The Milwaukee Bucks could certainly use a center or two this upcoming summer, and they now have one of the most interesting prospects in the entire NBA Draft on their workout list. Per HoopsHype, the Bucks have Hansen Yang from the CBA on their radar, and they are not alone after the big man recently turned heads at the draft combine. Could he be a Brook Lopez replacement? Not likely, but there is no harm in working the big man out.
The Bucks could use a center, but Yang's fit is questionable
Selecting a center with the 47th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft would be justifiable. With Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, and Jericho Sims all likely to hit free agency, Milwaukee needs adequate depth at the center spot. Yang could fill that role.
At 7-foot-2, 250 lbs, Yang is a towering defensive threat in the paint. He used that to his advantage during his two years in the CBA, averaging 2.4 blocks per game. The big man turned heads at the NBA Combine all-around, but especially with his 11-point, six-rebound, six-assist, and one-block scrimmage performance, which captured his impact perfectly. He can do a bit of everything.
On paper, Yang would fill a defensive hole at center, but there are certain parts of his game that should give the Milwaukee Bucks pause.
Yang, still just 19, has the potential to develop into a Brook Lopez type of defender. With his stature, he could hold down the paint and effortlessly swat away shots. However, just like Lopez, scouts say that Yang may struggle away from the basket defensively, getting taken advantage of when players drag him out to the perimeter.
Brook Lopez getting benched in the first round of the 2025 postseason is still very fresh in the minds of Milwaukee Bucks fans. That transpired because Lopez couldn't keep up with the much younger and athletic Indiana Pacers. Letting Lopez go, which seems likely, but replacing him with a big man who has the same Achilles heel would certainly raise some red flags.
Milwaukee needs youth, athleticism, mobility, agility, and everything in between at the center position. Despite the undeniable defensive potential, Yang doesn't have those attributes at his size, and those aren't features that grow on trees. Yang will have plenty of teams keeping tabs on him - he's traveling all over the place for pre-draft workouts, but Milwaukee simply might not be the most logical fit.
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