Is Yabusele a Bust or Was the 2016 Draft Weak?

[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

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.

You are right but they aren't nothing. In the very small number of minutes Yabu has played he has put up numbers. It doesn't say he will be an NBA player but they are a sign that's it's possible. Many players put up nothing in the amount of minutes Yabu has gotten.

[Big333223]

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.

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I read some "Jaylen Brown is a bust" comments last season.

[Celtics4ever]

You are right but they aren't nothing. In the very small number of minutes Yabu has played he has put up numbers.

CBS is considered one of the best coaches in the NBA.   Don't you think that he wants to win and if Yabu was all that, he would play him?

The answer is yes.   Cream rises to the top and talent usually plays in pro sports.    Yet that has not happened a ton even though we are short handed....

[SHAQATTACK]

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.

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I read some "Jaylen Brown is a bust" comments last season.

there is always a bunch of WRONG opinions .   

i hope Im wrong too,  but right now I' m not super high about Yabu.   I think he may be a better professional wrestler prospect.   

[Big333223]

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.

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I read some "Jaylen Brown is a bust" comments last season.

there is always a bunch of WRONG opinions .   

i hope Im wrong too,  but right now I' m not super high about Yabu.   I think he may be a better professional wrestler prospect.

I wouldn't try to convince you you're wrong bout Yabu. I like his skillset and I'm hopeful he can put it together but there are lots of guys with a lot of talent who wash out of the league and Yabu could definitely be one of them.

What I don't understand is making that determination midway through his rookie season.

[2short]

Let revisit this thread a few years from now

[Moranis]

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.

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I read some "Jaylen Brown is a bust" comments last season.

there is always a bunch of WRONG opinions .   

i hope Im wrong too,  but right now I' m not super high about Yabu.   I think he may be a better professional wrestler prospect.

I wouldn't try to convince you you're wrong bout Yabu. I like his skillset and I'm hopeful he can put it together but there are lots of guys with a lot of talent who wash out of the league and Yabu could definitely be one of them.

What I don't understand is making that determination midway through his rookie season.

well we are 1.5 years into the draft, so it is a bit easier to get a feel for the other players. 

Put it this way, if you did a re-draft right now, Yabu would not be a 1st round pick as there are at least 30 players that have out performed him thus far.

[ThePaintedArea]

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.

This was an "upside pick" - worth the chance of him not working out. He's got a chance to be a unique player, a matchup nightmare.

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I read some "Jaylen Brown is a bust" comments last season.

They've evolved into "if he doesn't pan out" comments.

i hope Im wrong too,  but right now I' m not super high about Yabu.   I think he may be a better professional wrestler prospect.

LOL

I wouldn't try to convince you you're wrong bout Yabu. I like his skillset and I'm hopeful he can put it together but there are lots of guys with a lot of talent who wash out of the league and Yabu could definitely be one of them.

What I don't understand is making that determination midway through his rookie season.

I'm with you. He's just begun his career, for God's sake; he was late to start playing organized ball; and he has unusual assets. What I can't tell is why we'd even be comfortable making a judgment - we haven't seen much of him (though his spot minutes have been more frequent recently), but on the court he's shown some real promise and some real results.

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.

The Anthony Mason comp is one of the best that I’ve heard, much better than the Draymond comp. Small forward height, power forward build, big, skilled hands and excellent handles. Also, great footwork – you seem to be referring to foot speed here, which is something else. I'm a little annoyed by the "Dancing Bear" nickname - but it does encapsulate his unusual combination of size and foot dexterity.

Looks like he can shoot with range and rebound the offensive board. Yes, the sample size is tiny, so you can't just go by the box score - you've got to actually look at him play. Having said that, the numbers certainly are encouraging.

I remember him from Summer League 2016 - as a defender, he was just a series of bad decisions. He's clearly advanced from that, but this is definitely a growth area. With his handles, you'd like him to be more of a playmaker. In general, what he's got to get better at is all the team parts of playing the team game.

The biggest threat to his future is not his development as a basketball player, but his body. The foot surgery last summer is a big red flag. But today's body training and development can achieve some remarkable things.

[Celtics4ever]

The Anthony Mason comp is one of the best that I’ve heard, much better than the Draymond comp. Small forward height, power forward build, big, skilled hands and excellent handles. Also, great footwork – you seem to be referring to foot speed here, which is something else. I'm a little annoyed by the "Dancing Bear" nickname - but it does encapsulate his unusual combination of size and foot dexterity.

At present, he is nothing like Anthony Mason.  He is not a solid rebounder.   Here are Mason's career averages:

PTS 10.9

TRB  8.3

AST 3.4

Note that he is a good rebounder and passer.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/masonan01.html

Yabusele has not demonstrated skill in either of those areas to a high degree.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/yabusgu01.html

[Big333223]

The Anthony Mason comp is one of the best that I’ve heard, much better than the Draymond comp. Small forward height, power forward build, big, skilled hands and excellent handles. Also, great footwork – you seem to be referring to foot speed here, which is something else. I'm a little annoyed by the "Dancing Bear" nickname - but it does encapsulate his unusual combination of size and foot dexterity.

At present, he is nothing like Anthony Mason.  He is not a solid rebounder.   Here are Mason's career averages:

PTS 10.9

TRB  8.3

AST 3.4

Note that he is a good rebounder and passer.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/masonan01.html

Yabusele has not demonstrated skill in either of those areas to a high degree.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/yabusgu01.html

Yabusele has played so few minutes that any of his stats need to be looked at knowing that it's a very small sample size and can't be taken as gospel. That said, Yabu's rb% in the NBA is a very good 15.4 and he's got a great motor going after the ball.

[No Nickname]

I'm going to be very interested to see how he does in Summer League this year.  Many times guys going into their 2nd or 3rd year use SL to gain confidence and prove to themselves that they belong in the league.

Smart did it.  Rozier did it. Brown did it.  Tatum started to do it even before playing an official NBA game.  And I imagine Tatum will not play SL this summer, just to prevent injury.  But who knows.

That said, I see Yabusele, Semi, and Nader being studs in SL if they're still on the roster then.

[Roy H.]

I would have been okay dealing him for free at the deadline. I don’t think he brings any positive value at this point.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

1. Having control a young player with decent upside is a a valuable commodity in the modern NBA. The Celtics literally control Yabusele for at least the first 4 years of his career, and possibly up to 8-9 years of his career.
2. Having the opportunity to play behind talented bigs like Horford, Theis, and Monroe should be invaluable to his development.
3. Guys routinely take at least one year (if not two) to get used to CBS system. Terry Rozier is a great example of this. If he is still getting no playing time in year 3, then I'm worried about his value.
4. Yabu has already demonstrated the ability to help his team's offense. In NBA games, G-league games, and European games, he has always moved the ball well, set great screens, and spotted up. He has also demonstrated the ability to attack closeouts and face up in postups.
5. Yabu has elite strength.
6. Yabu has good agility (on offense).
7. Yabu is a good shooter for a big man.

That's all the things we know about Yabu. If he played for the Suns, he'd be averaging 14 and 8 and his team would be losing every game 128-118. But team defense matters to CBS. Give the kid a couple of years in CBS system. He might very well be Horford's long-term replacement.

[feckless]

I feel like I frequently see other players trying to explain what to do to Yabusele.  I hope I am wrong but I feel like he is too often lost out there>

[SHAQATTACK]

Dinosaurs were awesome physical specimen.....

they also had very small brains.