Guerschon Yabusele is efficient as Sixers’ backup center, marking latest step in NBA return

Guerschon Yabusele allowed himself to soak in Monday’s shootaround inside the Wells Fargo Center, the evidence he would soon play inside an NBA arena once again.

Then, the 76ers big man punished mismatches against smaller defenders and established pick-and-roll chemistry with Kyle Lowry. Yabusele scored 15 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting as the backup center in the Sixers’ 139-84 domination of the New Zealand Breakers in their preseason opener, a performance coach Nick Nurse deemed a “good first outing” in Yabusele’s return to the sport’s highest level.

“I’m not going to lie, it felt amazing,” Yabusele said after the game. “… It’s been a long road, but happy to be here.”

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey, Andre Drummond set the tempo in Sixers’ preseason victory over New Zealand Breakers

It was a personal benchmark for the 28-year-old Yabusele, who was a first-round draft pick by the Boston Celtics and played two NBA seasons from 2017-19 before slipping out of the league. The Sixers signed Yabusele, who most recently played for European powerhouse Real Madrid, following a terrific Paris Olympics run with his home country of France.

It also was a glimpse at what the Sixers, as currently constructed, could look like at center when Joel Embiid misses regular-season games, a reality as the 2023 NBA MVP comes off knee surgery and prioritizes being healthy for the playoffs. Andre Drummond started at that position Monday and finished with 11 points (including a corner three-pointer) and seven rebounds in 14 minutes, 19 seconds. Rookie Adem Bona, who totaled five points and four rebounds in 15 second-half minutes, is another option at that spot.

The 6-foot-8, 265-pound Yabusele said he worked at both power forward and center during last week’s training camp as Embiid was held out of scrimmage action. Broadly speaking, Yabusele said playing center requires him to be more active as a defensive anchor while he aims to draw bigger players out from the paint to “make him work” on the offensive end.

During Monday’s first half, however, Yabusele and Lowry consistently carved up the Breakers with their two-man game that led to three underneath finishes. He scored another seven points in the third quarter, including two more driving shots inside and a three-pointer from the top of the key off a feed from rookie guard Jared McCain.

“After the first basket, [Lowry] was telling me to always roll,” Yabusele said. “… I was looking at it, and he was already looking at me instantly — like he knew he was going to pass the ball. I need to be ready for those passes.”

Added Nurse: “When they switched, he took them right in there. He’s pretty used to that. That’s kind of the style they used him at with France and overseas. When they switch a smaller guy, he’s pretty wide to get around as well, so he can get down there and post and score.”

» READ MORE: Inside Sixers: Kyle Lowry’s impact, water slides and more from training camp in the Bahamas

Nurse cautioned observers not to “get carried away” with an exhibition contest against a non-NBA team, noting that “there will probably be some bigger guys coming up” for Yabusele in regular-season matchups. Perhaps it is good news, then, that Yabusele and Drummond lit up when talking about playing with each other on the Sixers’ second unit. Even in those scenarios, they battle each other for rebounds and “can cause a lot of damage” to opposing teams, Yabusele believes.

“That boy is strong, man,” added Drummond, one of the NBA’s dominant rebounders. “He is strong. … He’ll try to go get [the rebound], and I’ll take it out of his hands, and vice versa. Having a guy like that who is seasoned — he’s been in the NBA before — who came back and kind of revamped his career and now is here, we need a guy like that.”

Those Drummond-Yabusele looks will come in a game setting once Embiid steps back onto the floor. But Monday’s backup center outing was Yabusele’s latest step on his road back to the NBA.

Before leaving the arena environment he had allowed himself to soak in, Yabusele walked into the press conference room wearing a Phillies hat. His wife and two young children were with him.

“For her to be able to watch this game, she was telling me how much she missed it,” Yabusele said of his wife. “… I think we found a good place here in Philadelphia.”