Guerschon Yabusele was a shrewd offseason pickup by the New York Knicks. The versatile forward impressed for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, anchoring their second unit and adding versatility to the front court.
However, Yabusele is yet to find a rhythm in New York. He, like everyone else on the roster, is adjusting to Mike Brown’s new offensive system and the physical demands that come with playing at such a high tempo. In four outings, Yabusele has scored a total of eight points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
On Sunday, Nov. 2, Yabusele played just two minutes of basketball as the Knicks handed the Chicago Bulls their first loss of the season. During his postgame news conference, Brown explained what led to Yabusele’s limited minutes, noting that it’s nothing the forward has (or hasn’t) done.
“It’s me,” Brown said. “And, I could probably play 10 guys, right? But it’s not going to be 10, it’s more like nine and a half. And so there’s going to be somebody who has a half. And I got minutes for him in both halves, but not a ton. And he’s just got to go out there and give us whatever he can give us. It’s nothing that he did. It was just rotation-based. And it got a little funky because Mitch went out early, and then he came back.”
Brown continued.
“And so it was my call, but Guerschon has played well. He’s got to keep himself ready because he’s going to continue to get minutes. I just have to try to find more if I can. But there’s not going to be a lot more for when you start talking nine, ten guys. There’s not going to be a ton for that ninth or tenth guy.”
Josh Hart Addresses Hand Injury
During his own postgame news conference, Josh Hart revealed that he’s dealing with a nerve issue in his hand.
“My nerve ending hasn’t really gotten back to what it was before,” Hart said. “There’s a little bit of tingling, a little bit of numbness in part of my hand. Hopefully at some point I’ll get that nerve back, hopefully sooner rather than later, but right now it’s just a process.”
Hart hasn’t been at his best to begin the new season. However, he brushed off his slow start to help overcome the Bulls. In 26 minutes of playing time, Hart produced 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. He shot 50% from the field, but went 1-of-4 from deep.
Knicks Snapped Losing Streak
Coming into Sunday, the Knicks had lost three consecutive games. Their win over the Bulls has now snapped that streak and should provide a little momentum moving forward.
Brown’s team won’t have long to wait to try and add another win to their record, as they face the Washington Wizards on Monday, Nov. 3, in what will be the second night of a back-to-back.
The Knicks came into the new season as one of the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. And, while that hasn’t changed, they certainly need to start adjusting to Brown’s system and stacking some wins if they want to build some early-season momentum.
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