Guerschon Yabusele’s second NBA stint was a journey filled with ups and downs. After making a strong initial impact with the Philadelphia 76ers, the French forward found much less playing time with the New York Knicks, where he appeared in 41 games, never started, and averaged just nine minutes per contest.
That situation led him to change teams during the season and join the Chicago Bulls, giving up around $3 million in the process. A decision he made after discussing it with the people closest to him. The following interview was given to AS.
“I spoke with my wife, with my agents, with my mentor. It’s an important decision. And it’s not something I say lightly, it was a long process, there were many questions. I remembered French teammates who had gone through similar situations, who stayed there without playing for years. I can’t do that. And I was the one who decided to leave, not them. I prefer to be the one making that decision.”
Despite the difficulties, Yabusele still looks back positively on his time in New York, while acknowledging the pressure surrounding the team.
“In New York, after two or three bad games, they are already asking for you to be traded.”
The former Real Madrid player also compared the Knicks’ style of play with the Spanish club’s approach, explaining how a more European philosophy could have changed things.
“What is interesting is that when I was there, if we had moved the ball like we did at Real Madrid, a bit in the European way, moving it around, shifting it… New York would have finished first in the conference.”
The French forward also revealed that he spoke with head coach Mike Brown about his lack of opportunities, but the conversation did not lead to a solution.
“He explained to me that he wanted his five starters to play 38 minutes each, plus Mitch, who deserved his 26 minutes. And that already gives you an idea of what to expect. What confused me the most was what he didn’t mention about the others. He talked to me about the five starters, he talked about Mitch, but he didn’t talk about Landry, he didn’t talk about Jordan Clarkson, he didn’t talk about all the others who were there. If I add up all those minutes, technically there are no minutes left. So I understood very quickly that it was going to be a very complicated season.”
Yabusele’s next chapter will take place in Europe, after signing with Panathinaikos, but the French forward also spoke about national team teammate Victor Wembanyama, who was defeated by the Knicks in the NBA Finals.
“It’s a problem with no apparent solution. He is still so far from his best version. Every summer you arrive, you play against him again and he has a new weapon. When you think you know him, something new appears. The way he takes positions with the ball, he manages to play around what they do to him: he knows they are going to push him, so he plays above that, and that’s when he becomes too strong.”
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