If you watched the Olympic Gold Medal Match between the USA and France, you probably noticed the three standout stars: Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembenyama, and Guerschon Yabusele.
One of those players happens to now play for our very own 76ers.
The Team is Complete
After a flurry of great moves this offseason, the Sixers still lacked a backup power forward. They have Caleb Martin (undersized as it is), but that’s it. Now, they filled out the last hole by adding a true PF in Yabusele.
He’s a classic Bruiser-type player, standing at 6’8” and weighing in at 275 pounds. He has the body to do some damage and get rebounds, and he has standout athleticism. His highlight reel dunk over Lebron James went viral and got him noticed worldwide. It takes a special athlete to posterize Lebron.
NBA Experience
This won’t be Yabusele’s first stint in the NBA. He played for the Celtics for two years, from 2017-2019, before heading overseas to play in Spain. During those two years he had only averaged two points a game and 1.4 rebounds in just over six minutes per game.
It’s not a great sample size, but the Celtics obviously thought he didn’t have what it takes to step on the NBA floor.
The Spanish Giants
Last year, when playing for the Spanish Giants, Yabusele had a decent year, averaging 9.3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and .7 stocks. It’s nothing crazy, but those numbers are very good for a backup PF. If he could manage to transfer those numbers to the NBA, the Sixers would have an absolute steal of a signing this year.
Olympic Performance
In the Olympic Games, Yabusele started to show his shining colors. He stepped up his play against the best players in the world. In the tournament play, he scored 22 against Canada, 17 against Germany, and 20 against the USA. He looked imposing with his ability to attack the rim with aggression and finish with contact.
His energy provided a huge spark for France and was part of the reason they stayed in the game against the USA. We will want to see some more rebounds out of him after having only 2 in that game, but he can and will provide some serious energy and momentum off the bench.
Will He Work Out for Us?
It’s hard to know what to expect out of him in the NBA, but he should get a solid chance to come off the bench and get some good minutes this year.
The Sixers need him in that position, so he will have plenty of opportunities. This will also allow Paul George to play his proper position at SF more instead of moving to the 4 at some points.
With the injuries that many of the Sixers players are prone to, Yabusele will most likely become a key contributor throughout the regular season.
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