Celtics’ Jaylen Brown is Thrilled for 76ers Player

Jaylen Brown is happy for his former teammate, Guerschon Yabusele.

Oct 15, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) warms up before playing the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images / Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Two Saturdays ago, a preseason game served as a reunion for a former Boston Celtics draft pick. As the Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to TD Garden for a preseason matchup, the home crowd embraced the return of their old friend/new rival, Guerschon Yabusele.

His draftmate, Jaylen Brown, was thrilled to see the return happen.

“It’s great,” Brown told reporters, discussing Yabusele’s NBA comeback. “We got a chance to talk before the game [on Saturday]. Yabu is one of my good friends. We kind of came into the organization together.”

Oct 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) attempts a basket against Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) during the second half at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

In 2016, the Celtics spent their third-overall pick on Jaylen Brown out of California. It was clear coming in that Brown was viewed as a future cornerstone player for the franchise. This season, Brown is entering his ninth season with the organization.

Later in the same draft, the Celtics went on the clock with the 16th pick. That’s when they called on the French forward, Yabusele.

The former first-round pick didn’t have the same long run with the team as Brown.

Yabusele appeared in 74 games across two regular seasons for the Celtics. He holds 16 playoff games under his belt. By July 2019, Yabusele was waived by Boston. From that point on, he took on several jobs beyond the NBA, with hopes of one day making it back.

A standout summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics helped the Sixers realize Yabusele could be a steal of a pickup. The Real Madrid standout was slated for another season in Spain, but Yabusele reached a buyout with the organization before joining the 76ers for the 2024-2025 run.

While Brown finds it unfortunate that Yabusele joins the Celtics’ Atlantic Division rivals, he remains happy for his friend.

“To see him back in the NBA, he’s been playing well overseas, I thought he had a great Olympic run. It kind of led to him being here. Even though he’s on the Sixers, it’s all good still. Still bittersweet,” Brown finished.

Jaylen Brown on seeing Guerschon Yabusele back in the NBA:

“It’s great. We got a chance to talk before the game. Yabu is one of my good friends. We came into the organization together… Even though he's on the Sixers, it’s all good.” pic.twitter.com/Tp8S7vdatQ

— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) October 13, 2024

Yabusele had a strong preseason with the Sixers. It’s unclear what his role in Nick Nurse’s system will be, but his first four matchups with the team should be strong enough to allow him to slip into the rotation rather quickly.