The Philadelphia 76ers sign Olympic standout in hopes he can find his NBA footing once again.
After successfully reshuffling their core this offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers aren't exactly done tweaking their roster. Looking back at this summer, it's hard not to consider the Sixers' move for Paul George as one of the bigger acquisitions. But it may be the other supporting pieces that end up making or breaking this season for the Sixers.
One of those "other" moves that the Sixers have made includes the recent signing of Olympic standout Guerschon Yabusele. In hopes that he could emerge as a capable contributor in the frontcourt, the Sixers took advantage of his breakout performance for France.
Guerschon Yabusele emerged as a rising star in the Olympics
During France's run to winning Silver, Yabusele emerged as the team's second-leading scorer behind Victor Wembanyama, averaging 14 points and three rebounds on 67 percent shooting from the field. The fact that Yabusele emerged as such an important piece for Team France should give the Sixers hope that he could perhaps embrace such a role for the team off the bench.
With how loaded the Sixers are on paper, it is going to be an uphill battle for Yabusele to win a spot in the rotation. But with the momentum he built in the Olympics, that's certainly on the table for him heading into the start of training camp. If he were to earn a spot in the rotation, that should be considered a huge win for Yabusele, who last played in the NBA during the 2018-19 season. Since then, Yabusele has spent the last three seasons playing for Real Madrid.
Yabusele was a former first-round pick by the Boston Celtics during the 2016 NBA Draft. However, after failing to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the Celtics, Yabusele left to play overseas.
At 28 years old, Yabusele will be trying to cement a spot in the NBA. The Sixers could be an interesting landing spot considering the team's need at the power forward position. At this point, Caleb Martin is projected to be the starting power forward for the Sixers. Whether that changes between now and the start of the season is highly unlikely but at least on paper, there's certainly a role to be played for Yabusele.
There's no guarantee that Yabusele will be able to establish himself as a contributing player in the frontcourt, but he'll have a fair shot to do so for the Sixers.