The New York Knicks signed Guerschon Yabusele this past offseason using their taxpayer mid-level exception. The versatile Frenchman was anticipated to bolster the team's bench unit and provide new head coach Mike Brown with offensive versatility and 3-point shooting that would open things up for others, too. Yabusele's minutes have been up-and-down and returns have been underwhelming through the first 14 games, but there's only one part of his game missing: his signature confidence.
The Frenchman averaged 11 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game as a 76er on 50.1% shooting. He hasn't found any of that success as a Knick.
That is in part because Brown has self-admittedly not found much room for him in the rotation. But in recent games, Yabusele has seen his playing time steadily get back to where it was at the start of the season.
After averaging 13.6 minutes per game in the team's first three contests, Yabusele averaged just eight in the next eight games. He played 10 in Miami on Monday before seeing 17 minutes of playing time on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Guerschon Yabusele's exhausting year could be weighing on him
After his two-year stint with the Celtics, Yabusele spent several years out of the league. He played in China, France, and Spain before making global headlines with his dunk over LeBron James in the 2024 Olympics. Philadephia signed the international darling, who had gone from NBA "deep pull" to viral sensation with one scored basket.
Yabusele had taken 65 3-pointers in his NBA career before the 2024-25 season. In his lone season with the 76ers, he made 104 of his 274 attempts (38.0%) from distance. He approximately quintupled his career minutes played in his third season in the league, averaging 27.1 per game across 70 contests.
After the Olympics and the most physically demanding NBA season of his career thus far, 'Yabu' competed for France again: this time in EuroBasket 2025. After winning silver with his home country in 2024, they were upset by Georgia in the Round of 16.
Yabu can turn things around quickly
Yabusele might just be exhausted after a year full of games. Brown may, at times, leave him out of his plans in favor of fresher legs. His lack of success thus far could also have to do with his adjustment. The coach was clear preseason about how both Karl-Anthony Towns and Yabusele will likely take the longest to adjust, each needing to learn how to play power forward and center in the team's new system.
However, Yabusele can find success even without a full grasp of each of his exact responsibilities offensively. The ball is moving freely, and often, enough for everyone to 'eat' when they get playing time, if they can make their shots.
Brown continuing to play Yabusele between 10 and 20 minutes per game can work just fine for both parties if the coach encourages the big man to hunt 3-point shots, particularly above the break, and give the Knicks' offense something they haven't yet found with Towns, who's shooting just 31.7% on 3-pointers.