2025-26 Trail Blazers Tour: Lillard s return and Yang Hansen s starting line

When news of Damian Lillard returning to the Trail Blazers came, two meaningful jerseys were hanging in the Portland Trail Blazers' locker room - one was Lillard's No. 0 jersey, and the other was rookie Hansen's No. 55 jersey. This kind of interlaced time and space is a true portrayal of the Trail Blazers this season: a legend in the history of the team is waiting for his return while recovering, a Chinese star is embarking on the journey of the NBA, and the team is conducting a precise calculation about emotions and the future at the intersection of reconstruction.

1️⃣Lillard's special role: spiritual totem and salary leverage

The story of the Trail Blazer and Lillard is far more complicated than imagined. In 2023, the team sent him to the Bucks for assets such as Holiday and Kamala, and started their first-round pick accumulation plan; in July 2025, when the Bucks cut Lillard with extended terms to sign Miles Turner, the Trail Blazers recalled him with a three-year, $42 million contract. This seemingly sentiment-driven deal actually has hidden salary magic - Lillard will receive a guaranteed salary of US$70 million from the two contracts of the Bucks and the Trail Blazers in 2025-26, while the Trail Blazers only need to bear an annual salary of 14 million, but it has returned to the spiritual leadership of the team's scoring champion in the history of the team.

The nine-time All-Star will devote the entire season to recovery. The tear of the Achilles tendon in the first round of the playoffs in April 2025 forced him to undergo surgery and miss all games, with the goal aiming to make a comeback in the 2026-27 season. But his influence has long surpassed the arena: analysis of tactical boards in the training hall, one-on-one guidance for Henderson, and veteran mottos in the locker room. These intangible values are the cultural cornerstones that the team needs most during the reconstruction period. General Manager Joe Cronin's operation is an example - locking in the recovery period of legendary stars at a reasonable cost not only maintains the box office appeal, but also does not hinder the growth of young players.

2️⃣ Lineup reconstruction: The butterfly effect of the trading chain

Lillard's two transactions have shaped the current lineup. Holiday, who was traded for the first time in 2023, was repurchased by the Trail Blazers in the summer of 2025 after a Celtics' transit. The nine-time All-Defensive Team member will serve as the starting point guard with a stable performance of 11.1 points and 4.3 assists per game. The forward line consists of Affodia (16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds) and Grant, with the two total output of 33.6 points forming a mid-range firepower net, while Kamara (11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds) retained from the Bucks trade provides defensive resilience.

Inside competition became the focus. Klingen (17.4 points and 10.1 rebounds) secured his starting lineup with a 58.3% shooting percentage, while Chinese rookie Yang Hansen's growth space is hidden in the substitute period. The 19-year-old center's 10.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists showed in the summer league, proving that his talent for support can be compared with Jokic, but the 3.01-second reversal speed exposed the defensive shortcomings. Coach Billups' joint defense system will become a protective umbrella - making up for the lack of internal lateral movement through flange maneuverability, creating more opportunities for Yang Hansen to protect the frame. In the summer league, he has shown his ability to grasp the timing.

The salary structure has hidden mystery. Yang Hansen's four-year, $21.39 million in child labor contracts form a flexible space with the expiration contracts between Holiday and Grant. The Blazers hold the Bucks' first round pick and two swap rights in 2029. If these assets are used to add new stars in the 2026 draft year, Lillard, who has returned healthy, is expected to complete the reconstruction of the closed loop. This "low-cost trial and error + high-potential accumulation" model allows the team to remain competitive in the transition year.

3️⃣Tactical Experiment: The system revolution in the post-Lillard era

Billups is implementing a complete tactical reform. The assist rate of the league's 27th last season forced the team to give up star dependence, and Holiday's return provides the core of the system - behind his seemingly ordinary 3.9 assists is the league's top passing vision and defensive prediction. Data shows that when Yang Hansen served as a high-level support in the summer league, the efficiency of the Trail Blazers' positional battle increased by 23%, and this chemical reaction hints at the new tactical direction: multi-point transmission with the inside line as the axis. The transformation of the defensive end is also critical. The Trail Blazers only ranked 20th in defensive efficiency last season. The new system will integrate Holiday's backcourt lock defense and Kamala's flank sweep to form a three-dimensional defense network. For Yang Hansen, this means more under the basket than outside the chasing, which is perfectly in line with his technical characteristics of averaging 2.6 blocks per game during the CBA. The coaching staff specially designed the "center-wing" defense tactics, using his 2.24-meter wingspan to cover the penalty area, while avoiding the weakness of insufficient lateral movement speed.

Lillard's presence guidance creates unexpected value. Although he is unable to participate in the competition, the pick-and-roll master will teach Yang Hansen the details of cooperation with the defender: the choice of pick-and-roll timing, the change of downward route, and the angle of the pass after the defense attracts. These details on the training ground may be able to accelerate the rookies to adapt to the NBA rhythm more than formal games. As Billups said: "We have the most expensive 'tactical consultant' in the league, which is an advantage that other rebuilding teams do not have. "

4️⃣Western pattern: a breeding ground for growth and a real challenge

Trail Blazers are expected to rank 14th in the West to create an ideal growth environment instead. But the schedule will not show mercy: the opening match against the Timberwolves led by Gobert will encounter Jokic and Homgren in succession in the first week, and these top inside players will become Yang Hansen's "NBA physical examination device". For the rebuilding team, the significance of these duels is not the winner, but the collection of data feedback from young players in high-intensity confrontations. The match between

and the upstarts in the west is of great reference value. The defensive coverage ability of Thunder defending champion Homgren (3.7 blocks per game) will test Yang Hansen's final stability; the Nuggets Jokic's support is the most intuitive learning template, and the direct dialogue between the two may become a measure of progress.. The Trail Blazers management has already clarified its season goals: to evaluate the upper limit of the core combination of Henderson-Yang Hansen, while maintaining the high pick-up competitiveness of the 2026 draft.

The attention at the business level cannot be ignored. The sales boom of Yang Hansen's exclusive LOGO and jerseys quickly launched by Li Ning shows that the Chinese market has high hopes for it. But the cruelty of the NBA lies in that commercial value is ultimately based on performance on the field. Yang Hansen needs to prove that he is not only a market symbol—can the 74% inside shooting percentage of the Summer League continue? Can you maintain an average of 6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game against NBA-level confrontation? These answers will determine his position in the rotation.

5️⃣Future picture: The road to reconstruction in parallel with two lines

The Trail Blazers' season success or failure will be measured by double standards. At the competitive level, if Yang Hansen averages 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, it will be enough to prove the value of the draft; the backcourt combination of Henderson and Sharp needs to show stable progress and set the core framework for the future. At the asset level, the team needs to maintain a healthy salary structure and draft capital to reserve ammunition for the free market or trading market in 2026.

Lillard's recovery process is a hidden variable. If the 2026-27 season can restore 70% of its strength at its peak, the 36-year-old veteran can still become the championship puzzle - his key ball ability and leadership are the championship puzzles that young teams lack. The operation of the Trail Blazers is a template for reconstruction: using emotional bonds to maintain the foundation of fans, using scientific methods to cultivate young players, and finding a subtle balance between feelings and reality.

For fans, this season will be full of observation. Watch Yang Hansen's transformation from a CBA blocking king to an NBA rotation center, see how Holiday teaches defensive wisdom, and see Lillard completes his transformation from a player to a spiritual leader on the sidelines. As the slogan on the streets of Portland said: "The legend has not yet ended, and the new star has risen." In the reconstruction experiment of the Tear City, the past and the future are completing a relay across time and space.