Jaden McDaniels welcomes Yang Hansen to the NBA with vicious poster

Usually it's Anthony Edwards who supplies the poster dunks for the Timberwolves, but McDaniels is fully capable of delivering them as well. The 6'9" wing can get up there, and it helps his dunking ability that he has a wingspan of close to seven feet.

Hansen, a native of China, was drafted by the Blazers with the 16th overall pick in this year's NBA draft, one pick before the Wolves took French big man Joan Beringer. Hansen is 20 years old and listed at 7'1" and 270 pounds. Prior to the draft, most analysts projected him to be a second-round selection, but the Blazers felt they wouldn't get him if they didn't pull the trigger at 16.

There's a lot of excitement around Hansen's long-term potential after his performance in Summer League. He's already in Portland's rotation and has a chance to be quite good in the future.

But in his first NBA game, he learned a lesson about the league from McDaniels.

Back in 2020, the Wolves took Edwards first overall and drafted McDaniels 28th. The latter has proven to be an outstanding sidekick for Minnesota's superstar guard. McDaniels made an All-Defensive team in the 2023-24 season and averaged a career-high 12.2 points per game last season. There's optimism that he'll take another step offensively in his sixth NBA campaign.

The Wolves trailed the Blazers 61-57 at halftime when this story was published. McDaniels had 10 points and three blocks in the first half of action.

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