Is Yabusele a Bust or Was the 2016 Draft Weak?

[liam]

Yabu is a physical freak. If his BBIQ every catches up to that he'll be a serviceable player.

Is he really a physical freak for the NBA?  He is a big strong guy who seems to have fairly quick feet for his size.  But how do we know that most players who are very athletic wouldn't retain Yabu's level of foot quickness if they intentionally packed on muscle?  I don't see him as a freak, unless you consider someone like Anthony Mason a physical freak.  Give me a skinny blur of a point guard or a Tony Allen type of athlete any day.

Yabu is crazy quick for a guy his size. He's at least 280 and moves like a small forward. He's not LeBron but he is still in that physical freak range. Anthony Mason was a physical freak, not a great player, but a good one and an athletic freak.

[Celtics4ever]

  Yabu is crazy quick for a guy his size. He's at least 280 and moves like a small forward. He's not LeBron but he is still in that physical freak range

You just lost all credibility claiming that Yabusele is in the same athletic range as LeBron.   That is patently absurd.  Reading that made me think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQCU36pkH7c

He can move for a guy his size, his hands are decent but he does not even have remotely the leaping or explosive athletic ability that James possess.

It's early to gauge where he is at.    But he looks like a guy who is never going to pan out to me.   I hope I am wrong.     It looks like the rare Ainge over reach.  He is raw and thus far he has not moved the dial about that being raw and is still raw.   

I am not sure he has the correct mental attitude.   He should be a bull in the China Shop out there but all too often he seems around to break the China and use his build.

[Phantom255x]

The Yabusele and Zizic picks at 16 and 23 that year honestly astonished me, and frankly I had no clue who they were up to that point (Yabusele especially).

There were so many other guys who were higher than them on mocks and rumored to be chosen by Ainge, and yet he chose these two??

From what I've heard, he did it to maintain roster flexibility and so he could stash some of the picks (which he did), but yeah honestly in regards to Yabusele, the potential is there but it will take a lot of time for it to get fulfilled. I see him as a rotation player at best.

[liam]

The Yabusele and Zizic picks at 16 and 23 that year honestly astonished me, and frankly I had no clue who they were up to that point (Yabusele especially).

There were so many other guys who were higher than them on mocks and rumored to be chosen by Ainge, and yet he chose these two??

From what I've heard, he did it to maintain roster flexibility and so he could stash some of the picks (which he did), but yeah honestly in regards to Yabusele, the potential is there but it will take a lot of time for it to get fulfilled. I see him as a rotation player at best.

I specifically said "He's no LeBron" I just think for his size and weight he's a physical freak. He's not the physical freak LeBron is.

[kozlodoev]

Neither.

Both, actually.

[moiso]

Yabu is a physical freak. If his BBIQ every catches up to that he'll be a serviceable player.

Is he really a physical freak for the NBA?  He is a big strong guy who seems to have fairly quick feet for his size.  But how do we know that most players who are very athletic wouldn't retain Yabu's level of foot quickness if they intentionally packed on muscle?  I don't see him as a freak, unless you consider someone like Anthony Mason a physical freak.  Give me a skinny blur of a point guard or a Tony Allen type of athlete any day.

Yabu is crazy quick for a guy his size. He's at least 280 and moves like a small forward. He's not LeBron but he is still in that physical freak range. Anthony Mason was a physical freak, not a great player, but a good one and an athletic freak.

Another way to look at it is that he lacks the skills to do many of the things that 4’s and 5’s can do so he runs around doing small forward type things.  I like Yabu.  He’s my favorite garbage time player on the team, and I think his motor and touch could make him a decent player some day.  But I see him as more of a below average athlete than a freak athlete.  Also, don’t confuse a motor with athleticism.

[Big333223]

I do not understand how anyone thinks they can pronounce a player a bust halfway through their rookie season. It makes no sense to me.

[liam]

Yabu is a physical freak. If his BBIQ every catches up to that he'll be a serviceable player.

Is he really a physical freak for the NBA?  He is a big strong guy who seems to have fairly quick feet for his size.  But how do we know that most players who are very athletic wouldn't retain Yabu's level of foot quickness if they intentionally packed on muscle?  I don't see him as a freak, unless you consider someone like Anthony Mason a physical freak.  Give me a skinny blur of a point guard or a Tony Allen type of athlete any day.

Yabu is crazy quick for a guy his size. He's at least 280 and moves like a small forward. He's not LeBron but he is still in that physical freak range. Anthony Mason was a physical freak, not a great player, but a good one and an athletic freak.

Another way to look at it is that he lacks the skills to do many of the things that 4’s and 5’s can do so he runs around doing small forward type things.  I like Yabu.  He’s my favorite garbage time player on the team, and I think his motor and touch could make him a decent player some day.  But I see him as more of a below average athlete than a freak athlete.  Also, don’t confuse a motor with athleticism.

I am not confusing motor with athleticism, I think the Dancing Bear has both.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnHP7rOYwz8

[Neurotic Guy]

I think it's likely that every 1st round draft pick in the CBlog era, with the exception of JB and JT has been referred to as a "bust". 

Yabu is simply not a bust yet.  He might be someday. 

[hwangjini_1]

Death, taxes, and “player x is a bust” threads on cb.

Bradley was a bust in year one.

Rozier was a bust in year one.

Another sad thread emerges from the clamor for immediate gratification.

[ETNCeltics]

Thoughts?

My thoughts are it's way too early to judge a kid as raw and inexperienced as Yabusele playing in his first season.

[Kuberski33]

So far the only skill he's really displayed is a thorough understanding of NBA garbagetime as he comes in and immediately starts jacking up 3's.  As far as skills that will make him a bona-fide NBA rotation player one day, to date he's shown nothing. 

It's still early but I'm leaning towards bust.

[KungPoweChicken]

Is Yabusele a bust? Yes, most likely he is. Let's not make this more complicated than it is.

[liam]

So far the only skill he's really displayed is a thorough understanding of NBA garbagetime as he comes in and immediately starts jacking up 3's.  As far as skills that will make him a bona-fide NBA rotation player one day, to date he's shown nothing. 

It's still early but I'm leaning towards bust.

Yabu Per 36: FG% .406 3PT .364 TRB 10.1 AST 2.0 STL .3 BLK .3 PTS 12.8

[chilidawg]

So far the only skill he's really displayed is a thorough understanding of NBA garbagetime as he comes in and immediately starts jacking up 3's.  As far as skills that will make him a bona-fide NBA rotation player one day, to date he's shown nothing. 

It's still early but I'm leaning towards bust.

Yabu Per 36: FG% .406 3PT .364 TRB 10.1 AST 2.0 STL .3 BLK .3 PTS 12.8

He hasn't played enough minutes for those numbers to have any meaning.

I'm in the "way to early to call him a bust" camp.