Yabusele’s Transition from Knicks to Bulls
In a recent game against the Bulls, Gershon Yabusele faced off against the Knicks, but it seems that he never really fit into their system. Mike Brown, who previously played with Yabusele, commented on the situation. He mentioned that while Yabusele excels in the small-ball center role, the Knicks hadn’t provided him with enough consistent playing time, particularly given their roster and matchups.
During his time with the Knicks, Yabusele had modest stats, appearing in just 41 games and averaging about 9 minutes on the court. Before he was traded to the Bulls, he managed to score 11 points and grab 13 rebounds in his farewell performance with New York.
This is somewhat surprising considering he had signed a two-year, $11 million contract as a free agent just a few months prior. Team president Leon Rose made the decision to move Yabusele and replace him with Jose Alvarado, which was only possible after Yabusele opted out of the second year of his deal.
Rumors suggest that Yabusele might have found a lucrative contract overseas for the upcoming season, although that’s not confirmed yet. Now with the Bulls, he’s had more playing time and is starting to show what he can do, including a decent performance shooting from long range.
In fact, he’s hitting about 42 percent of his three-point attempts over his last six games, a significant improvement from his 29.4 percent with the Knicks. He’s also averaging about 10.5 points and 5.2 rebounds over 24 minutes in Chicago.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan highlighted Yabusele’s leadership qualities, praising his ability to uplift his teammates. Yabusele seems to offer flexibility in playing either center or power forward, which is a useful asset for the team.
Interestingly, Yabusele has had no negative feelings toward his time with the Knicks. He simply didn’t align with Brown’s strategy, which relies heavily on off-the-ball movement. Brown acknowledged that the Knicks’ playing style may not have suited Yabusele’s skills, particularly given the heavy reliance on other big men like Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.
As for Robinson, he missed the recent matchup after playing the night before, and while Brown didn’t confirm whether he would miss both games in the back-to-back schedule, he has been managing Robinson’s stress recovery from ankle surgery.
Lastly, the Knicks are facing tight scheduling with only three sets of back-to-back games left, while they also maintain interesting ties to Olympic hockey, thanks to the Hughes brothers and their familial link to Knicks executive Jamie Matthews.
