Yang Hansen admitted that he was starstruck during the Portland Trail Blazers’ preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center last Wednesday, which they lost 129-123.
The 20-year-old center, a huge NBA 2K fan, couldn’t believe he shared the court with Stephen Curry, whom he played countless times in the famous basketball video game.
“Back when I used to play 2K, I often played as Curry,” Yang told the media through a translator via The Mercury News’ Joseph Dycus. “So, standing on the same court today with Curry and Draymond felt a bit surreal. It just felt unreal, like these guys were characters projected out of 2K.”
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In the said match, Hansen came off the bench and produced four points and four rebounds on 2-for-5 shooting from the field in 21 minutes. Shaedon Sharpe top-scored for the Portland Trail Blazers in the losing effort with 22 points, six rebounds, and four three-pointers on 9-for-15 shooting from the field in 23 minutes.
Portland Trail Blazers News: Yang Hansen delivers bounceback performance vs. Sacramento Kings
Yang Hansen played much better against the Sacramento Kings to help the Portland Trail Blazers win 124-123 last night. The 16th overall pick registered 16 points, four rebounds, and three blocks on 5-for-8 shooting from the field in 17 minutes.
“He played good, man. Obviously, he made some spectacular plays that I’m sure we’ll be seeing again on TV. But he was good. He was really good all over the place. I thought his rim protection was tri-level, a lot of block shots. He was in some better spots defensively in the game as well. As I told y’all, I felt bad for him in the first game. He just wanted to play so well, and we all wanted him to,” head coach Chauncey Billups stated about Hansen via The Oregonian.
“And so to see him come out the very next game and play so much better … look so much more comfortable, it makes you happy. Because he works his butt off, man, and he’s trying to please all of us. And he’s hearing a million different voices — most he can’t even understand, talking too fast for him — but I was super proud of him, super proud of him tonight,” he concluded.
