Former Boston Celtics big man Guerschon Yabusele is falling apart for the second time in his NBA career. After failing to capitalize on his first stint in the NBA, Yabusele went overseas and earned himself a second chance. He played great with the Philadelphia 76ers last season, but now he’s struggling with the New York Knicks.
Following his successful season with the Sixers, Yabusele got himself a multi-year contract with New York. He was slated to be one of their primary backup big men behind Karl-Anthony Towns and the oft-injured Mitchell Robinson. However, he’s quickly fallen out of Mike Brown’s rotation.
For the second time in his career, Yabusele is falling apart at the NBA level.
Guerschon Yabusele is struggling in the NBA once again
The Celtics selected Yabusele with the No. 16 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, just outside of the lottery. It was the same year they drafted Jaylen Brown with the third overall pick.
Yabusele showed some early signs of talent, flashing his three-point stroke, but it didn’t end up working out in Boston. The Frenchman spent only two years with the Celtics.
In those two seasons, Yabusele appeared in 71 games for Boston, but only played 6.6 minutes per contest. He averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 assists while shooting 44.2% from the floor and 32.3% from deep range on 0.9 three-point attempts per contest.
Just two years into his NBA career, Yabusele had fallen apart, showing that he was unable to hang at that level. He went to play overseas ball after that.
However, after a strong showing in the 2024 Olympics, the Sixers handed Yabusele a contract to return to the NBA for the 2024-25 season—five years after he exited the league following the 2018-19 campaign.
He played great in Philadelphia. Even though the 76ers struggled, dealing with injuries for most of the year, he was a consistent bright spot, putting up impressive numbers and shooting the ball well.
Yabusele was so impressive that the Knicks decided to bring him on board, signing him to a deal in free agency. He was expected to be a significant face in their rotation.
That plan hasn’t gone well for Yabusele or the Knicks this season.
So far this year, Yabusele has appeared in 26 games, but he’s only playing 9.6 minutes per contest. He’s averaging 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting just 39.4% from the floor and 30.6% from deep on 1.9 three-point attempts per game.
It's just not working out, and the stats look eerily similar to what he was putting up during his time in Boston.