With their recent roster move, the Philadelphia 76ers have made a significant addition during the late offseason.
After successfully signing Paul George from the Los Angeles Clippers while keeping key players, the 76ers are bringing in French big man Guerschon Yabusele.
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, “France forward Guerschon Yabusele has agreed to a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.” Yabusele played a crucial role in helping France secure a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics, averaging 19.67 points in his last three games against Canada, Germany, and the USA.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the contract is valued at $2.1 million.
Scotto’s announcement followed The Athletic’s Shams Charania, who noted that Yabusele was in discussions with the 76ers, attracting interest from multiple teams after his Olympic performance.
Yabusele gained attention for a viral dunk over Team USA and LeBron James.
Yabusele averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 23 minutes per game during six Olympic appearances with France.
Following Yabusele’s signing, the 76ers now have 13 players under guaranteed contracts.
Former Celtics Draft Pick Joins Rival 76ers.
Yabusele was selected by the Boston Celtics as the 16th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
He played two seasons with the Celtics during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, averaging 2.3 points on 44.2% shooting and 1.4 rebounds. Yabusele was more effective with the Celtics’ G League team, the Maine Red Claws, where he averaged 19.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals over 17 games during three seasons.
Yabusele departed from the Celtics to join Real Madrid in Spain in 2019.
The 6-foot-8, 260-pound forward averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 20 minutes per game over 24 appearances for Real Madrid during the 2023-24 season. Prior to that, he had recorded four consecutive seasons of double-digit scoring.
76ers Address Need with Guerschon Yabusele Signing.
Yabusele will enhance the frontcourt rotation for the 76ers, which includes three centers, with Joel Embiid leading the group, along with several wing players.
However, they currently lack a true power forward.
Wings Caleb Martin, Kelly Oubre, and Kenyon Martin Jr. have all played significant minutes in that position, but they are undersized and do not provide the combination of power forward and center skills that Yabusele offers.
“Yabusele is a low-risk option for a Sixers team that needed additional depth at the 4 behind Caleb Martin,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweeted on August 18. “He has improved his shot from the closer international 3-point line; his success in the NBA will depend on whether that translates to the deeper one as well.”
Yabusele has a career three-point shooting percentage of 32.3% in the NBA and shot 28.6% during his time in Paris. However, he achieved a 37% shooting rate throughout his G League career and made 39.4% of his attempts from beyond the arc, averaging 3.0 attempts per game in the 2023-24 season.
In the 2023-24 season, 76ers forwards shot 35.4% from three-point range, while their centers had a higher percentage at 38.9%, according to NBA.com.
Joel Embiid was a significant contributor for the centers, shooting 38.8% on 3.7 attempts per game. None of the other centers on the team averaged more than the 1.1 attempts per game that Mo Bamba recorded, who shot 39.1% on his outside shots.
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