Am I the only one surprised by Yabusele?

[Monkhouse]

Huge supporter, was confused by the original draft selection, (I figured when Ainge nabbed him, that he was gonna most likely move down, so it led to a lot of  for me at the time,) not because I wasn't high on Yabusele. But because he was definitely supposed to be drafted in the early 20's, or towards the end of the first round.

But watching him last night, you can definitely see why Ainge was so interested. It is sort of true admittedly, that the Wizards play down to their talent, but Yabusele definitely made the shots for Beal in the first half very tough especially with how quickly he was able to adjust and get back to contest. And that Bradley Beal strip?  Not to mention his awesome passing, and unselfish play. There were certainly some moments where he should've taken a shot, but that will come with time.

The fact our team with the backs against the wall, almost beat the Wizards with majority of our starters out due to injuries, says a lot about how well coached and composed this team is. And how bright how our future will become.

[chilidawg]

Can't get too worked up about one game.  Obviously has potential, showed some quick feet and hands on defense, and had 5 assists and a couple other good moments on offense.  None of those things should be surprising though.  Looking forward to seeing him develop.

[The One]

Can't get too worked up about one game.  Obviously has potential, showed some quick feet and hands on defense, and had 5 assists and a couple other good moments on offense.  None of those things should be surprising though.  Looking forward to seeing him develop.

I was surprised by the 5 assists.

[chiken Green]

The guy definitely has some tools and a good deal of talent.. He just needs time and opportunity.. I always thought he has the makings of being someone of value for us down the road.. (year or so)

[apc]

I think he was ok. Didn’t get me to excited.
Maybe to hesitant .

[Monkhouse]

Can't get too worked up about one game.  Obviously has potential, showed some quick feet and hands on defense, and had 5 assists and a couple other good moments on offense.  None of those things should be surprising though.  Looking forward to seeing him develop.

Really? Because I distinctly remember how much people criticized Yabusele's defense, passing, shooting, and offense lol. Did you think he looked too slow to be able to switch and fit himself into our defensive schemes last night?

Very true, that it's only just one game, but I like what I'm seeing from him, and was a little puzzled to see Ojeleye see far more minutes. I think we're going to definitely see him a lot more with Theis out. I like Ojeyele, but I see a tad bit more potential and higher ceiling from Yabusele. Plus who doesn't find a dancing bear enjoyable?

[Big333223]

His physical profile is still the most enticing thing about him. Strong, wide-bodied, long-armed but with quick feet and a good motor. With the right mindset and work ethic he can be a great modern 4 and even a 5 in the right matchups. He's got a long way to go but I'm hopeful.

[More Banners]

Didn't get to watch the Wiz game, but watched him in a G league game a couple weeks ago. With his defensive miscues he didn't look out of place against that competition.

[JBcat]

Can't get too worked up about one game.  Obviously has potential, showed some quick feet and hands on defense, and had 5 assists and a couple other good moments on offense.  None of those things should be surprising though.  Looking forward to seeing him develop.

Really? Because I distinctly remember how much people criticized Yabusele's defense, passing, shooting, and offense lol. Did you think he looked too slow to be able to switch and fit himself into our defensive schemes last night?

Very true, that it's only just one game, but I like what I'm seeing from him, and was a little puzzled to see Ojeleye see far more minutes. I think we're going to definitely see him a lot more with Theis out. I like Ojeyele, but I see a tad bit more potential and higher ceiling from Yabusele. Plus who doesn't find a dancing bear enjoyable?

I think Semi was getting more minutes before because 1 he’s playing a position of need more as a wing where Yabu is more of a big, and 2 Semi is older and has more of the defensive concepts down and Yabu probably needed more time to work on his D.

Also don’t forget along Theis out Horford was out so it’s not a given we’ll now start seeing Yabu once Horford comes back.

[Atzar]

His ability to hang with Beal on the perimeter surprised me a bit.  Aside from that, we've already seen some evidence that he moves the ball well on offense and he didn't really do anything else other than give us good effort.  That's commendable, but not necessarily eye-opening.

I'm simultaneously high and low on him overall.  High on him in that I do think there's an NBA player in there, and I think he'd show it on a team that gave him an opportunity.  Low in that I don't see how he cracks our PF rotation in the near future. 

[kozlodoev]

Not surprised (though disappointed) by the 3 rebounds. Hoping he will be better next time.

[PhoSita]

I've yet to see anything that changes my initial impression of him.

Good feet (probably played soccer).  Slow.  Mostly below the rim.  Unless he becomes a really good shooter or slims way down in order to gain lateral quickness I'm not sure what his role is going to be in the league.

Maybe I'm off on him.  I just can't think of any useful players in the league right now who are comparable to Yabu.

It seems to me if you're on the slower side, undersized, and operate mostly below the rim, you need a crafty game with a lot of skill (Kyle Anderson) or you need to be a phenomenal shooter (Doug McDermott) or you need to be a real defensive hellion who scraps for every rebound and loose ball.  And whatever your skillset you need to have a really good grasp of the game so you're in the right place defensively and make the right passes offensively.

I don't think I see any of that with Yabu, but maybe he'll get there.

[Chris22]

I'm surprised they haven't played him more.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I've yet to see anything that changes my initial impression of him.

Good feet (probably played soccer).  Slow.  Mostly below the rim.  Unless he becomes a really good shooter or slims way down in order to gain lateral quickness I'm not sure what his role is going to be in the league.

Maybe I'm off on him.  I just can't think of any useful players in the league right now who are comparable to Yabu.

It seems to me if you're on the slower side, undersized, and operate mostly below the rim, you need a crafty game with a lot of skill (Kyle Anderson) or you need to be a phenomenal shooter (Doug McDermott) or you need to be a real defensive hellion who scraps for every rebound and loose ball.  And whatever your skillset you need to have a really good grasp of the game so you're in the right place defensively and make the right passes offensively.

I don't think I see any of that with Yabu, but maybe he'll get there.

I get it. I don't see anyone quite like him either.

The closest I see is Demarcus Cousins, but Yabusele is 2-3 inches shorter. Another is Jared Sullinger with better shooter and a little more explosion.

In any case, there are always players who come into the NBA and create new archtypes. They don't have to be stars to make new archtypes.

[tonydelk]

I thought he played well.  He was active, fighting for rebounds and making the right plays.  He should have shot the ball a few times wide open but I liked what I saw.  He moved his feet well and did not look lost.  He has to work on ball handling and shooting but his vision was better then I thought.  He did a good job.