What Happened to Guerschon Yabusele in the NBA and Why Did He Leave?
I still remember the first time I watched Guerschon Yabusele play for the Boston Celtics back in 2017. There was something undeniably captivating about this 6'8", 260-pound French forward they called the "Dancing Bear" - his combination of size, surprising agility, and that infectious smile made him stand out even among NBA athletes. Yet within two seasons, he was gone from the league, leaving many fans wondering what exactly happened to this promising international prospect. Having followed numerous international players' transitions to the NBA throughout my career as a basketball analyst, Yabusele's story represents a particularly interesting case study in how timing, fit, and development opportunities can make or break a player's American career.
Yabusele entered the NBA through what I consider one of the more unconventional routes in recent memory. Selected 16th overall by the Celtics in the 2016 draft, he didn't immediately join the team but spent a year developing in China with the Shanghai Sharks, where he averaged a respectable 21 points and 9 rebounds per game. This developmental approach made sense theoretically - give a raw talent time to mature in a professional environment before throwing him into the NBA fire. But looking back, I wonder if this delayed integration actually hindered his adjustment. When he finally joined Boston for the 2017-18 season, the Celtics were a championship-contending team with established veterans and limited minutes available for development projects. In his rookie year, he appeared in just 33 games, averaging less than 7 minutes per contest. The numbers tell a stark story: 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds on average - hardly the production you expect from a first-round pick.
What fascinates me about Yabusele's situation is how it contrasts with other international players who found success in the NBA. Unlike Kristaps Porzingis or Luka Doncic who were handed significant roles immediately, Yabusele never got consistent playing time to establish rhythm or confidence. I've always believed that player development requires both quality coaching and meaningful minutes, and the latter was something Boston simply couldn't offer given their competitive timeline. His second season showed slight improvement - 2.3 points in 6.1 minutes across 41 games - but these were still garbage-time appearances that rarely allowed him to showcase the versatile skills that made him a first-round selection. The Celtics, focused on an Eastern Conference championship run, prioritized veteran stability over developmental projects, leaving Yabusele in basketball limbo.
The comparison to Justin Brownlee's situation with Barangay Ginebra that recently caught my attention highlights how player health and team context dramatically different career trajectories. While Brownlee's health concerns created immediate challenges for his Philippine team, Yabusele faced what I'd call a "developmental health" issue - he wasn't getting the regular playing time necessary to grow into an NBA-caliber player. Teams often face this difficult balance between winning now and developing future assets, and in Yabusele's case, the immediate competitive demands won out. Boston eventually waived him in July 2019 to create roster space and save money against the luxury tax, a business decision that made perfect sense for the franchise but effectively ended his NBA journey.
What many fans don't realize is that Yabusele actually had opportunities with other organizations after Boston. He joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for training camp in 2019 but was waived before the season began. From my perspective, this was the final nail in the coffin for his NBA aspirations - once a first-round pick can't stick with a rebuilding team, the league's perception of that player shifts dramatically. The margin for error for international players without established NCAA pedigrees is notoriously thin, and Yabusele had the misfortune of entering the league at a time when his specific skill set - a 'tweener forward without a consistent three-point shot - was becoming increasingly difficult to roster.
Since returning to Europe, Yabusele has flourished in a way that confirms my belief that his NBA struggles had more to do with circumstance than ability. He's become a star for Real Madrid in the EuroLeague, winning the competition in 2023 and establishing himself as one of Europe's premier players. His game has expanded significantly - he's now a reliable three-point shooter and more versatile defender, skills that might have kept him in the NBA if they'd developed earlier. In many ways, his success overseas underscores what I see as a fundamental flaw in how NBA teams sometimes handle international prospects: they draft for potential but rarely provide the patience required to actualize it.
Reflecting on Yabusele's career arc, I can't help but think about the dozens of talented players who bounce between the NBA and international basketball every year. His story exemplifies how the league's business realities often trump individual development needs, especially for players selected by teams that unexpectedly become contenders. Had Boston been in a rebuilding phase rather than competing for championships, Yabusele might have received the playing time and developmental focus necessary to adapt his game to the NBA. Instead, he became another example of a player who needed the right situation but found himself in the wrong one. His subsequent success in Europe proves the talent was always there - it just needed the proper environment to flourish, something the NBA couldn't provide at that specific junction in his career. Sometimes, as we're seeing with Brownlee's health situation affecting his team's planning, timing and circumstance matter just as much as raw ability in determining athletic careers.