Celtics Draft Guerschon Yabusele With 16th Overall Pick
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics continue to make picks at the NBA Draft, following their selection of Cal forward Jaylen Brown with the third overall pick.
If you weren't a fan of that first pick, you may want to turn away. With the 16th overall pick, Boston drafted 20-year-old power forward Guerschon Yabusele out of France.
The 6-foot-8 Yabusele is seen as a stretch four, hitting 42 percent of his three-point attempts for Rouen of the French league (so he has that going for him, which is nice). But he will likely be a draft-and-stash player for Boston.
Yabusele was projected to go much later in the draft, with many seeing him as a second-round pick. But with no trades to be made and a total of eight picks on the night, the Celtics are taking a chance on a player they hope to develop for the future. Hopefully, the near future.
Here's what CBS Sports had to say about Yabusele ahead of the draft:
The rundown: Yabusele has been on the radar of scouts, but took a massive leap forward over the last year, starting at the Adidas Eurocamp in 2015. Early in the year he was considered a late second rounder to watch, but after a great year in the French Pro A league where he averaged 11.5 points and near seven rounds per contest he's now considered a potential sleeper to go in the late first round. He will almost certainly be snatched up by pick No. 40.
The skinny: Yabusele is a rugged, tough power forward at 275 pounds with low body fat percentages. He's strong as an ox inside and clears out position like it's nobody's business, but is also versatile with his skill set and can step away and knock down 3s beyond the international line. The key here is his defensive skill. He's a bit of a plodder, and despite solid length he doesn't do much to protect the rim. I don't really see a first round pick here personally, but there are plenty around the league who do so don't be surprised if he hears his name called there.
Check out his highlights from France here:
98.5 The Sports Hub's Adam Jones & Rich Keefe discuss the pick:
