2016 NBA Draft: Best second round steals

3. Guerschon Yabusele, PF, Rouen (France)

International draft prospects in the 2nd round can be tough to project. For every Dragic or Omer Asik that becomes a regular rotation player, you end up with an Ante Tomic or Emir Preldzic that never ventures over to the league. That being said, if there is a second-round steal in this year’s deep international crop, it’s Guerschon Yabusele.

Yabusele exploded onto the scene this year at Rouen, averaging 16.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per 40 minutes in the French Pro A league. He showed an excellent offensive versatility, with the size of your prototypical glass-cleaner (6’8″, 260 lbs.), but a promising shooting stroke (42.6 percent from three). Yabusele was given the freedom to create at Rouen, and he showed an impressive handle and developing post game. Combine that with his pick-and-pop skills, which he’s put on display on the international stage, and you have the makings of a quality all-around offensive threat, even if he struggles a bit with shooting consistency and turnovers at this point.

Defensively, there’s concern Yabusele could be a bit positionless in the NBA. He isn’t quite quick enough to defend small forwards on the perimeter, but he also doesn’t have the length of a Tristan Thompson or Paul Millsap that would allow him to more comfortably defend NBA bigs at 6’8″. However, he will have a niche as a defender. He’s a solid pick-and-roll defender for a 20-year old, and he recovers well in help situations in general. He also is an excellent defensive rebounder (19.4 defensive rebound rate), which will help him gain footing on that end.

Yabusele is incredibly raw at this stage, but he has the makings of a very versatile offensive game, and he’s good at things you want a mobile stretch-four to be good at on defense. Given a year or two of seasoning at a larger club in Europe, Yabusele could be a nice draft-and-stash option in the early part of the second round. Expect a team like Milwaukee or New Orleans to be a potential landing spot.

To learn more about Guerschon Yabusele, click here.

Next: 2. Patrick McCaw