French interior Guerschon Yabusele, back in the NBA with Philadelphia five years after an unsuccessful first try with Boston, makes an initial assessment.
Taulier of the Blues, Olympic vice-champions this summer in Paris, and noted for a spectacular dunk on LeBron James, “the dancing bear”dominant in Europe in recent seasons, finds his feet with the 76ers in difficulty. Victorious only once, the Sixers have already lost 6 times and were beaten again in Los Angeles by the Clippers on Wednesday evening (110-98), with only 4 points from Yabusele in 10 minutes of play.
How is your start to the season going?
“It’s a bit complicated because we only won one match, we had a lot of defeats, like against Phoenix in the last action (Monday). But hey, we’re still in a good mood, we know there’s a long season, we know there will be a lot of matches, so we’re trying to stay positive and continue working. Personally, I was still able to have several minutes on the pitch. In general, I feel very good in the team, there are really very good teammates, they try to give me confidence, they find me in certain situations. I try to make as few mistakes as possible, to give my best to continue learning. I had to get used to it again, because it goes much faster than in Europe. It’s very athletic too, you really have to be ready, you also have to have cardio. In addition, I play 5 (at the pivot position, editor’s note), it’s in a role quite different from what I usually play, I have to make more effort.
You must compensate for the absence of pivot Joel Embiid (injured then suspended 3 matches for pushing a journalist)…
“Yes, exactly, so I’m kind of here to help out. Normally, my position can be more position 4 (strong winger). No matter the position, I have to try to give the best of myself and make as few mistakes as possible. In defense I have big interiors, big interiors too, so I have to try to adapt.”
How is your collaboration with All-Star wing Paul George, who joined Philadelphia this summer?
“I find solutions with him. It only started this week, but it already makes a lot of things easier. He has an intelligence of the game which is really quite high. He tries to make the right +play+ every time, to make the right pass, to shoot if he has to shoot. He makes a lot of things easier on the pitch, in attack and defense.”
