What Happened to Guerschon Yabusele in the NBA and Where Is He Now?
I remember watching Guerschon Yabusele's NBA journey with particular interest, partly because we share French basketball roots, but mostly because he represented something increasingly rare in today's game - a player whose physicality and skill set defied traditional positional labels. When the Boston Celtics selected him with the 16th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, I was among those French basketball enthusiasts who believed we were witnessing the emergence of Europe's next great export. Standing at 6'8" with a frame that carried around 260 pounds of what appeared to be pure muscle, Yabusele possessed the kind of athleticism that made scouts drool. His combination of size, strength, and surprising agility reminded me of a slightly smaller version of Draymond Green, but with potentially more offensive upside.
Yabusele's path to the NBA followed what's become a common trajectory for international prospects who need additional development time. Rather than joining the Celtics immediately after being drafted, he spent the 2016-2017 season playing in China for the Shanghai Sharks, where he averaged 20.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Those numbers looked impressive on paper, but having watched several of his games from that season, I noticed aspects of his game that concerned me - particularly his defensive awareness and shot selection, which needed significant work for the NBA level. The Celtics brought him over for the 2017-2018 season, but he appeared in just 33 games, averaging 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in about 7 minutes per contest. Watching him struggle to find his rhythm reminded me of how difficult the transition can be, even for highly-touted international prospects. The NBA game moves at a different speed, and Yabusele often seemed a step behind, both mentally and physically.
What struck me most during his time with Boston was how his limitations became increasingly apparent. While he had the strength to battle in the post, his lateral quickness made him vulnerable in pick-and-roll situations, a critical weakness in today's perimeter-oriented NBA. His three-point shooting, which had been decent in Europe at around 34%, plummeted to just 32% in the NBA - not terrible, but not good enough to justify his defensive shortcomings. I recall one particular game against Golden State where he was repeatedly targeted in switches against Stephen Curry, and the results were exactly what you'd imagine. The Celtics, understandably focused on developing their younger core players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, couldn't afford to give significant minutes to a project player who wasn't showing rapid improvement.
The parallel to Justin Brownlee's situation with Barangay Ginebra comes to mind when reflecting on Yabusele's career trajectory. Just as Brownlee's health concerns created both challenges and opportunities for his team, Yabusele's limitations in the NBA ultimately led him to find his true calling back in Europe. After Boston waived him in July 2019, I'll admit I felt a sense of disappointment, but also curiosity about where his career would lead. Sometimes, a player's greatest success comes from finding the right environment rather than forcing fit at the highest level. Yabusele returned to Europe, signing with ASVEL in France, where he immediately looked more comfortable and impactful. His statistics there - 11.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game - don't fully capture how much more confident and effective he appeared in that system.
His resurgence continued when he moved to Real Madrid, where he's developed into one of Europe's most dominant forwards. Last season, he averaged 12.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting an impressive 42% from three-point range - numbers that far exceed what he produced in the NBA. Watching him in EuroLeague games now, I see a completely different player from the one who struggled in Boston. He moves with purpose, his decision-making has improved dramatically, and he's become the kind of versatile defender that NBA teams covet. It makes me wonder what might have been different if he'd entered the league with more development time or landed with a team that could have been more patient with his growth curve.
The contrast between his NBA struggles and European success highlights an important reality about professional basketball that we sometimes overlook - fit and development path matter as much as raw talent. Yabusele needed the structure and style of European basketball to maximize his abilities, much like some players flourish in specific NBA systems but struggle elsewhere. At 28 years old, he's in his prime now, having won multiple EuroLeague championships and established himself as a cornerstone for one of Europe's premier franchises. While some might view his NBA tenure as a failure, I see it differently - it was a learning experience that ultimately helped him develop into the star he's become overseas. His journey serves as a valuable reminder that basketball success isn't defined solely by NBA achievement, but by finding the right platform to showcase one's talents and make meaningful contributions to the game we all love.
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