For Guerschon Yabusele, in his return season to the NBA, this was surely a special game. All the special things that a pre-season event can be for the French interior, who is working to find a place among Nick Nurse’s picks and have minutes in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ substantial rotationone of the theoretical candidates to reach the Finals from the Eastern Conference. But this game, the third preparation game for his team, had something special because Yabusele was returning to Boston, which was his home during his first stage in the United States. Since he was drafted (pick 16 in 2016) until he played his last game in May 2019.
The story ended there: His Sixers took a terrifying beating (139-89) against the champion, the Celtics who stepped into the TD Garden for the first time as kings of the leagueand that they came from their promotional tour of Abu Dhabi. Joe Mazzulla gave minutes to his first unit. Without the injured (for long) Kristaps Porzingis and with Al Horford dosing his presence a lot, everything indicates that the season will begin with Luke Kornet as center. He, just in case, took advantage of the opportunity (15 points, 8 rebounds) against the Sixers small. Mazzulla saw the Celtics do what he likes… and what makes them untouchable: almost 50 triples launched (47) with almost 49% success. Los Jays They had a good time with feelings of regular season. The two played half the game, Tatum added 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Brown, 18+8+4.
Opposite, and to remove any grace to an Eastern classic that will not be repeated until the special Christmas day (D-25), Nick Nurse rested the entire main rotation. In back to back and after losing against the Wolves, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre, Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon were missing… If we add to that that Joel Embiid still has not had minutes, it was left a team very preseason who was certainly not ready to go through the Celtics’ crusher and come out standing. From a beating sealed in the first quarter (40-18), the only thing that can be highlighted, if anything, is Yabusele’s return home, due to its significance for him. Little more. He rookie Jared McCain scored 20 points by shooting a lot (9/21) and did not hideanother sign that he can also gain a place among the regulars on the track when the season starts in just nine days.
Yabusele served as the starting center, and suffered a lot in the starting line-up against Kornet and the enormous spaces created by the Celtics. The reading for him is positive: Nurse is using him, in the absence of Embiid, mmuch like small pivotanother role that, added to that of substitute power forward behind Martin, can ensure him minutes on the court. This time he finished with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. And he played his best minutes in the second quarter, in which he warmed up his wrist after opening it with a air ball.
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