Can Yang Hansen be better than Cowherd in the future? Team reporters are hotly discussing China s insiders: It is too early to determine the outcome of the transaction.

On October 26, the outbreak of Cowherd, the Grizzlies’ No. 11 pick, caused some media in Portland to discuss Yang Hansen. After all, Coward was the bargaining chip that the Trail Blazers traded for Yang Hansen. Trail Blazers reporter Reese Kunz commented as follows -

Regardless of the final result, good or bad, the Trail Blazers have been one of the most surprising teams in the league in the past few months. It all stems from their use of the 16th pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft to select Yang Hansen, who was originally predicted to be a second-round pick. Previously, the Trail Blazers and the Grizzlies completed a draft pick exchange. The Grizzlies received the No. 11 pick Coward and gave the Trail Blazers the No. 16 pick, a first-rounder and two second-round picks.

At the beginning of the season, Coward's performance confirmed that the Grizzlies' original choice was correct. In today's game, he ended with a game-high 27 points, and also contributed 6 rebounds and 4 assists. In terms of shooting, he made 9 of 13 shots and all 6 three-pointers.

Of course, this does not mean that the Trail Blazers should regret their original decision now - it is still too early to determine the winners and losers of this deal. But this will undoubtedly make the Blazers' management re-examine whether their original choice was reasonable.

Coward's and Hexion's career trajectories are completely different, so it is difficult to directly compare the two. Coward is 22 years old and has a four-year college basketball career. At just 20 years old, Hexion is still adjusting to life in the United States, not to mention all things NBA-he just recently passed his driver's license test.

During the offseason this year, the Trail Blazers emphasized that they did not consider Hexion a "potential player" that needed long-term development and expected him to contribute immediately to the team. Although Hexion has shown the ability to compete at the NBA level with his height advantage, passing ability and overall control of the game, it is clear to everyone that he is a long-term investment. Even with Robert Williams absent, Hexion only got 6.5 minutes of playing time per game, averaging 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 block per game.

It's not that we don't approve of such risks - after all, the Trail Blazers need to take a chance in the draft to find the core star the team is missing. But it must be clear that this is just a "gamble" after all.

In fact, no one can accurately define the future of Hexion. Will he become the next "unicorn" player to subvert basketball with his unique technical style that is rare in the league? Or is it that after transitioning from the CBA to the NBA, he has difficulty adapting to the pace of the modern NBA game?

With a high probability, Hexion's career will be somewhere between these two extreme situations. But it still takes time to tell what kind of player he can eventually grow into. At the same time, Coward has already shown the potential of being a "guaranteed asset" in the first few games of his career.

For a Trail Blazers team that desperately needs to improve their shooting ability, they will inevitably wonder at this moment: Was the original choice really correct? In the end, whether the Trail Blazers' "gamble" on Hexion was successful, or whether they should have chosen the more reliable Coward, the answer can only be left to time.

Seeing Coward's outstanding performance, Blazers Lead still has full confidence in Hexion and wrote: "I believe in Hexion more than Coward." What do you think? Welcome to leave a message to express your opinion.