Guerschon Yabusele asserts himself as a luxury joker for the Sixers • Basket USA

Apart from the catastrophic start of the Sixers in terms of accounting (2v-7d), everything is going well for Guerschon Yabusele who achieved his new career record with a match of 20 points and 8 rebounds, and above all a second victory, in pain, against Charlotte after overtime (107-105).

Game after game, the “Dancing Bear” demonstrates that he indeed has his place in the NBA and that he can play an important role.

“It’s only been nine games, but so far I have no complaints”he declared after the meeting. “So far, it’s incredible. I was able to be on the court, play, make shots, win a few games. I feel this thing, which I didn't really feel when I was in Boston, where I'm able to play, to be competitive, against big teams, difficult opponents, and that's what I was looking for . So let's hope it lasts like this. I will always try to do my best and give everything.”

Holder after the break

This night, he also benefited from his most playing time (31 minutes), but above all used it wisely, with intensity in defense and a valuable offensive contribution with and without the ball.

For his part, Nick Nurse innovated by making him start the second half as the Sixers emerged from a sluggish first half. Guerschon Yabusele then restored his confidence by scoring 12 of his 20 points in the third quarter to put Philly at +10 entering the last act.

“I had already thought about shaking up the starting five a little for the start of the second half. As you know, we had quite a bit of a slow start to the third quarter, so I wanted to change it up a little and it worked pretty well tonight.”explained Nick Nurse. “The Hornets really play small ball, and Taj Gibson at position 5 is a good matchup for “Yabu” (…). But essentially, I wanted to change our energy level, our rhythm, so that we could play a little better.”

A great understanding with Paul George

With Jared McCain untenable, Guerschon Yabusele gained momentum until the end, even if he missed two shots that could have been costly at the very end of overtime. His good combinations with Paul George were also one of the satisfactions of this “all-beneficial” evening for the Frenchman.

“I was still in the locker room, there was to be a minute before the restart, and the coach told me that I was going to start. So I ran out and tried to get some shots in and get ready. After that, I put myself in focus mode and I tried to help the guys, without doing too much stupidity, to read the defenses well, what they are going to do in attack.”he confided, before discussing his agreement with PG. “I really love it. He's definitely someone with a high basketball IQ. On the ground, he makes life easier for everyone. He knows how to find the right passes, push the tempo, and give us rhythm and confidence. It’s really great to play with him.”

Next test Tuesday evening against the Knicks for the big return of Joel Embiid.

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.