A new era of pioneers! A chance to try the Twin Towers!

The Trail Blazers are committed to strengthening the center position in the two consecutive drafts in 2024 and 2025. They first selected Klingen in the seventh pick in 2024, and then traded the original 11th pick down and selected Yang Hansen in the 16th pick. Judging from the draft goals in recent years, the Trail Blazers' enthusiasm for centers has made Portland fans start to think:

If the double tower combination of Klingen + Yang Hansen is put on, what will the Trail Blazers be like?

This is also the expectation of the Trail Blazers fans for the new season. They can play two defenders at the same time, but the key is whether the two centers can play together at the same time?

Perhaps Klingen and Yang Hansen will not interfere with each other. The two are still in the early stages of their cultivation. For Yang Hansen, the new season will inevitably be full of challenges. Although Klinger has one year of experience and has adapted to the intensity of the game, his current game style is still limited, especially on the offensive end.

From an optimistic perspective, the two people's respective skills can release a certain amount of flexibility for each other on the field, and even have certain complementary effects. If the other young center is filling these vacancy, then there is naturally no problem.

But more importantly, what is really important to worry about now is Rowe. If his health is stable, he will most likely be the team's starter, not Klingen or Yang Hansen. But Rowe's playing style is different from these two centers, especially for the Trail Blazers, what they need is his defense and frame protection.

But based on reality, does head coach Billups choose to put Rowe on the bench? It is undeniable that the Trail Blazers may still trade this veteran in the future, but as long as he is still in the team, he is the biggest competitor of Klingen and Yang Hansen, and it is not the competition between these two young centers.

Even if they can appear at the same time, this idea is indeed worth trying, but it is still unclear what effect this double tower combination will be in the end.

On the surface, Yang Hansen and Klingen have different offensive styles, but there is a possibility of complementarity. According to Xia Lian, the team arranged for Yang Hansen to hold the ball and launch an offensive at a high position. With excellent vision and passing ability, the organizational vision covers the entire middle offensive route. Such a role should be tried at the beginning of the season; while Klingen stays in the inside position, mainly responsible for receiving and eating cakes and protecting the frame. The offensive range is completely different from that of Yang Hansen, and the two will not interfere with each other in theory.

At least so far, everything looks and expects to be good. But the problem is that Klingen must stay in the penalty area, which will destroy Yang Hansen's offensive route after passing the ball. What Yang Hansen needs to find is teammates who run without the ball, but Klingen's defender will appear at the end of these running routes and directly fill the entire inside line.

Especially considering that Yang Hansen is not a stable and threatening three-point shooter, this also makes it easy for another defender to decisively execute the contraction. When Klingen and Yang Hansen, two players with limited outside threats, are on the court at the same time, it means that at least two of the Trail Blazers' offenses are useless, and the remaining three players need to bear tremendous pressure. If the third player who does not have the threat of the outside line is arranged to play, the opponent's entire defense line can basically fill the inside line's penalty area without any scruples.

In this way, Klingen not only couldn't receive the ball, but also could not complete the end, and the breakthrough route was also squeezed, which easily led to Yang Hansen losing his pass opportunity. At this time, as long as the opponent can block the remaining shooters, the Trail Blazers' offense can basically stop.

Perhaps the two towers will have advantages on the defensive end, but it still depends on Yang Hansen's mobility and defensive condition. Klingen's defense in the penalty area is the most effective way, so Yang Hansen must have a larger defensive coverage area and become an excellent defender. Klingen needs to build a high inside wall, which also requires Yang Hansen to have sufficient speed and physical fitness, but he may not have such an advantage at present.

The Blazers may be able to try the second and third-district joint defense, but such an option will face a great test when the opponent attacks to the bottom corner, forcing one of the centers to be pulled out to defend the perimeter. But these two big men are not outstanding in filling positions at the moment, and the bottom corner three-pointer is exactly one of the most lethal shooting dessert positions in the NBA.

The risk of such attempts is extremely high. Even if the center can barely come out to make up for defense, the opponent only needs one or two passes on the offensive end to create a three-point gap opportunity, which is also a difficulty that the Trail Blazers need to face.

does not deny that the Trail Blazers coach can really create a stable two-tower system, but on the surface, the mobility, game experience, defensive intuition, etc. of these two centers are not mature enough, and it seems not appropriate to arrange them to play together at this stage. But who knows how to develop in the future? If the Trail Blazers can create an offensive system that revolves around the inside, they will naturally have advantages.

Or perhaps, after the small ball era, the league is about to usher in the era of giants, and if so, the Trail Blazers are obviously one step ahead at the moment.