One of the Sixers’ most pivotal pending free agents, Guerschon Yabusele, is coming off a thrilling season in his return to the NBA. Here’s how his season graded out.
When the Philadelphia 76ers signed Guerschon Yabusele late in the offseason, there was some celebration about the depth and possibilities he provided.
The former Boston Celtics big man was fresh off an impressive Silver Medal run in the 2024 Summer Olympics for Team France, where he averaged 14.0 points in six games for France. He even dunked on LeBron James in the final game. Expectations were not extremely high for Yabusele’s first return to the NBA in five years, but he quietly became one of the best players on the Sixers’ roster.
Yabusele started the year by splitting his playing time with then-recent signee Caleb Martin. During the first three months of games, from the start of October to the end of December, Yabusele averaged 23.7 minutes per night, averaging 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per night, appearing in 30 games for the team.
Then, something changed in the new year. Caleb Martin went down with a lingering injury and was eventually traded, and Yabusele had proved his value as a high-level role player and starter. Over his last 40 games of the season, he started playing nearly 30 minutes a night, averaging 11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. The French big man stepped up big time for the injury-ridden Sixers, and in a year that was full of lows, he was one of the biggest bright spots.
Yabusele’s consistent production can not be talked about enough. In his first year back in the NBA, he set career highs in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, steals per game, three-point percentage, field goal percentage, and more.
Yabu ended his season with 43 starts, averaging 11.0 points per game on 50.1% shooting from the field. He also grabbed 5.6 boards a night to pair up with his 2.1 assists. Possibly the most important aspect to Yabusele’s game was that he added a consistent and reliable three-point shot to his arsenal, taking 3.9 per game at a 38.0% clip.
While Yabusele is not the flashiest player in the NBA by any means, his value to the Sixers this past year and potentially in the future cannot be understated. He is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and there is a real chance that he walks simply because of the financial restraints the Sixers currently have with their roster construction. That being said, for his one year with the Sixers, Yabusele was terrific on the offensive side of the ball.
For next season, he needs to continue to improve on his defensive side of the court. He is a great forward and has the strength necessary to defend down low, but will need to continue to improve with his footwork and his positioning. However, with all of the hard work Yabu put into making his NBA return, I have no doubt that he will be able to build on this excellent year.
