Guerschon Yabusele signed a two-year $12 million contract with the New York Knicks in free agency last July and he's already proving why he'll be a valuable asset for the team while representing France at EuroBasket.
In three games for France, Yabusele is leading the team in minutes, averaging 25 per game. Yabusele isn't the number one scoring option but is averaging a respectable 7.6 points per game. Adding four rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per contest, Yabusele has the ability to affect the game in many ways. In his first NBA season since 2018-19 last year, Yabusele averaged 11 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers.
As a strong but mobile stretch four, Yabusele will be able to offer defensive versatility to the Knicks, especially when star center Karl-Anthony Towns checks out of the game. Similar to his new teammate Josh Hart, being able to guard multiple positions will ensure that Yabusele becomes a staple in new head coach Mike Brown's rotation. Yabusele will also have a prominent role in the second unit, filling the duties of Precious Achiuwa, another athletic big man that the Knicks decided to part ways with in the offseason.
France currently sits third in Group D with a record of 2-1 through their first three games. After beginning undefeated, including a win against Luka Doncic and Slovenia, France fell for the first time today against Israel. They will play against Group D leaders Poland on Tuesday, before squaring off against Iceland on Thursday for their final game of group play.