Guerschon Yabusele's Potential Was On Full Display In Summer League

The Boston Celtics selected six players in the 2016 NBA Draft, but no pick was more questionable than the pick of Guerschon Yabusele at pick No. 16. The Yabusele pick was questionable because mock drafts had him projected to get drafted in the middle of the second round; not in the top 20. There were a lot of good prospects still on board at pick No. 16, but the Celtics got their guy in Yabusele, who had an impressive summer league for Boston.

Yabusele is a 6-foot-7 power forward that weighs around 260 pounds which could allow him to play either at the four or the five because of his size. Alongside that, Yabusele has shown some versatility on the offensive end, as he can knockdown the three or he can bully you inside the paint. In addition, Yabusele is also pretty light on his feet and more athletic than you would think for a player his size. Currently Yabusele is obviously still a couple years away from reaching his potential because as he's very raw. However,  Yabusele is the type of player that many teams would want on their squad if he can play like a modern power forward.

During his eight summer league games with the Celtics, he averaged 8.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and he shot 48 percent from the field on  25 minutes per game. He showed some promising signs during his summer league stint. Yabusele displayed that he can take the ball to the hole and finish with both hands. Alongside that,  he showed that he can step out and knock down the deep ball. While Yabusele's not exactly comfortable shooting from behind the NBA 3-point line (shot 12% on 14 attempts), he actually has a pretty smooth shooting stroke. Even though shooting is not one of his strengths, he still showed that it is something he has in arsenal.

In the end, Yabusele displayed basically everything he can do on a basketball court during his eight games in the Las Vegas and Utah, but it will take some time for him to put it all together. A lot of people didn't understand the pick at the time, but now it should make sense. Yabusele has a lot of upside and the Celtics already have a pretty full and polished roster, so Yabusele will have plenty of time to develop his game and tools before he starts playing for the Celtics. Granted Yabusele might be a draft and stash, whether that will be sticking him back in France or having him play in the D-League, which is something to keep an eye on.

Overall

All things considered, It's really hard not to like Yabusele after his performance in Summer League. That's due to Yabusele having so much potential as a power forward in the NBA. Yabusele's an extremely versatile offensive player, ver nimble on his feet, athletic, and he's just flat out fun to watch. A player his size should not be able to do the things he can do on a basketball court, which is why he such an intriguing player. The Celtics took a big risk by drafting him so high.  And while he still stands as a project, his stint in Summer League should allow fans to understand why Boston valued him so highly.