Former Boston big man Guerschon Yabusele on what's changed since Celtics stint

USA Today

19 hours ago

A lot of things have changed for former Boston Celtics big man Guerschon Yabusele since he returned to the NBA to after going back to Europe to play. The most obvious, of course, is that he is back in the league that Boston drafted him into with the No. 16 pick of the 2016 draft, having signed with the Philadelphia 76ers for a reserve role that ended up turning out to be much bigger than expected thanks to a litany of injuries besetting the Sixers last season.
And we can add to that in that this time around, Yabusele has a good shot at landing with an NBA team for the 2025-26 season as well on the strengths of his play with Philadelphia. The 6-foot-8 Frenchman put up a very solid 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game with the 76ers last season, shooting 38.0% from beyond the arc as well.
That's a big jump from the pedestrian 2.3 points and 1.4 assists per game he logged with Boston in his first, two-season NBA stint -- and the growth as a player has him well-positioned to continue playing in the league.
What's changed for Yabu as he hits free agency?
The Dreux, France native recently sat down with HoopsHype's Cyro Asseo de Choch for a wide-ranging interview that touched on that stint with the Celtics -- and another thing that has changed for the Dancing Bear. "It was a completely different mentality ... when I was in Boston, because ... I was drafted first round, 16th pick, so my standards and what I was hoping was completely different from right now," he explained. "I didn't have that much experience, too."
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"I was really just young, and I wanted just to play," recalled Yabusele. "And when I didn't have that chance to play, my reaction to it was more and more frustration, because I couldn't understand why I was not playing."
What went wrong with the Celtics?
The problem, according to the former Boston big was, surprisingly, "nothing -- It just happened," per Yabu. "Boston is an organization and a team that (had) a lot of players. That was my situation. I had Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes, and Al Horford in front of me. Those guys have been around in the league for so long, and they're experienced players."
"I couldn't take it the wrong way, saying, 'Oh, I should have been in front of him.,'" he added. "No, that's not true. I was really just hoping that the situation could be a bit different, maybe that they can use the bench a little more, playing me and a couple of the guys that were there."
What did he learn from that experience?
"I played through it," said Yabusele. "And even though I was not with Boston anymore, I learned so much from that season ... it helped me for the second part of my career after that. It really pushed me."
"I had that mentality of loving that basketball, because I know I love basketball," recalled the Celtics center alum. "But if you're in a situation that you don't play, it's hard. I missed it. And I was like, 'You know what? I want to play now'. I want to be somewhere where I always play, so I always try to pick the right situation now for me."
In the end, that mentality worked out for Yabusele, with a return playing real minutes for the Sixers checking off that particular -- but critical -- box for the former 16th pick. And after the season he had with Philly, he might just have a shot to do it again, but with a contender.