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The Portland Trail Blazers have only played in two Summer League games thus far, but the team has already given its fanbase plenty of reason to be hopeful for the upcoming season. The Blazers' core is taking shape, and they look to be well-positioned to at least threaten for a spot in the play-in tournament in the more loaded Western Conference.
In 2025 NBA Summer League, everyone's eyes when watching Blazers games will be on the 16th overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, the surprising Yang Hansen selection. Yang was a dominant force in the Chinese Basketball Association, but he was slated to go in the second round of the playoffs before Portland shocked the world by selecting him around 30 picks earlier than anyone expected him to go off the board.
There are also a few more players of interest on the Blazers' roster in Vegas. Rayan Rupert, who is already in his third season despite being just 21 years of age, will be expected to take a leap. Sidy Cissoko is expected to make strides as well. Former first-rounder James Bouknight is also looking for a way back into an NBA roster. College star Caleb Love is also slated for his first taste of NBA action in Vegas.
With all that said, here are a few overreactions to the Blazers' first two Summer League games.
Yang Hansen was not a bad pick from the Blazers
Many questioned why the Blazers would select Yang that early when they could have traded down further and scooped him up with a later pick instead while picking up a few other assets along the way. But Portland had identified Yang as their guy and didn't beat around the bush in drafting him.
Yang, as young as he is, was dominating against grown men in the CBA. In two seasons in that league, he averaged 15.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists — incredible numbers for anyone, let alone a 20-year-old who has a ton of room left to grow.
Of course, the NBA is a different beast. The game is much faster, and today's style of play requires everyone to be able to cover a ton of ground on defense. That's where Yang has to improve a lot. But it's clear through the first two games of Summer League that Yang has excellent feel for the game and can be a force to be reckoned with, provided, of course, that he manages to survive on defense.
The dimes Yang was dropping aren't normal for someone who stands at 7'2″. He was throwing bounce passes to backdoor cutters, flinging passes to open men around the baseline, and he can certainly function as an offensive hub in the high post.
On defense, parking him in the paint alone makes him valuable due to his size, which acts as a natural deterrent against would-be scorers. He may be fouling a lot, but there's always an adjustment period for youngsters as they acclimate to the speed of the NBA, so he should improve in that regard, even by just a little bit.
He can even put the ball on the floor, and he has some soft touch around the hoop — making him an anomaly at his size. Yang has so much talent that it's not hard to see why the Blazers salivated over him and singled him out as a draft-night target.
Yang even made a three-ball during his Summer League debut in a huge Blazers win over the Golden State Warriors, much to the delight of the crowd.
His personality is also shining during interviews, and the combination of his personality, excellent feel for the game, and huge size is quickly making him a fan favorite across the NBA.
The “Chinese Jokic” nickname is still ridiculous. He has a long way to go before he's even fit to tie three-time MVP Nikola Jokic's shoes. But it's safe to say that this is not as bad of a pick as some scouts would have many believe.
Caleb Love may have a future as a heat-check guy
Caleb Love went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, and that made a bit of sense. Love is a shoot-first guard who, at 6'2″, isn't exactly the most efficient scorer. Even in his fifth season in college, he shot 40/34/89 from the field; when his jumpshot is not working, he doesn't exactly have the athletic tools to put pressure on the rim. He also has to take a ton of tough shots to carve some value.
But his free-throw percentage in his collegiate career was in the mid-80s, which suggests that he has a good shooting stroke and that he can perhaps parlay that into better shooting efficiency.
In the first two games in Summer League, Love has certainly shown that he has the confidence to be a three-level scorer that's difficult to guard when he catches fire. He appears to possess the potential to be a microwave scorer off the bench similar to the likes of Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson before him, and with the improved spacing of the NBA game, perhaps he could fulfill that potential.
Love is averaging 18 points per game thus far, although he's doing so on 38.5 percent shooting. He also has to improve his passing, as he has recorded a grand total of three assists even though he's leading the Blazers in minutes thus far in Vegas. But the signs are there that he could perhaps be a rotation piece someday.
Sidy Cissoko appears to have made some strides on both ends of the floor
The Blazers took a chance on Cissoko after was released prior to the trade deadline. He played in only five games for the team and was a non-factor, averaging 2.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest.
But in the latest Blazers Summer League game, Cissoko looked very confident. He knocked down open shots with ease, scoring 20 points on 50 percent shooting from the field (3-6 from deep) while being a pest on defense.
There could be an opening in the Blazers' wing rotation off the bench, and maybe Cissoko could continue making his case for more minutes under head coach Chauncey Billups.
