After the New York Knicks failed to reach the NBA Finals last season, losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, they decided to make multiple changes this offseason.
Moving on from head coach Tom Thibodeau and hiring Mike Brown as their new lead man, the Knicks have made multiple moves, including a deal that landed them Guerschon Yabusele on a two-year, $12 million deal.
Yabusele started his NBA career in 2016 after getting drafted by the Boston Celtics with the No. 16 pick in the draft that year. He struggled to find his rhythm in the league and never averaged more than 7.1 minutes a game for a season. He played only two seasons, from 2017 to 2019, in Boston.
In his return to the NBA last season in Philadelphia, Yabusele broke out, averaging 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 50.1% from the field and 38% from the three-point line.
His one-year deal expired this offseason, and in free agency, the French forward signed with the Knicks. He explained his reasoning behind the move while talking with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart on The Roommates Podcast.
“I feel like we tried and then what really changed the team a little bit was, in my opinion, was the trades,” Yabusele said. “Because I feel like we was there. Guys were just injured. We should have trust a little bit more that and try to let the guys come back to be able to pursue, try to get to the playoffs… there’s like four new guys coming up and then it was a lot of guys that keep getting signed for 10-day contracts here and there. So, it was it was hard to find the chemistry, you know, with the teammates,” Yabusele said.
Guerschon Yabusele joins a Knicks team that also acquired Jordan Clarkson from the Utah Jazz via trade. New York will look to improve next season with new head coach Mike Brown and their new additions from this offseason.
