Guerschon Yabusele is a power forward from SPO Rouen. Yabusele is 6’8 and has a wingspan of 7’1. For the year, he averaged, 28.7 minutes per game, 11.5 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, 1.1 assists per game, 0.4 blocks per game, 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 53.9% from the field, and 42.6% from three.
Pros:
- Finishes strong at the basket
- Developing set of post moves
- Consistent mid-range jumper
- Three point range
- Great in transition
- Good court vision
- Excellent passer
- Defensive potential
- Excellent rebounder
- Motor
- Strength and length
- Above average athlete
Cons:
- Weight issues
- Size
- Interior offense
- Ball handling
- Three point consistency
- Pick-and-roll abilities
- Lateral quickness
- Defensive awareness
- Foul prone
Overall:
Guerschon Yabusele is hoped by many French to come over to the States, and be a similar type of player Draymond Green is. I do not see him having that type of impact, but he has all the skills to be an excellent role player for any team. His questionable weight issues will the biggest detriment to his success at the next level.
On offense, Yabusele has the ability to score from anywhere on the court. In the paint, Yabusele uses his good strength to get deep in the post, and finish at a high level. He will need to continue working on his post moves, as he can finish on either side of his body, but does not change his move, which opposing defenses will read easily in a more talented league. Yabusele has shown to play above the rim as well thanks to his good leaping ability. His dedication to playing at a high level, and good athleticism makes him a constant threat in transition. From mid-range, Yabusele is extremely effective. He loves to shoot out of pick-and-pop situations. Yabusele also has the ability to step out and hit threes. Although his percentage says he hits them at a consistent rate, it was very hot and cold throughout the season. Passing is another plus for Yabusele. He sees the court extremely well, and is always a willing distributor. Ball handling is very poor for Yabusele, so it is better to feed him in the post, and keep him from having the ball in open court.
Defensively, Yabusele has the strength, length, and motor to be an elite defender, but he just lacks the overall awareness and fundamentals for defense to be considered an asset. His interior defense needs a lot of work. He gets into foul trouble by experienced players using his energy against him by getting him to jump or reach. Out on the perimeter, Yabusele does not have good lateral movement, which usually causes him to get beat off the dribble by faster players. Yabusele will also gamble on the perimeter looking for steals, which allows for his opponents to beat him as well. Rebounding is a huge perk for Yabusele, who crashes the board as hard as anyone in the draft class. He focuses on the fundamentals of rebounding, and mixes it up with his length to be an absolute monster on the glass.
Overall, Yabusele is a wildcard. His offensive ability projects to be a good stretch four at the next level, but his inability to use his size in the post leaves question marks for his natural position at the four. On defense, Yabusele focuses too much on energy than focusing to what is happening around him. His effort does not go unnoticed, he just needs to be coached up on proper defensive schemes and techniques. With the draft right around the corner, Yabusele looks to be a big contender to sneak into the bottom half of the first round. His draft range is looking to be 25-35. If he is not secured as a draft-and-stash for a playoff team at the end of the first round, I expect him to be gone very quickly in the second round by teams looking to boost their bench this season, or look for a potential two-way player in a few years out of him.
Pro Comparison: Boris Diaw
This might seem like a cheap comparisons since they are both French, but there is more there than just ethic backgrounds and weight issues. Diaw is not a star in the league, but has proven to be vital to the success of the San Antonio Spurs in their current dynasty. Yabusele has a similar skill set and build to be the same caliber player in the league.
Offensively, Diaw and Yabusele have the build and strength to be dominant post players, but neither player loves to play in the paint. They both can finish with either hand, both at high levels, but prefer to sit in the mid-range. This is not a bad thing for ither player, as they hit their jumpers at a high level. Diaw and Yabusele also have the ability to knock down threes with a good consistency. Although they do not take many attempts from three, the ability to make them make them a constant threat to opposing defenses. Passing is another shared trait amongst these two, as they have excellent court vision, and can find open teammates anywhere on the court. Neither player is very capable of handling the ball for long periods of time without committing a turnover.
On defense, both players play with good tenacity, but are not the best overall defenders. On the interior, both players have good strength to not get bullied around, but can be susceptible to becoming foul prone but being too energetic. This is an effective skill set to have though, as physical, energetic defense has proven to be one of the biggest detrements to the league’s best player in LeBron James. On the perimeter, Yabusele and Diaw have slow lateral movement, which allows faster opponents to blow by them. Rebounding edge goes to Yabusele, who has mentioned above just loves to crash the boards.
Diaw might not be the best player in the league, but he knows his role within a team, and that is something you see out of Yabusele in France. Diaw did not make an instant impact in the league, and I do not project Yabusele to either, but given a few years to develop, he could come over, and be the difference maker many playoff teams could use now.
By: Mac Crowe, @Mac_Truck17
NBA Source Today 