Foreign Media Writes Yang Hanshen Scout Report: Excellent Touch and Footwork, Soft Style of Play on Offense & Too Slow on Defense to Survive in the NBA

On the evening of October 6, NBA draft expert Wang Jian shared a summary of Draftstack’s scout report on Yang Hanshen on social media. The author believes that Yang Hanshen has an excellent touch and footwork, but his playing style on offense is soft, he dislikes physical contact, and does not know how to use his body. On defense, his lateral movement speed is slow, making it very difficult for him to survive in the NBA. Below is the original text written by him:

Title: China’s Jokic?

The first time I saw Yang Hansen was during the FIBA U19 World Cup game against Spain, and I instantly fell in love with him. Everything about him reminded me of…a 7-foot-1 big man who can finish at the rim with incredible touch, using astonishing vision to find every open player on the court, and he can also step back and take a three-pointer. By now, you probably know who I am talking about. It is none other than the three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

Of course, once you fall in love with him, everything becomes perfect, and you want to watch as many games as possible, appreciating what you consider to be a unique player. However, whether in basketball or in life, blinded people start to have doubts. This is what happened between Yang Hansen and me; I initially thought he would become an NBA star, but as I paid more attention to him, I began to realize there were still many things he needed to improve. I’m not saying he cannot become an NBA star; I just became more realistic than when I started.

In this article, I will try to analyze Yang’s strengths and weaknesses on both ends of the court. His strengths make him an incredible basketball player, while his weaknesses severely limit his potential.

Touch and Footwork

His touch around the rim is excellent, and among the players in the 2025 draft, he is the best in this aspect. He can finish with both hands, always finding the right angle using the backboard, and even if he cannot use the backboard, he always has other resources that make it hard to stop him. Yang is definitely a slow player, which is a clear weakness on defense, but he uses this speed positively on offense. The lack of speed allows him to adapt correctly to the opponent’s movements and always find the timing to finish at the rim.

In addition to his excellent touch, the Chinese player also possesses outstanding footwork, which he uses every time to create advantages. He is not an explosive player, and most of his scoring comes from movement. His post moves are top-notch as he utilizes his touch and footwork, but if he really wants to shine in the NBA, he needs to add more speed to create these opportunities.

Contact

The first weakness of Yang Hansen lies here. He is a typical soft player, and a 7-foot-1 center allergic to physical contact is definitely not a good thing. When observing a big man, it is strange to see one who avoids physical contact instead of seeking it to finish plays, making the game more difficult to avoid hitting opponents. In many situations against smaller opponents, Yang did not use his body to create scoring space. Yang avoids physical contact and uses the other techniques we talked about earlier to score. However, this might work in the CBA or FIBA U19, but it certainly won’t work in the NBA. In the world’s best league, if you have a physical advantage, you must use it because if you don’t, your shots will be blocked again and again. Last summer, the Chinese basketball team participated in the Summer League, and Yang’s weaknesses were very evident to everyone watching the games. Due to insufficient physical strength, he struggled to create advantages with each possession. Sometimes, he couldn’t even move smaller and lighter opponents away from the low post. I really think that if he learned how to use his body correctly, he could become an ultimate offensive weapon. A player with great touch and footwork around the rim who can use his body to create advantages is hard to stop. Finally, as we said earlier, he is definitely not an explosive player. However, standing 7-foot-1 tall means he can easily dunk near the rim. Strangely, this is a point I overlooked in his game. He is not particularly adept at dunking near the rim, although he has other ways to finish near the basket. But in the NBA, for a big man, the best option is usually to dunk. A league filled with incredibly athletic players will punish those who cannot finish above the rim time and again, and I think this could also happen to Yang.

Offensive Playmaking

During the FIBA U19 World Cup, I was surprised by Yang’s passing ability, as he could easily find everyone on the court from anywhere. He averaged five assists per game, placing him in the top five assist leaders in the tournament. His playmaking skills remain excellent, but he struggles to transition from playing with kids to playing with adults. I don’t want to be misunderstood; his playmaking skills are top-notch, and his court vision is very good. However, he must adjust his pace to match the professional level, which also means the timing of his passes. During the World Cup, every pass he made was perfect; in the CBA and Summer League, he could perfectly identify open players, but sometimes his passes were a bit slow, leading to turnovers. I believe this is a strength rather than a weakness for Yang, and he can adapt to the speed of any competition he participates in.

Defense

His defense is both a strength and a weakness. He doesn’t need to do much to block shots; just being near the rim changes shot attempts. Last year, he was the CBA’s shot-blocking leader, averaging 2.2 blocks per game. Standing 7-foot-1 tall, he can consistently block shots when he doesn’t need to move much, thanks to his wingspan and timing. The real problem with Yang’s defense lies in his lateral movement to block or alter shots. He moves very slowly, meaning he cannot get where he needs to be when necessary. In many pick-and-roll situations, he falls back, and once the ball handler passes to the roller, he cannot recover to block the shot. He shares the same issue with UCLA’s big man Adem Bona. If they stand still, they can block and alter shots, but neither can quickly move to a position to protect the rim. This is definitely his biggest weakness because other NBA teams know he cannot move laterally and attack him every time. There are many big men in the NBA who are talented offensively but weak defensively, so they cannot truly impact the game. Yang’s situation is certainly like this, as his lack of lateral speed and mobility makes him an easy target for NBA offenses. In summary, Yang is a player worth watching because he naturally possesses the talent to finish and pass. However, once you watch more and more footage, you start to realize his weaknesses prevent him from becoming an NBA player, at least for now. If basketball were like handball, he could definitely become a star offensively, but defensively, he is too slow to make an impact, putting the entire team in trouble. I really look forward to seeing changes in his defense in the CBA this year, which could be the difference between a first-round draft pick and a late second-round pick on draft night.