBA. Even if the domestic centers appear strong at home, they often find it difficult to land after landing (Zhou Qi's early NBA experience is proof of it). The test of the "touchstone" of the international arena: The World Championships (World Cup, Olympics) are an important inspection window for NBA scouts. The problems of insufficient confrontation and lack of stability exposed by Wang Zhelin, Zhou Qi and others in international arenas directly affect their NBA prospects assessment. Yang Hansen's outstanding performance in the U19 World Youth Championship (average of nearly 20+10+5 blocks per game) is an important weight for his NBA. The "cruel rule" of draft strategy and age: NBA teams' drafts, especially in the first round, have extremely favored young and high-potential stocks. Domestic centers are often over 20 years old when they play dominant data in the CBA (such as Wang Zhelin). The age advantage is no longer, the technical characteristics are relatively fixed, and their potential is low. Yang Hansen ran for the election at the age of 18, which perfectly fits the NBA team's pursuit of "original talent" and "plastic future".

Yang Hansen's successful breakthrough provided valuable inspiration for Chinese basketball. Embracing the modern basketball concept is urgent: Center training must abandon the "height-only theory" and "stand-standing method". Since childhood, we attach importance to the comprehensive development of shooting, foot movement, passing vision and basketball IQ, so that big men can dance gracefully in the torrent of modern basketball. Improve the level of league competition and role: The CBA needs to encourage teams to give local core players (especially insiders) more ball rights and tactical freedom, and provide a practical training platform close to the international level. Strengthen international vision and communication: Let young players with potential participate in high-level international events or go overseas for training earlier and more frequently, expose problems and improve them in top confrontations. Scientific and personalized training system: Provides a professional team to carry out refined and scientific training to make up for the different characteristics of players (such as Yu Jiahao's mobile, Li Yanzhe's projection, and Xu Xin's core strength). Grasp the window period of "youngering": Encourage and support top talents to enter the NBA draft as soon as possible when meeting the conditions, and make full use of the key chip of age advantage.

Yang Hansen is like a meteor passing through the clouds. His first round identity is not only a personal glory, but also a signal of the transformation of Chinese basketball. When Yu Jiahao and others continued to dominate the penalty area in the CBA field, the path ahead of them was actually clearer - either become a "big fish in a small pond" in their comfort zone, or bravely break the shackles of tradition and evolve towards the NBA's "new center" standard. Yao Ming once conquered the American professional basketball team with Eastern wisdom. Now a new generation of Chinese giants needs to respond to the call of the times with more comprehensive skills. As movement, projection and support become the new weapons of giants, the future outline of the Great Wall of China is slowly emerging on the horizon at dawn.