?????Yabusele?????

I don't ever want to write off a young Celtics player, but this guy just might not have "it".

After doing fairly well in his first start, he is right back to only playing four minutes in the blowout loss
to the Pelicans.

I guess that Stevens has his reasons, but for the most part (with my eye test) this kid is just not
improving very much. Could he be just another guy who can get stats when the opposition's talent (French league,
Chinese league, G League) is not comparable to his own?

It will not surprise me either way if Ainge keeps him to hope that he develops or trades him before others
figure out what he really is.

James Young is the last Cs young guy who just never found a place in Boston for possibly the same reasons.

This is his first.

He has not played much but he is still developing. I see no reason to write him off this early.

Wide,

I agree.

Seems like a nice kid. I hope he goes back overseas and makes a ton of money while enjoying playing and getting the royal treatment he will surely earn.

I just never thought he had a game that was at an NBA level. It was a complete surprise to me when they brought him back from the G League. I guess the big number of injuries pushed him back here.

Regards

Hi folks, I am new to this board.

I remain intrigued by Yabusele and think he may fashion a career in the NBA, albeit possibly not with the Cs.

The guys can shoot, he is a plus passer, and he can move his feet well. Whether he can put it together is another matter. He needs to get playing time to develop and that is not on the horizon.

The most discouraging point: he cannot replace Ojeleye's minutes when Semi is playing a the big role. Ojeleye may be the biggest nothingburger I have seen on the Cs in memory. He does nothing, except play adequate position defense. He makes one play every two weeks. When he is on the floor the Cs instantly go to playing 4 on 5 on offense and the wheels come off the bus. For all his virtues as a position team defender, he is light years from being a stopper. Bigs shoot over him, quick guys get around him, and wings with talent can handle him OK.

Elrod Enchilada wrote:Hi folks, I am new to this board.

I remain intrigued by Yabusele and think he may fashion a career in the NBA, albeit possibly not with the Cs.

The guys can shoot, he is a plus passer, and he can move his feet well. Whether he can put it together is another matter. He needs to get playing time to develop and that is not on the horizon.

The most discouraging point: he cannot replace Ojeleye's minutes when Semi is playing a the big role. Ojeleye may be the biggest nothingburger I have seen on the Cs in memory. He does nothing, except play adequate position defense. He makes one play every two weeks. When he is on the floor the Cs instantly go to playing 4 on 5 on offense and the wheels come off the bus. For all his virtues as a position team defender, he is light years from being a stopper. Bigs shoot over him, quick guys get around him, and wings with talent can handle him OK.

Hi Elrod, welcome to the board!!

The question of Semi vs Yabby is an interesting one since they do seem to play similar positions.  I think Semi's defense is much better than Yabusele's at this time.  If all Semi plays is "adequate position defense" like you say, then Yabby's is "inadequate".  That doesn't necessarily mean it will always be like that.  Yabusele is spending a lot of time in Maine and I'm sure they are harping on his need to play defense all the time.

Semi's game, right now, is 3-and-D because he knows that's what is getting him on the floor.  Just as we cannot assume Yabby's defense will always be weak we cannot assume Semi's offense will not improve over time. They are both rookies. Unless you are Larry Bird or Magic or MJ it is unusual for a rookie to come into the league "fully formed". Almost all rookies have strengths in one or two areas and need at least 2 years of work in the others to bring them up to speed and that's higher draft picks like Brown and Tatum. Picks that are further down tend to be even more limited in ability and upside and need even more time, time which they often aren't given.

If Yabusele has an advantage over Semi it's that he is a 1st round pick with a 4 year contract while Semi is a 2nd round pick on a series of one-year contracts with team options for each.

Nice way to frame the argument, "Semi or Yabusele?"  Thanks and, once again, welcome to the board.  Keep it up.



bob



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Elrod,

Welcome, and I am sure that you will enjoy the board as there are lots of great posters with great thoughts relating to Boston Celtics basketball.

Your comparison is quite interesting, but with Ojeleye being the far better defender it is been easy to see why Coach Stevens has given Olejeye much more playing time.

Olejeye has lots to do to earn even a roster spot on next year's team, but it seems to me that he is way ahead of Yabusele as far as becoming a full fledged NBA player. Sometimes, understanding of the game can separate players from others.