Jaylen Brown's 'bittersweet' reaction to Guerschon Yabusele's 76ers return
10/13/2024 09:35 AM
BOSTON — Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown entered the NBA in 2016 alongside Philadelphia 76ers big man Guerschon Yabusele. Although they both find themselves in the league eight years later, their journeys to the 2024-25 season have been very different.
Brown is currently the longest-tenured Celtic and one of the team’s most vocal leaders. He’s also a three-time All-Star who helped guide the C’s to their 18th title in franchise history during the 2024 NBA Finals, becoming Finals MVP in the process.
Meanwhile, Yabusele — selected 16th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft (13 picks after Brown) — struggled to find his footing in The Association. The Frenchman barely averaged over seven minutes per game in his rookie year and saw that playing time shrink to 6.1 minutes per game in his sophomore season. He never shot better than 32.5% from deep and averaged about 2.3 points through 74 games in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 regular seasons.
Despite these underwhelming statistics, Yabusele battled his way back to the biggest stage in basketball and signed a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Sixers in August. Following a five-year absence from the NBA, the former Celtic reunited with Brown on Saturday night during a preseason matchup between the Green Team and the 76ers.
“It’s great, you know,” Brown said of Yabusele’s return. “We got a chance to talk before the game. [Yabusele] is 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 asked Jaylen Brown about how it felt to see Yabusele, who was drafted with him in 2016, back in the NBA.
"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."
pic.twitter.com/AMSRprGmcj— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) October 13, 2024
The Celtics welcomed “The Dancing Bear” back to Beantown by demolishing his new squad by 50 points, 139-89. Brown notched a team-high 18 points in just 23 minutes of play, draining seven of his 12 shots from the floor. Yabusele didn’t have as strong an outing, managing eight points in 20 minutes as part of Philadelphia’s starting lineup.
Boston played most of their regular starters while the 76ers didn’t play any of their key guys, with center Joel Embiid, point guard Tyrese Maxey, and nine-time All-Star Paul George all out. That partially explains why the reigning champions dominated their longtime foes and dropped a whopping 71 points in the first half. Brown made sure to mention the Eastern Conference rivalry after the blowout victory.
“Even though [Yabusele is] on the Sixers, it's all good,” Brown joked. “It's still bittersweet.”
How did Guerschon Yabusele get back to the NBA?
Given Guerschon Yabusele’s disappointing stint with the Celtics and his multiple seasons overseas, some might wonder how his NBA homecoming happened. Brown provided a clear explanation to reporters.
“Thought he had a great Olympic run and it kind of led to him being here,” he stated.
This summer, Yabusele shined in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The former EuroLeague champion was arguably France’s best player, averaging 14 points on 51.9% shooting from the floor. That’s an especially impressive accomplishment because Les Bleus rostered NBA stars like San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama and Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert.
In the gold medal game against Team USA, Yabusele notched 20 points in 31 minutes and notably dunked on Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
Guerschon Yabusele puts a brutal dunk on Lebron James….
@NBCOlympicspic.twitter.com/AdDunya3mZ
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 10, 2024
The United States still defeated France, 98-87, securing their fifth straight Olympic gold medal. But Yabusele left with a silver medal, a viral highlight, and tons of praise for excelling in the Summer Games. His international heroics caught the attention of NBA executives and allowed him to take his skills back to America.
The two-time silver medalist landed in the City of Brotherly Love, however, he wasn’t shy about his affinity for Boston, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
“You gotta tell [the Celtics] to bring me back,” Yabusele told Washburn during the Olympics.
Even though that comment was likely in jest, Guerschon Yabusele’s return to the league came to fruition. Whether or not he receives significant minutes with the star-studded Sixers remains to be seen.
As for the Celtics, they’ll look to stay undefeated in the preseason, as they host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night at TD Garden.
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