Guerschon Yabusele, F, Boston Celtics
Height/Weight: 6-foot-8, 270 pounds
From: France
Age: 20
With the Boston Celtics holding an abundance of draft picks and not enough roster spots to accommodate all their rookies, Yabusele was selected 16th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft as a draft-and-stash player. The Celtics would go on to use their third and final first-round selection on 19-year-old Croatian big man Ante Zizic, making them the first team since the Detroit Pistons in 2003 to select a pair of foreigners in the first round. In Yabusele’s case, the 20-year-old is expected remain with his international team, Rouen of France, for at least the next year or two while the Celtics track his development abroad.
Yabusele doesn’t fit the conventional measurements NBA teams typically look for in frontcourt players. He stands only 6-foot-8 and weighs in at 270 pounds, making him the heaviest player selected in the first round. Despite what his dimensions suggest, Yabusele takes good care of his body, packing a lot of muscle into that listed weight. He also has lengthy arms, which help offset some his height deficiencies to some degree.
From a skills standpoint, Yabusele is a surprisingly adept shooter. He already grades out as an above-average marksman from the outside, as he hit 43 percent of his three-point attempts with Rouen last season. Celtics coach Brad Stevens has shown an affinity in the past for big men like Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk and Jonas Jerebko who can stretch the floor, and Yabusele seems like another player who might fit that mold.
Yabusele doesn’t merely camp out by the three-point line, however. He averaged 11.5 points on 53.9 percent shooting from the field last season, showing good touch near the rim and the ability to out-muscle opponents in the lower block, in addition to his prowess from beyond the arc.
If there’s one area Yabusele remains a little underdeveloped, it’s on the defensive end. The same aggressiveness he shows on offense doesn’t always manifest itself when he’s guarding opponents, and his lack of size is more glaring on that side of the floor. Before seriously considering bringing him to the NBA, the Celtics will need Yabusele to make significant strides in that department. Though he’s quicker than he looks, Yabusele doesn’t move well enough laterally to match up with small forwards, so he’ll have to figure out a way to buckle down against power forwards and centers if he hopes to avoid washing out of the league.
Strengths
- Beefy bodied big with tremendous strength
- Can shoot from range, has a working post game
- Excellent rebounding traits, high motor
- Long arms help him guard the perimeter and matches up well with bigs
Weaknesses
- Undersized for his position
- Work on continuing to get in better shape
- Needs higher level experience before making the jump to the NBA
NBA projection: The undersized big has been on the rise in the NBA in recent years. With success stories such as Draymond Green and Paul Millsap, NBA teams are looking for more of these guys. Yabusele certainly fits the mold, he brings energy, hustle, and skills. If he can continue producing the same way at a higher level he will undoubtedly get an opportunity with an NBA team one day. Look for him to be a second round draft and stash.
2015-16 Season
Around this time last year Yabousele was raising eyebrows at the Adidas Eurocamp in Italy. He dropped 17 and 4 on the United States team that included many of the top prospects in the 2016-17 freshman class. He then made the jump from the French Pro B league to the Pro A with Rouen. His production increased by a sizeable margin even though his competition was much stronger.
Key statistics: France Pro A – 34 GP, 28.7 MPG, 11.5 PPG, 57% 2P, 43% 3P, 77% FT, 6.8 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 1.6 TPG
Cool statistic: His best game of the season was also his last. He dropped 16 points, nine rebounds, two assists and four steals while shooting 6-of-9 from the field, 2-of-4 from three point land in 39 minutes against the Antibes Sharks.
Reminds me of: Paul Millsap
What Insiders Say:
Jonathan Givony, Draft Express
“A chiseled big man with long arms and excellent athleticism, Yabusele is more than just a bruiser, possessing nice hands and touch around the rim, flashing some ability to create off the bounce, and finishing strong inside, sometimes emphatically. His jump shooting mechanics away from the rim are a work in progress, even if he’s a capable shooter, and he forces some shots and drives from the midrange, but it isn’t difficult to see why he was able to contribute as a regular starter in the French 2nd division at age 19.”
Carl Berman, NetScouts Basketball
“He’s undersized, but when you see how effective Draymond Green and Paul Millsap have been, you see why NBA scouts like Yabusele. He improved significantly over the past year and continued improvement will find him on an NBA roster sooner rather than later. Other than his height, skill and measurements are there.”
Trevor Magnotti, Upside and Motor
“Yabusele appears to have a solid perimeter-oriented game that should be enticing for an NBA team. If his shooting can become more consistent, and he continues to develop defensively, it’s easy to see Yabusele turning into a solid bench scorer at the NBA level, a guy who can slide to the three in bigger lineups and bang underneath as an undersized four. He’s still incredibly raw, so he’s more than likely a draft-and-stash candidate, but given his profile, it would not be a surprise to see him go early in the second round.”
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French-born Gerschon Yabusele, a 20-year-old playing for Rouen in France’s A League, has a chance to be drafted after a strong season: 11.5 points and 6.8 rebounds, starting almost half of the games this season for Rouen. He’s a little undersized to play the NBA four, at 6-7, but he’s got the heft at 250 pounds, along with being very strong and very skilled — he shot almost 44 percent on 3-pointers — to make a transition a possibility.
