France League

I still remember the first time I saw Guerschon Yabusele play during the 2016 NBA Summer League—this 6'8", 260-pound French forward with surprising agility and a developing three-point shot. As someone who's followed international basketball transitions to the NBA for over a decade, I found his combination of size and skill absolutely fascinating. The Boston Celtics selected him with the 16th overall pick in the 2016 draft, but what followed was a journey that few could have predicted, one that reminds me somewhat of the health concerns currently surrounding Justin Brownlee with Barangay Ginebra, where teams must constantly balance player development with immediate needs.

After being drafted, Yabusele didn't immediately join the Celtics. Instead, they stashed him overseas to continue developing, a strategy I've always had mixed feelings about. He spent the 2016-2017 season with the Shanghai Sharks in China, where he put up respectable numbers—averaging 20.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. The following season, he finally made his Celtics debut, but honestly, he never quite found his footing in the NBA. In 74 games across two seasons with Boston, he averaged just 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in limited minutes. I remember watching him struggle to adapt to the faster pace and more physical style of the NBA game, his defensive positioning often a step slow, his offensive moves not quite sharp enough against elite defenders.

What struck me most during his NBA stint was how his particular skill set—a stretch four who could theoretically space the floor but wasn't quite consistent enough from deep—just didn't fit what Boston needed at that moment. The Celtics were chasing championships, and they couldn't afford to develop raw talent during crucial regular-season games. This situation reminds me of the current balancing act Barangay Ginebra faces with Justin Brownlee's health situation—teams always have to weigh player development against competitive immediacy, and sometimes promising talents get caught in that difficult position.

The turning point came in July 2019 when Boston waived Yabusele. I'll admit I was disappointed but not entirely surprised—the NBA's ruthlessness toward players who don't immediately produce is something I've criticized for years. Rather than chasing another NBA opportunity that might not materialize, Yabusele made what I believe was a wise decision: he returned to Europe, signing with ASVEL Basket in France, where he'd previously played before being drafted. This homecoming proved transformative for his career in ways his NBA stint never could have been.

Since returning to Europe, Yabusele has flourished in a way that should make NBA teams reconsider how they evaluate and develop international talent. With Real Madrid, where he moved in 2021, he's become one of the most dominant forwards in the EuroLeague. Last season, he averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting an impressive 42% from three-point range—numbers that far exceed what he produced in the NBA. More importantly, he's developed into a complete player, comfortable creating his own shot, defending multiple positions, and making smart decisions with the basketball. I've watched several of his EuroLeague games recently, and the confidence he plays with now is lightyears beyond what we saw during his Celtics days.

What fascinates me about Yabusele's journey is how it reflects a broader pattern in basketball—sometimes a player's success depends less on raw talent and more on finding the right system, the right role, and the right environment. In Europe, Yabusele plays significant minutes, has plays designed for him, and enjoys the trust of his coaches in crucial moments. These are opportunities he rarely received in the NBA, where the margin for error for young international players can be frustratingly thin. His story parallels the delicate situations teams face with players like Justin Brownlee—where health concerns or fit issues can dramatically alter a career trajectory, forcing organizations to make difficult decisions about player development versus immediate competitive needs.

Currently, at 28 years old, Yabusele has established himself as a cornerstone for Real Madrid and a key member of the French national team. He's won multiple EuroLeague championships, domestic league titles, and has become the type of impactful player that NBA teams might look at with regret for not developing properly. Just last month, he put up 18 points against Olympiacos in a crucial EuroLeague matchup, demonstrating the two-way versatility that originally made him a first-round pick. From my perspective, his success in Europe doesn't represent a failure to make it in the NBA so much as finding the right basketball home—a lesson more players might benefit from considering.

Looking at Yabusele's career arc gives me hope for players who don't immediately thrive in the NBA system. His journey from NBA draft pick to roster casualty to European star demonstrates that basketball careers aren't linear and that success can be defined in multiple ways. While he may not have become the NBA player many hoped for, he's developed into one of Europe's premier talents—a transformation that speaks to his resilience and adaptability. In a global basketball landscape, his story serves as a valuable reminder that the NBA isn't the only measure of a player's worth, and sometimes finding the right fit matters more than reaching the highest league. For Yabusele, that realization has made all the difference, turning what might have been viewed as a career disappointment into a resounding success on his own terms.