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Guerschon Yabusele – Power Forward – 6’8” 260 lbs, France, 20 Years Old
Guerschon Yabusele was raised in Dreux, France, and spent most of his young life training as a boxer. Then Yabusele found basketball at the age of 16, playing in the Chorale Roanne Basket in 2012. Yabusele was competing with under-21’s at that time, despite still being a teenager. Yabusele then went on to join the official Roanne team of the LNB Pro B.
In his first year, Yabusele averaged 1.5 points in eight appearances. Yabusele stayed with Roanne for one more year and showed significant improvement. In his second season, Yabusele averaged 6 points, 4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. After such a good season, it was clear Yabusele would leave to join a better team, and in 2015 he did. Yabusele joined Rouen Metropole Basket of the LNB Pro A. Yabusele had officially moved up to France’s highest level of basketball competition. He reportedly made the decision to play in a better league to help his draft stock.
Strengths
Yabusele is a face-up power forward, with a wingspan of just over seven feet. Yabusele isn’t an elite athlete, but he certainly doesn’t struggle in that department. He could do well by adding some more muscle, but he is surprisingly mobile for a guy who weighs in at 260 lbs.
Yabusele plays extremely hard; some say it’s work rate, and others call it passion. One thing’s for certain: Yabusele makes plays at both ends due to his never give up attitude. He often makes his opposite numbers job difficult with the use of his strength. If Yabusele isn’t an elite athlete, then at least he can say his strength is elite.
In terms of his ability to score, he definitely uses the pump fake to his advantage and has even improved his shooting to point that he can step out of the paint and score from mid or three point range on the odd occasion. Yabusele rebounds well and can also find an open teammate, as his passing ability is improving over time.
Weaknesses
Yabusele is undersized for a power forward. Standing at a generous 6’8”, he will need to make improvements in certain areas to thrive in the NBA. Yabusele will need to work on his body, as he has been described as having “baby fat” in the past and needs to add muscle. The French big man is strong and powerful, but he will need to trim down and lose some fat to have any chance of being successful at the next level.
Yabusele struggles in the pick and role game, which is strange since he is quite mobile and can get up and down the court. So, it probably comes down to timing and aggression. If Yabusele gets those two elements under control, he should be good going forward. Yabusele also lacks post moves and relies heavily on the pump fake to get points on either side of the basket.
As mentioned earlier, he is a passionate player. This is a positive at times, but it can sometimes cause unnecessary issues. More experienced players in France have taken advantage of his high motor and aggression by drawing fouls and getting him into foul trouble. Yabusele also has a tendency to go all out for the steal in situations where he doesn’t really need to.
NBA Potential
Yabusele could be the strongest player in this year’s draft, but he will likely be overlooked by many teams. Those teams could regret passing up on the Frenchman down the line. Yabusele is expected to be a late 1st or early second round pick. He speaks fluent English, so he will have no trouble adapting to life in America. The PF will likely have a successful career in the NBA either as a starter or as a solid bench role player.
NBA Player Comparison
Yabusele reminds many of Golden State star Draymond Green. Green is now a respected force in the league, but when Green came out of Michigan State, he was overlooked by so many teams because he was undersized and hard to evaluate. Both Green and Yabusele either are or were in the same situation, Green used the disrespect shown to him during his draft to his advantage, and Yabusele could do the same if he falls.
Watch to see where Guerschon Yabusele ends up on draft day, and be sure to keep yourself updated with our complete coverage of the 2016 NBA Draft.
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