Guerschon Yabusele shows full repertoire in D-League debut
The Dancing Bear is here! The Boston Celtics surprised some people last June when they utilized the no. 16 pick to snag Guerschon Yabusele, but he quickly endeared himself to fans and is now a fan favorite.
He’s a fan favorite and he has not played a single game for the Celtics! Projections, quality measurements, exciting summer league performances and quality play in China have propelled Yabusele to popularity levels of a Jae Crowder or Avery Bradley for the Celtic followers.
Yabusele played in China this season averaging 20.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks while leading the team to a 30-9 record. He was pretty efficient shooting 52.7 percent overall, 36.4 percent from 3 (5.2 attempts per game) and 68.6 percent from the charity stripe. He sprained an ankle late in the season which caused him to miss the Shanghai Sharks’ playoff run and delayed his debut with the Maine Red Claws as well.
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Last week at a Celtics game he hinted at the chance he would play some games for the Red Claws this season extending into the D-League playoffs as well.
Look at that smile! Yabusele hears his set-in-stone nickname, The Dancing Bear and the teeth come out in full force.
Yabusele earned the moniker after proving to be nimble at NBA summer league. He’s 6-foot-8 and 270 pounds. Most guys that size are not described as nimble. Usually words like slow, not fleet of foot, solid, a rock, an immovable force, but not nimble.
His versatility is the most enticing aspect of this 21-year-old’s potential. He’s heard another descriptor already too — French Draymond. That’s a lot of pressure to place on the head of a rookie who is still pretty raw, but shows flashes of starter level play on occasion. He just turned 21 in December and he’s being compared to the most versatile wing defender in the best basketball league in the world, phew.
Friday night The Dancing Bear made his Maine Red Claws debut finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. Even in a loss this was an exhilarating debut because Yabusele showed off a little bit of his full offensive repertoire in this one. He finished 4-of-8 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. He did show his rawness on the defensive end, finding himself out of position a couple times resulting in four personal fouls in just 25 minutes but all in all it was a successful debut.
He only had four made baskets, but each were made in a different way.
The athleticism!
This was his FIRST made basket in the D-League! Talk about showing off the athleticism right out of the gate. Again let me remind you this is a 6-foot-8, 270 pound individual who catches at the top of the arc, notices there’s literally no one within 10-feet of him and decides to drop the hammer with ease.
Attacking the glass!
Here, Yabusele sets the curl screen for Abdel Nader (whose draft rights are also held by Boston), Nader takes the feed and attacks the rim but misses. Yabusele has the presence of mind to realize Damien Wilkins — who dropped a 40 piece in this game — isn’t boxing him out, so he goes to the rim and tips in a nice little put back.
Plays like these are important for Guerschon moving forward, because if he makes the Celtics roster next year they aren’t going to be running plays for him, so baskets like this are paramount to his production.
The triple threat and crafty finish!
My mouth is watering as I watch this clip. It’s not the most artful drive, but this man is supremely nimble in his movements and most guys his size cannot readjust in mid-air for that type of finish.
He hits the defender with the triple threat, sees he’s giving him space, but does not settle for the contested 3. Instead he gives him multiple jab steps, gets the little bit of space he needs, puts his 270 pound frame into him and finishes off one foot. What?! Guys who are 6-foot-8 (not named LeBron James of course) and the size of freight train aren’t supposed to be able to do this.
The jumper!
Now comes the most important basket of the night. His point guard does not use his screen, but Yabusele still pops to the open area, catches and rises up with confidence to knock down the shot. The catch, rise and release are very fluid for him at this point which will be vital for his ability to create space a la Jae Crowder for the Boston Celtics.
All in all the debut was everything Yabusele and the Celtics could have hoped for. He showed great mobility and no lingering ankle issues, he showed he can score in a variety of ways and proved he can be aggressive and get to the line with his 10 free throw attempts.
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The Red Claws locked up their third straight Atlantic Division title last night, but they have actually lost four straight games down the stretch. They cap off the regular season today against the Windy City Bulls and it will be interesting to see if Yabusele plays the back-to-back or if they sit him for precaution.
Either way, the entirety of basketball fandom wins when the league employs a man who goes by the moniker The Dancing Bear. Embrace him. Love him. Hate him. Regardless of your feelings Yabusele will be dancing.