Why is Yang Hansen always compared with Jokic? These two new stars are the more suitable reference system

Domestic basketball commentator Su Qun once publicly stated that Yang Hansen has Jokic-style delicate skills and support skills, especially in low-post passes and rhythm control, showing maturity beyond players of his peers. CBA field data shows that Yang Hansen averaged 3.6 assists per game, and his signature pass and high-level support are indeed visually similar to Jokic's "Center Commander" role. This stylized analogy quickly caught the attention of fans and became a hot topic in social media communication.

In the 2025 draft season, Yang Hansen's physical test data (216cm height, 220cm wingspan, 3.01-second penalty area shift) was better than Jokic in the same period in terms of static talent, triggering a wave of discussions about "Jokic Little Jokic". In order to create topics, some self-media deliberately amplify the relationship between their passing ability and European player templates, but ignore Jokic's historical basketball IQ and offensive creativity. This simplified contrast forms a propagation inertia driven by traffic and gradually becomes the mainstream narrative of public opinion.

As the second-tier show in 2023, Homgren (213cm tall, 229cm wingspan) and Hansen Yang are both "Spider-Man"-type inside, relying on mobility and defensive coverage to gain a foothold. Both face a similar growth issue: how to strengthen strength and improve shooting stability in the fierce NBA arena. Homegren's performance of 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in his first season provides Yang Hansen with a reference template for talent fulfillment. His adaptation process from the college league to the NBA is more realistic and guiding for the future planning of the Chinese insider.

Shen Jing and Yang Hansen have a higher technical overlap: they are also good at low-post footsteps (back hit rate 48.7% vs Yang Hansen 45.2%), have the instinct of supporting (5.1 assists per game vs Yang Hansen 3.8 times), and face the problem of insufficient physical confrontation in the early stages of landing in the NBA. More importantly, Shin Kyung spent three years growing from the No. 16th pick in the first round to the Rockets’ inside core (18.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists per game), proving the survival of non-top athletic technical centers in the modern NBA. This transition experience from the CBA to the NBA is more replicable than Jokic's unique path to success

Jokic's success is the product of multiple factors: the influence of the Serbian basketball system, the cultivation of the Nuggets' long-term tactical core, and historical ball quotations and efforts. Yang Hansen's current technical shortcomings are still obvious: defensive position selection awareness (defensive efficiency 112 vs Jokic 98), three-point stability (33% shooting percentage) and rebounding strength (7.2 rebounds per game) all have a lot of room for improvement. Blindly targeting MVP-level stars may ignore their own characteristics - such as the comprehensiveness of the U19 World Cup averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks per game, which is a unique competitiveness.

Referring to Shen Jing's development trajectory, Yang Hansen should give priority to improving two core abilities: one is to strengthen the lower limbs to deal with NBA-level confrontation (currently weighs 115kg vs Shen Jing 118kg), and the other is to develop mid-range shooting to expand the offensive threat (Shen Jing's mid-range shooting percentage this season is 42%. If you can upgrade from a "regional defender" to a "pick-roll switch defense vanguard" on the defensive end, combined with its passing advantage, you will have a chance to become an NBA rotational insider rather than pursuing the unrealistic "Jokic second".

When we put aside the gimmick of "who is next", we will find that Yang Hansen's real value lies in: he is a rare technical center in the CBA in the past decade and an important test piece for Chinese basketball exploration "the core of big men's support". Instead of being entangled in the air comparison with Jokic, it is better to focus on the actual gap between him and Shin Kyung and Homgren - these specific technical details and growth paths are the key to determining whether he can gain a foothold in the NBA. After all, in the basketball world, the upper limit of each player is never determined by a template, but is polished and self-breaking day after day.