Can Yang Hansen Fit Next to Donovan Clingan on the Trail Blazers?

When the Portland Trail Blazers initially selected Yang Hasen with the 16th overall pick, many viewed this decision as a reach. However, after a successful summer league campaign, the Chinese big man has established himself as a prospect worth monitoring moving forward.

The 7-foot-1 center and 20-year-old averaged 10.8 points across four summer league appearances, along with roughly five rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game. He showcased an intriguing skill-set, in which he leverages size and physicality and an impressive level of fluidity, three-point shooting and passing acumen for a center.

Hansen will attempt to contribute to a Trail Blazers team looking to move out of their rebuild into playoff contention. However, he'll join a squad that already employs promising second-year center Donovan Clingan at the center position. Portland selected the 7-foot-2 big man out of UConn with the seventh pick in last year's draft, and he had a quality rookie season in which he made an NBA All-Rookie team. As Clingan projects as the organization's franchise center, Hansen will either have to find a way to fit next to him or thrive in minutes without him to earn key developmental reps.

Given both Clingan and Hansen's unpolished offensive packages, the big man duo would likely have to make strides in their games to be viable co-contributors in the frontcourt. Both have displayed some shooting ability, but are far away from being NBA threats from range. They each are best utilized in the two-man game in and around the paint, and this redundancy makes them a challenging offensive fit.

Defensively, Clingan and Hansen's projected fit becomes even murkier. Both 7-footers are most effective around the restricted area as rim protectors. When sharing the court, one would likely have to guard on the perimeter, and as 250-plus pound centers without the quickest feet, this would be a challenging task for either.

Only time will tell whether Clingan and Hansen are viable fits next to each other in Portland's frontcourt. They are distinct players in their play styles and value contributions, but still, the pair's utilization redundancies on both ends bring challenges to their on-court fit next to one another. Maybe Coach Chauncey Billups and staff are able to find a way to make the duo work. But in the likely case in which it isn't conducive to winning, at least in year one, Hansen can still make the most of the minutes he may get as the lone center in lineups to attempt to establish himself as a budding NBA contributor.