NBA Summer League takeaways: Flagg, hope for the hopeless Hornets and

1) Portland may be geniuses

The Portland Trail Blazers were the butt of every draft night joke when they took China’s 7ft 1in Yang Hansen, who had been widely projected as a second-round pick, at No 16 overall. But it appears the joke may be on the rest of the NBA, at least if Vegas Summer League is any indication. Hansen was unequivocally the story of the week, impressing with his high-level offensive skillset, and, in particular, his aptitude for passing and facilitation, an unusual trait for someone his size that has garnered him comparisons to one Nikola Jokić. Despite a ton of attention from global media (Hansen is already getting massive amounts of press back home in China), the jovial 20-year-old appears to have a good head on his shoulders, too. He told Ben Golliver of the Washington Post this week: “There’s a saying in my heart, don’t worry about anything that’s more than eight hours away. And even if it’s within eight hours, don’t worry too much.”

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2) Cooper Flagg is as good as advertised

Heading into a scalding hot week in the desert, the talk of the town was a teenager from Maine, and he proved his mettle in his two Summer League appearances. There was an astronomical amount of hype around the No 1 overall pick leading into his Dallas Mavericks debut, and while the shots didn’t start falling until his second game, all the signs of someone who will almost certainly be a highly impactful NBA player were there from tip-off. Flagg is incredibly well-rounded: he can create, score, pass and defend at a high level, and he showcased a little bit of everything in Vegas. Posting 31 points and four rebounds in his second (and final) Summer League appearance against the San Antonio Spurs, Flagg showed why many scouts have called him the most promising college prospect since Zion Williamson. And with Flagg’s reported maniacal work…