The 2025 NBA Draft has many talented international prospects, most coming from Europe. However, there is one intriguing prospect in China that has gained major traction throughout the past year. That player is Qingdao Eagles center Hansen Yang. The 19-year-old big has impressed many with his advanced passing ability and post-scoring at his size of 7-foot-2. With his combination of size and skill, Yang will unquestionably draw interest from teams in the draft. Let’s go over Hansen Yang’s skill set in this 2025 NBA Draft profile.
Hansen Yang 2025 NBA Draft Profile
International Career
Yang has played his entire professional career with the Qingdao Eagles after joining their youth system. He later fully joined their senior team for the 2023-2024 CBA season, producing immediately for the Eagles. Yang achieved many awards and became an all-star that season, catching the eyes of NBA scouts. However, he chose to stay in China for a second season. For the 2023-2024 CBA season, Yang averaged 15.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.2 blocks in 33.3 minutes per game. He shot 55.4% from the field, 22.6% from three, and 62.3% from the free-throw line. Yang had another productive season with the Eagles, achieving his second all-star appearance and receiving other awards. This past season, Yang averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.6 blocks in 32.8 minutes per game. He shot 58.6% from the field, 33.3% from three, and 67.1% from the free-throw line.
Yang also represented China multiple times on the international stage. Specifically, he participated in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup in 2022, winning bronze in that tournament. He also played in the 2023 FIBA U19 Youth World Cup Basketball Tournament, performing well for the Chinese team. Additionally, Yang played with the national team in the 2025 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Strengths
Yang possesses a valuable blend of skills that makes him unique among centers in this class. One major aspect going for Yang is that he has excellent size as a center at 7-foot-1 (without shoes) with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. Those physical tools allow him to be a massive presence in the paint on both ends. Offensively, Yang operates well in the post, using his size and advanced footwork to find deep positioning to score. Yang has a great touch around the rim and possesses hook shots and floaters in his arsenal. Not only can Yang post up, but he can also operate well in the pick-and-roll as the screener. Also, his natural size and length allow Yang to be a constant rebounding presence on both ends; however, he will need to gain more strength to fight for rebounding position against NBA athletes.
Yang’s best and most intriguing attribute offensively is his high-level passing abilities at his position. In particular, he can see and throw passes over the defense due to his size. Yang has excellent court vision and passing skills. He can throw passes from anywhere on the court and find open teammates. Furthermore, Yang is an advanced passer from the post and in the short roll, adding more dynamism to his offense. He does turn the ball over quite a bit, but he is also creative in his passing and can throw a variety of different passes.
Defensively, his size comes into play once again. Specifically, he is a major rim deterrent due to his length and size. Yang is excellent at using his length to bother or block shots. He is most effective defensively in drop coverage, where he can use those physical tools.
Weaknesses
Yang’s strengths in his position set him apart from other prospects, but he has his fair share of issues as well. One obvious weakness of Yang is his lack of mobility and athleticism. He will absolutely be disadvantaged in those aspects at the NBA level, and that weakness will be exploited on both ends. Defensively, Yang will struggle to defend anywhere besides the paint, and guards will eat him alive in space. He does not have much in the way of vertical pop, which will limit his rim protection despite his 7-foot-2 wingspan. Not only that, but Yang isn’t that strong either. He will have difficulties in handling more physical players when defending in the post.
On the offensive end, Yang’s poor strength will cause him to get pushed away from the basket when posting up. His lack of quickness means Yang will have limited perimeter driving ability. Additionally, Yang isn’t a good three-point shooter or free-throw shooter, and he isn’t likely to improve as a shooter. While he doesn’t need a three-point shot, adding a mid-range shot and improving from the line would be a major boost for him offensively. Yang is an impressive passer for his position, but he can be a step slow in terms of making reads and throwing passes. Due to that, Yang can miss open teammates or throw the pass late. He will face better defenders in the NBA who can easily anticipate those late reads and force turnovers off of them. He must get better at making quicker reads and hitting those open targets.
NBA Comparison
Considering his special skill set as a center, several special names come to mind. Specifically, Yang bears a resemblance to players like Alperen Sengun and Domantas Sabonis. By no means will Yang have the same career trajectory as those two, but they do share many similarities in terms of their play style and skill set. Particularly, they are all skilled bigs who are impressive post-scorers and advanced playmakers for their positions. They also all share similar defensive concerns as they lack the mobility to effectively defend along the perimeter.
2025 NBA Draft Projection
Mid-to-late second-round pick.
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