Hansen Yang’s first fifteen games in the NBA were defined by deep-bench obscurity and a steep, punishing learning curve. Even when given an extended leash on 11/24 vs OKC, his dismal 3-for-11 shooting from the floor—including a brutal 1-for-6 from deep—dragged his overall value down to a -4.9 Impact score despite tallying 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. He earned exactly one spot start on 12/07 vs MEM, but his passive offensive approach yielded just 4 points on five shot attempts in 19 minutes, resulting in a -9.5 Impact. Things hit rock bottom during a brief four-minute stint on 11/30 vs OKC, where he missed all three of his shots and posted a staggering -13.7 Impact. He bleeds value on the floor. Until Yang learns to process the game at an NBA speed and stops forcing bad perimeter shots, he will remain an afterthought in the rotation.

This midseason stretch was defined by a brutal fight for survival at the very end of the rotation. The struggles began immediately on 12/30 vs DAL, where a completely empty ten-minute shift—yielding zero points on two missed shots—resulted in a disastrous -19.0 impact score. Yang simply could not find any offensive rhythm. Look no further than the 01/10 vs HOU matchup, where he clanked his way to a 1-for-5 shooting night. By logging just two points in 13 minutes, he generated a miserable -15.3 impact because his poor shot selection actively killed team momentum. Even when he managed to grab a handful of boards, the underlying metrics refused to budge. During his 01/28 vs WAS outing, he tallied a stretch-high six points and five rebounds, yet still posted a -5.5 impact. Missing four of his six field goal attempts meant that any minor rebounding value was entirely erased by wasted offensive possessions.