More points to prove

Two points and a sobering "welcome to the NBA" moment, China's star rookie Yang Hansen has learned the magnitude of his task in the NBA in a hard, yet positive, way with his league debut sending both sides of the Pacific buzzing on Wednesday.

Four minutes and 47 seconds into the Portland Trail Blazers' season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Yang, Portland's No 16 draft pick this summer, opened a new chapter in the history of Chinese basketball after stepping into the game as a substitute for starting center Donovan Clingan, to play in his first regular season NBA game.

The highly anticipated moment, witnessed by hundreds of millions watching at home and those on their feet cheering at the Moda Center, saw Yang become the eighth Chinese player to appear in an NBA regular season game since his retired compatriot Wang Zhizhi became the first to do so in 2001 when he turned out for the Dallas Mavericks.

It didn't take long for the 20-year-old Shandong province native to draw another round of applause, as he scored his first points in the NBA in the second quarter, from a pair of free throws, before eventually signing off from Portland's 114-118 loss to Minnesota with two points, one rebound and a foul from his five minutes on court.

Not that impressive a debut stats-wise, but Yang's brief appearance itself speaks volumes.

After going without a Chinese player making any legitimate impact in the league since the retirement of legend Yao Ming more than decade ago, the NBA, as much as the hoops community in China, is counting heavily on Yang to further grow awareness of the game, and plant more seeds in the hearts of the next generation.

A bumpy start, maybe, but it remains a step forward, despite Yang's limited role with his team at the moment. For now, every on-court second counts, good or bad, for the intriguing prospect to eventually deliver on his huge potential.

"That's the moment I will probably remember forever," Yang said in his post-match news conference of the hearing his name called by head coach Chauncey Billups early in the first period.

"It's a whole new experience, a new league and definitely a new level of intensity. I will just try to figure out where I can still do better, and correct those things as soon as possible," Yang said of his takeaways from his first game.

Given his already surging popularity among fans in Portland, Yang's full Chinese name, which sounds similar to "Young Handsome" when pronounced in English, is expected to be among the most anticipated to be chanted at the Moda Center, where the MC introduced his position, jersey number and name in Chinese during Wednesday's team entry.

"It's terrific, probably the first time I've felt such high energy since I came here," Yang said of the crowd reaction to his appearance.

The feel-good moment, culminating in Yang making the two free throws, was followed by a jaw-dropping reality check, as Timberwolves' forward Jaden McDaniels posterized Yang by slamming a monstrous dunk on his face midway through the second quarter, sending the Minnesota bench nuts.