If the Portland Trail Blazers wanted to select a center in the 2025 NBA Draft, they should've gone with Maryland's Derik Queen instead of gambling on Yang Hansen. Queen was frequently mocked to the Blazers, who initially had the No. 11 overall pick before surprisingly trading back to No. 16 with the Memphis Grizzlies.
They already hit at the center position with Donovan Clingan the year prior, but the idea behind the Hansen selection was that he'd provide them a different frontcourt dimension. Clingan makes most of his impact on the defensive end with his elite rebounding and rim protection, while Hansen's upside lies in his Nikola Jokic-lite skill set as a potential offensive hub, with his high basketball IQ and court vision.