The Philadelphia 76ers were not supposed to be standing the way they currently are. While things are finally starting to click for them, everyone expected the team to potentially lord over most clubs in the East. However, the reality is that they are playing catch-up to the 10 teams currently stationed above them in the standings.
Still, the 76ers are certainly not bereft of silver linings this season. Even when they were in their frustrating losing spree, Philly has been at the crux of some pleasantly suprising developments in the league, though the negative stuff have expectedly overshadowed whatever inkling of bright spot they have had so far.
One bright spot that has turned into a well-received success story in the league this season is Guerschon Yabusele, who has been a phenomenal addition to the 76ers in the present campaign. After a long hiatus from the NBA, the Frenchman has muscled his way into the league, garnering a lot of appreciation from nearly every league circle.
Guerschon Yabusele has done much more than expected for the 76ers this season
Coming in, Philadelphia probably did not anticipate this level of production of Yabusele. Sure, he was coming off a breakout stint in the 2024 Summer Olympics, but he was also away from the NBA for a good five years after an unremarkable start to is professional career in the big league.
The 76ers nevertheless took a flier on Yabusele and inked him to a minimum deal largely to shore up the team’s frontcourt, which remains lacking even at the moment. However, the big bruiser has filled another void for the team, something they certainly did not expect they would be able to get from him.
Yabusele, who has nominally played center this season for the mot part, has been the squad’s most consistent three-point shooter, draining 39.3 percent of his three-point tries. Only Reggie Jackson has a higher conversion rate than him, and he only does so thanks to his low volume and minimal playing time.
There were signs of Yabusele turning into a reliable floor spacer, but there was no sample size of him being able to do it in the rangier three-point line of the NBA. Nevertheless, he was able to quickly quell those concerns, going on to become the 76ers’ best floor-spacing big man by a mile.
The Philadelphia 76ers are eyeing big things this season despite their slow start, and to reach whatever goal they have in mind, they would be needing not only Guerschon Yabusele’s noteworthy brawn, but also his unexpected touch from beyond the arc.