Why the 76ers Should Draft Yang Hanshen at No. 35: A 'Morey-Style' Pick Worth Betting On

The Quiet Giant from Qingdao

I’ve spent years analyzing draft boards through spreadsheets and game film, but sometimes you stumble on a player who defies the algorithm. Yang Hanshen isn’t flashy—he doesn’t dunk like an NBA highlight reel—but his presence on the court feels like geometry in motion.

At 7’1” (barefoot), with a 7’2” wingspan and 252 lbs of compact strength, he walks into any gym like gravity forgot to pull him down. And yet: his footwork? Tight. His passing? Crisp. His read of space? Almost eerie.

He played in China’s CBA at just 18—won Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in his first season. Two years later? Still leading his league in rebounds and shot-blocking—despite facing fewer physical challenges than we see in the NBA.

This isn’t luck. It’s design.

Morey Loves This Kind of Player — And You Should Too

Let me be clear: I’m not here to sell fantasy basketball dreams or national pride baiting.

But when Daryl Morey looks at prospects, he sees risk—not as weakness, but as leverage. He doesn’t want proven veterans; he wants systems. Players who can multiply value within structure.

Yang fits that mold perfectly.

He’s not athletic enough to chase guards up screens or leap over pick-and-rolls like Myles Turner—but that’s okay.

Because what he does have is anticipation—a defensive mind that anticipates rotations before they happen—and positioning, which lets him protect the rim without needing elite speed.

In other words: if you’re running a drop-back defense (which Philly does), Yang becomes less of a liability and more of an anchor—a human chess piece who knows where every square is before it even moves.

And yes—the three-point shooting (28.6%) is worrying… but so was Joel Embiid’s early jumper back in college.

The real question isn’t whether he’ll shoot well—it’s whether he’ll grow. And at age 19? That growth curve is still steep upward.

Why Not Go Safer?

I hear you: “Why pick Yang over Johni Broome or Ryan Kalkbrenner? Both are older, more experienced.” Fair point—or so it seems at first glance.

But let me ask something else:

What happens when your second-round pick wins six games by himself? The truth? Experience doesn’t always translate across leagues—or systems. Broome has better athleticism—but can he adapt to Philadelphia’s paceless offense while protecting both ends? The same goes for Kalkbrenner: great hands, solid frame—but how much will his game evolve under Doc Rivers’ pressure?

Yang brings something different: a rare blend of size + control + vision + upside—all wrapped in one low-risk investment window, in part because no team has done much research on him yet—and that gives Philly an edge, even if they wait until No. 35 to draft him, something Morey would absolutely enjoy given how many assets that allows them to retain or trade later.