76ers are giving Guerschon Yabusele the gift the Celtics took from him

The Philadelphia 76ers have taken a chance on a player who has come to be the most unlikely success story of 2024. After navigating a road to glory that entered the spotlight at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Gerschon Yabusele has earned a second chance in the NBA that few saw coming.

The 2024-25 regular season got off to a rocky start for the 76ers as a team, but Yabusele offered a reminder of what the Boston Celtics could've had.

Boston selected Yabusele at No. 16 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. He appeared in 74 games across two seasons with the Celtics before he was unceremoniously waived and sent on a road to redemption that was traveled outside of the traditional spotlight.

Yabusele spent the following season playing for the Nanjing Monkey Kings in China before returning to Europe with ASVEL Basket in France in 2020-21—helping the club win the LNB Pro A championship and the 2021 French Cup.

Yabusele would join European powerhouse Real Madrid in 2021 and took his resurgence to a new level. He helped Real Madrid win Liga ACB titles in 2022 and 2024, as well as the coveted Euroleague crown in 2023, before the finishing touches were put on his return to the NBA at the 2024 Olympics.

With a phenomenal showing for France in Paris, Yabusele turned an Olympic silver medal into an opportunity to return to the NBA with the 76ers—and he's hit the ground running.

Guerschon Yabusele just needed a chance to prove himself

Yabusele thrived during the preseason, showcasing his versatile skill set and improved shooting. The question facing him, however, was how he would adapt to the competitive nature of an NBA regular season once Philadelphia needed him most.

It's only one game, but Yabusele is already proving to be capable of going up against NBA-caliber talent and providing quality minutes against them.

There wasn't much to celebrate during the 76ers' regular season opener, as they fell 124-109 to the Milwaukee Bucks. Yabusele was an exception to the rule, however, as he turned in 26 quality minutes for Nick Nurse and company.

Yabusele finished with 10 points, four rebounds, two offensive boards, three assists, and three steals in his first official NBA game since May 8, 2019.

In addition to being a remarkable story, Yabusele's performance was an encouraging sign for the 76ers. A season ago, Philadelphia's bench ranked No. 20 in offensive rating and No. 23 in points per game.

With Yabusele emerging as a viable scoring option, there's reason to believe the second unit can improve upon its performance and general quality from a season ago.

Injuries impacted the 76ers' bench in 2023-24, but there was a glaring absence that Yabusele addresses. Last season, the second unit lacked a player who could create for himself and others, let alone a player who could play the passing lanes and excel on the offensive glass.

It's a night-and-day experience from his first NBA tenure already, and Yabusele appears ready and willing to transform one of the 76ers' biggest weaknesses into a potential strength.