Seeing him climb on his opponents since August, Guerschon Yabusele looks more like a grizzly bear than a teddy bear. Returning to the NBA this season after a good Olympic Games, the inside of the Blues gave itself a great promotion by posterizing LeBron James in the Olympic final! A dunk that went around the world, and it didn't stop there.
Since his return to the NBA, we have regularly seen him in the Top 10 of the night. 10 days ago, he put DaQuan Jeffries on a poster during a counterattack, and last night, it was Deni Avdija who suffered the same fate. As in Paris, Yabusele does not ask himself too many questions when he finds himself in this situation.
“It’s clear that it was a nice moment of the match”, reacted the Frenchman. “As soon as someone passes me by, in this type of situation, there is no other solution. We have to go for the dunk. Either I get blocked or I dunk, so you have to be aggressive.”
Who would want to compete against a “bear”?
“Have you ever seen a bear running towards you? We have to get out! » laughs Kelly Oubre Jr. Same explanation from Embiid: “I don’t understand why people jump in front of him. He has such power and such aggression… Why take this risk? Personally, I wouldn’t do it…”
Author of 16 points in the victory against the Blazers, the Frenchman inevitably reminds us of Charles Barkley when he rushes on the counter-attack, and he delights his teammates. Starting with his leader, Joel Embiid, who has already warned him: he still wants him at the Sixers next season! “I just told him he better not lose my number next summer!” Because he's doing a great job here. He knows how to play basketball, and he does all these little things…” explains the Cameroonian.
For Nick Nurse, Yabusele “is physical and strong in everything he does”. “We're starting to find solutions, and I have to make sure I give him playing time” warns the Sixers coach. Good news for Yabusele who explained the day before that his coach's confidence allowed him to improve. “It's the first time I've really been part of a team in the NBA, that I've really played, that I've had playing time and that I can make mistakes, learn and improve in the next game. And I have an important role, so of course I’m still learning.”
