NBA Draft: China’s Yang Hansen tipped to be picked early in second round
Yang’s mock ranking rises to the high 30s on the eve of the annual draft, with 59 picks available
Chinese basketball prospect Yang Hansen has been tipped to be picked earlier than previously forecast in this week’s NBA Draft after climbing the US media’s mock draft rankings following tryouts with several teams.
Yang’s stock is believed to have risen further on the eve of the annual draft, which will be held on Wednesday and Thursday at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York City.
His mock ranking rose to the high 30s on multiple platforms on Sunday, with NBADraft.net projecting the Qingdao Eagles centre to be the 34th of the 59 available draft picks and ESPN tipping him to be 35th, days after listing him at 41st. ESPN ranked Yang at No 90 last December.
The No 34 and 35 picks, owned by the Charlotte Hornets and the Philadelphia 76ers respectively, would see Yang, who will turn 20 on Thursday, drafted early in the second round.
Should those teams overlook Yang, the Brooklyn Nets could be his destination. The Nets – owned by Joe Tsai, the chairman of Alibaba Group, which owns the South China Morning Post – have pick No 36.