Many were disappointed when the Philadelphia 76ers lowballed Guerschon Yabusele in free agency last summer, which culminated in him leaving for supposedly greener pastures in the Big Apple. Unfortunately for him, his stint with the Knicks was as short-lived as it could possibly be, as New York quickly moved on from him and shipped him away to the Bulls before the trade deadline.
Expectations were low when he was traded to Chicago, but so far, the Frenchman has quickly proven himself to be a reliable cog for the Bulls. While they are struggling as a team, having lost 11 of their last 13 games, Yabusele has impressed a lot of people in his new ball club, quelling doubts as to whether he can remain in the NBA.
The 76ers, having rostered him for a full season in the previous campaign, are probably the one least surprised about how he is playing right now. After all, Yabu was highly impressive in his lone season in Philly, proving that his stint in Europe was very productive for him as a player. Now, he has a shot at entrenching himself in the league, which seemed impossible when he was stuck in New York.
Guerschon Yabusele is reminding everyone just how good he is
Last season was a complete disaster for the 76ers, but Yabusele was perhaps their biggest bright spot. With so many minutes available for taking and roles open for filling in, he came in and swiftly asserted himself as the most versatile piece on the team.
Yabusele seems to have taken his shapeshifting ability in Chicago, where he has suddenly become a volume three-point shooting big man. He is hoisting up nearly six threes a game in 26 minutes of court time on average, draining north of 40 percent of his attempts from downtown. He has primarily played the center position, too, serving as the direct replacement of Nikola Vucevic, who was traded to Boston.
The sample size has been small, but Yabusele emerging as a viable floor-spacing big man will do wonders for his stock around the league. He has a player option for next season which he will surely exercise, but if he wants to stay in the NBA beyond that, showcasing how he can attune to the modern game is key.
Hopefully, the former 76ers forward can continue showing to everyone that he can be a bona fide rotation-caliber player in the NBA. His start in Chicago is pretty telling of what he is capable of, and even better, he seems to still have something to unlock in his game.