The final stretch: Yang set for NBA draft

Traveling 27,600 kilometers back and forth across the United States to work out with 14 teams over 24 days, China's NBA prospect Yang Hansen has had a taste of the challenge of trying to make a living in the world's most competitive basketball league.

The young center from Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, is going to find out soon whether his hard work and effort over the past seven weeks have been enough to help open a door to his dream league.

If everything goes well, and in the best case scenario, as predicted by multiple draft analysts in the US, China is expected to celebrate the inauguration of an eighth NBA player on Friday morning (Beijing time), with Yang projected to be picked by a team early in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on June 26.

It will be a life-changing moment for Yang, who happens to turn 20 on exact the same night, and a major boost for the game's declining profile in China, due to the retirement of former NBA stars and a recent spate of disappointing national team results.

Several teams possessing early second-round picks, such as the draft host Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers, are being widely tipped as possible destinations for Yang, who was ranked as the 35th pick in ESPN's final mock draft, 36th overall by The Athletic and even 29th (first round) by NBA Draft Room.

The Nets, owned by Joe Tsai, chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, have emerged as the most likely recipient of Yang's talents, though, with a 36th pick. This makes sense, given the rebuilding franchise's deep connection with the Chinese market, and the fact that it will play a pair of preseason games with the Phoenix Suns in Macao in October.

Standing at a towering 7-foot-1(2.16-meters) with an all-around skillset, excellent flexibility and surprising mobility for his size, Yang's talent, and potential at a young age, is too obvious to ignore. His natural bond with the league's biggest global fan base, though, has added another advantage, for sure, according to Rich Paul, founder of LA-based agency Klutch Sports Group.

"He's going to get the support from home, from all over China. And that, I think, becomes a benefit for the NBA. It really does," Paul, who signed Yang to his agency in January, said in a Tencent documentary Leap to Infinity.

Whenever his name is called — on the second night, as expected, or in as a surprising top-30 first-round pick — Yang's confident that his talent, coupled with the effort he's made since arriving in the States on May 3 to prepare for the draft, will eventually lead him to the basketball promised land.

"Measuring the distance to my dream with each and every solid step. I am ready!" Yang posted on his Weibo account on Tuesday, after completing a hectic cross-country US trip to work out with 14 NBA clubs over the past three weeks.

As a virtual unknown before he landed in the States in early May, Yang significantly raised his stock with impressive performances at last month's Draft Combine in Chicago and the following Pro Day trial camp in Los Angeles, where NBA scouts and front-office executives gathered to watch and analyze draft prospects.

Dubbed "Baby Jokic" by his Chinese fans, Yang put his intriguing blend of size, skills and basketball IQ on display under the watchful eyes of club staff, and turned heads during trial workouts with teams curious about the resemblance of his game to the versatile "point-center" role of Denver Nuggets' three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic.

He's definitely made his name now, versus the mysterious big man from China, who was even predicted to go undrafted less than six months ago.

"He's someone who popped up there, and they were like: 'Who's that who shot the ball well?' So, whatever they didn't see, they see it now," Chris Johnson, Yang's trainer in the US, said of the impression his protege made at the Pro Day event.

Despite his current weaknesses in conditioning, strength and speed in defensive rotations, Yang drew confidence of earning a place in the league from his improvement after a productive training program with Johnson.

"I think my shooting has got sharper, my skills have become better, and I've become used to the quick transitions in the American game," said Yang, who's played two seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association with his home club Qingdao Eagles.

In his first year in the CBA, he was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, while also making the league's All-Star team and being named to the Domestic First Team. Yang was again named an All-Star and received First Team honors in the 2024-25 CBA season, where he averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, three assists and 2.6 blocks per game in 45 starts, leading the 8th-seeded Eagles into the playoff quarterfinals.

Off the court, Yang has lived a disciplined life — although he still enjoys playing video games and hanging out with friends — with an absolute focus on his job. His mantra is training, playing and resting.

"That's the best kind of kid to have success in the NBA, because there isn't a lot of complexity. He just stays away from all the distractions, he just plays basketball, gets the rest and is ready for tomorrow," said Andy Miller, Yang's American agent with Klutch.

"That's the advantage he has. He understands what this is. This is a job and, in order to have success, you have to be the best version of yourself."