Jaylen Brown happy for Celtics draftee’s second chance — ‘even though he’s on the Sixers’
Two members of the Celtics’ 2016 draft class were on the court Saturday night at TD Garden.
One was Jaylen Brown, the third overall pick in that draft and the longest-tenured player on Boston’s current roster.
The other never panned out with the team that selected him, but he’s getting a second chance to carve out an NBA career after a half-decade of playing in Europe.
That was forward/center Guerschon Yabusele, who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers following an impressive showing for France at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
With Philly resting its regulars on the second night of a back-to-back, Yabusele started and played 20 minutes in the Sixers’ 139-89 road loss.
Brown was happy to see his draft classmate back in the NBA — even though he’s now playing for one of the Celtics’ chief Eastern Conference rivals.
“It was great,” Brown said after the game. “We got a chance to talk before the game. Yabu’s one of my good friends. We kind of came into the organization together, so to see him back in the NBA –– he’s been playing well overseas, I thought he had a great Olympic run, and it kind of led to him being here.
“Even though he’s on the Sixers, it’s all good still. It’s still bittersweet.”
Yabusele was one of the top performers for a France squad that made a surprise run to an Olympic silver medal. He averaged 19.6 points per game in the knockout rounds, outscoring reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama twice in three contests and posterizing LeBron James in the gold medal game.
Before Saturday’s exhibition, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said he’s still figuring out how to use the burly 28-year-old, who became more of a 3-point shooting threat during his five years overseas. Yabusele went 2-for-4 from deep in his return to Boston, finishing with eight points, three rebounds and two assists in the Celtics rout.
“We’re really in the early stages with him,” Nurse said. “We’re trying to figure out exactly where we’re going to need him the most, and some of that is going to depend positionally what we’re talking about. … He’s been good. He’s been a nice surprise so far, but we’ve got to (learn) some more info.”
Yabusele appeared in 74 games over his two seasons with the Celtics, averaging 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. He has not played a regular-season NBA minute since 2019.
“(Returning to Boston is) a special feeling for sure,” Yabusele told reporters before tipoff. “Especially (Friday) when it was driving around the city, just being able to come back, it was really a special feeling. And coming out here to the arena, see a couple of the changes, but can’t wait for the environment for tonight to be able to be with the fans and just enjoy the moment.”
Yabusele said he heard from multiple teams post-Olympics but received the strongest interest from the Sixers, who’d spoken with his agent multiple times during his stint with Spanish club Real Madrid.
“It’s been five years and, of course, when the summer was coming, I was expecting to get a call, but it just made me work harder, keep pushing, never giving up,” he said. “And every time I was going back on my team I was like, ‘I’ve gotta do more.’ So it was just a long process but I think it was much needed. I’m a different player now, and I understand things more and I just keep on pushing.”
