Before last night's game between the Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks, Guerschon Yabusele was lost in thought in the locker room, glued to his phone, one that could be buzzing soon with a call or text about his next destination in the NBA.
The Knicks are reportedly considering trading the 30-year-old French by the Feb. 5 trade deadline, but a potential move appeared to be the last thing Yabusele was worried about.
Yabusele reacts to trade rumors
"I can control what I can control. I try to control what I can, and that's it," Yabusele told BasketNews. "All I know right now is that I'm a Knicks player," he added after accumulating 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals in 7 minutes in the Knicks' 119-92 victory in Toronto.
"I literally don't know what is going to happen in the next couple of days. I'm not really worried about this. I'm focused on trying to help these guys win games and stay positive.
"I can control what I can control, I'm not really worried about those trade rumours, just about coming here, do my job and try to be the best I can," he added.
Credit IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect-Scanpix
A contrasting return to the NBA
Yabusele's version from last season compared to this campaign in the NBA is like day and night.
The French power forward raised a lot of eyebrows in the league last year with the Philadelphia 76ers, vindicating himself as an energetic and sharp interior player.
It was an unusual return to the NBA, as bizarre as fascinating.
After all, Yabu had gone almost unnoticed in his first stint in the NBA with the Celtics in the 2017-2019 span and had established himself as one of the best power forwards in Europe with Real Madrid at 28 years old.
At the peak of his career, having proven himself more of a EuroLeague player than an NBA one, returning to the US seemed highly improbable.
However, the French player turned out to be the only bright spot in a ghostly season for the Sixers after shining in the 2024 Paris Olympics, averaging 11 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists in 27 minutes, shooting 50% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc, with 4 attempts per game.
Yabusele caught the attention of championship contenders after already being highly coveted midway through the season.
Without enough cap space, the Sixers resigned themselves to letting him go in free agency, where the French player signed a two-year, $12 million contract with New York.
The Knicks, fresh off the Conference Finals, capitalized on the opportunity to add a player meant, in part, to solve their persistent depth issues.
However, the power forward has not even been close to what he was in Philly, seeing his role reduced and his impact hampered.
Yabusele is averaging just 2.8 points and 2 rebounds in 9 minutes while shooting 39% from the field and 30% from three.
The former Real Madrid player admitted he had higher expectations regarding his role heading into his fourth season in the NBA.
"For sure, I thought it would be a little bit different. It is what it is, and we are here in the season, so obviously, I can't complain," Yabusele noted. "I'm just trying to take this positively, as much as possible."
"I have to keep working and get ready when my name is called. I like everybody in this locker room. I spend so much time with them. We literally have a lot of fun, and we really like each other.
"Being here is a blessing, even if the situation is not really going my way, I would say, but I'm going to keep working. I'm a worker, my whole life, every team I've been in, I've been working hard and proved that I can play in here, so that's what I'm looking for," he continued.
Mike Brown on Yabusele's role
The Knicks' coach, Mike Brown, discussed Yabusele's role when asked what the Frenchman needs to do better to earn more playing time and have more impact on the floor.
"He is going to play whatever minutes we give, everybody has just to keep playing hard on both ends on the floor, taking quality shots, trying to rebound, play the way we play and whether he gets 2 minutes, 0 minutes, 15 minutes, you just gotta keep standing in the game and being ready while cheering his teammates on, like everybody else," Brown told BasketNews.
A potential reunion with Wemby in San Antonio
Playing alongside Victor Wembanyama again might be all Guerschon Yabusele needs to resurge.
The French player could somehow return to one of the most unforgettable chapters of his life as he moves on to the next, trying to regain his joy.
Knicks insider Ian Begley reported that the San Antonio Spurs are a team to watch as the new home for Yabusele.
The 30-year-old has great memories from the last time he had Wemby on his side, the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Those Olympics, where France overperformed to clinch a silver medal despite its lack of backcourt talent, sparked Yabusele's return to the NBA.
The power forward roared along with the boisterous French crowd, delivering an overall impressive performance and dropping jaws with a bold dunk on LeBron James in the final.
"As far as right now, I really want to focus on me being here in New York and about the team," said Yabusele, sticking to his diplomatic tone regarding his future throughout his conversation with BasketNews.
"Obviously, Wemby is a friend of mine. I always had this desire to be with some of my friends, but right now, I'm trying to focus on the team, on the New York Knicks. We're having a pretty good season, we won the NBA Cup, and we just try to achieve as much as we can. At the end of the day, I'm a Knicks player. Hopefully, I'll stay here, and I'm going to try what I can bring on the court," Yabusele concluded.
Toni Canyameras
Toni Canyameras began his basketball media career in 2021, covering FC Barcelona. He became a fan of the sport thanks to Barça and the Japanese manga series Slam Dunk. Toni moved to Toronto in 2022 and has since been covering the NBA from a European perspective, reporting on games, All-Star weekends, and the Summer League. He holds a degree in Journalism, a Master's Degree in Sports Journalism in Spain, and a Postgraduate in Journalism in Canada.
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