It took nearly 40 minutes of the Knicks’ 146-112 win against the Utah Jazz on Friday night for Guerschon Yabusele to see the floor.
The forward was able to cobble together a season-high 11 points in just nine-plus minutes of an already decided game. But the final quarter signified that Yabusele is far away from the role he was expected to assume this season. The return of OG Anunoby from a nine-game absence in the 34-point drubbing pushed Yabusele further out of the rotation. Rookie second-round draft pick Mohamed Diawara also saw minutes over the forward in the first half.
The Knicks signed Yabusele to a two-year, $11.3 million deal with a player option in the second year, using the taxpayer midlevel exception. The move was an attempt to bolster a bench that finished last in the NBA in scoring last season.
Though Yabusele was supposed to be a key factor in New York’s bench redemption arc this season, the free agent acquisition has been left behind in head coach Mike Brown’s lineups. Through 21 games, Yabusele is averaging 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.1 minutes. Those numbers are a far cry from last year, when the forward put up 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 70 games.
As New York has gone to a smaller lineup, Yabusele hasn’t played more than about 17 minutes in a game all season. His stints on the floor are often a quick three or four minutes before being subbed out.
Yabusele’s role on the floor is much more muted than it was in Philadelphia. Due to a series of injuries that limited 76ers centers Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond to 19 and 40 games played, respectively, last season, Yabusele was given plenty of time at the center. According to Basketball Reference, 73 percent of Yabusele’s minutes with the 76ers last season were at the five.
With the Knicks, that number has dropped to 40 percent. Karl-Anthony Towns starts at center and Mitchell Robinson usually takes up the other minutes at the five. When Robinson has sat, second-year big Ariel Hukporti has received playing time. Brown explained earlier this week that Yabusele being at the four has limited chances for him to be used as a screener.
Yabusele is like a locomotive train. When he’s given momentum on a drive, he’s hard for defenders to slow down. As the five, Yabusele was involved more often as a screener with the 76ers. It gave him the opportunity to rumble into the paint for drives or to post up against smaller defenders on switches.
Ways to generate offense
In New York, Yabusele has been nailed to the three-point line as a floor spacer, with 65.6 percent of his attempts coming from beyond the arc, up from 48.7 percent in 2024-25. Though he’s getting up threes, Yabusele is shooting a paltry 27.5 percent from the three-point line. Mixing up drives and shots in the paint would help get him in a better flow. Last year, Yabusele had 44 dunks, and this year, he has just one slam.
Playing in transition could also be helpful for Yabusele. According to NBA Stats, 12.4 percent of Yabusele’s points came off fast break opportunities with Philadelphia. This year, that figure has dropped to 4.8 percent. Though Brown has talked about the Knicks playing faster, they are currently ranked 26th in pace.
The Knicks brought the Frenchman in for offense, and if he’s not contributing, it’s hard to envision him seeing much more time on the floor. The Knicks have more depth than last year, but there’s a lack of size on the perimeter. Reserves Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson, Landry Shamet and Tyler Kolek are all shorter than 6-foot-4.
Eastern Conference foes like the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons have length across the entire roster, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Yabusele could find his footing later in the season. But so far, the early returns are a concern.
Eric Samulski
