The question brought a smile to Guerschon Yabusele's face: how do you keep on getting offensive rebounds off of missed free throws like this one?
Yabusele did not smile because he appreciated the acknowledgment of an extremely niche ability, nor did he smile because he was eager to share his secrets. Yabusele, who has starred in every role imaginable during his first season with the Sixers, wanted to keep the tricks of the trade under wraps.
"That makes me smile because I don't want [opposing teams] to know and try to read it," Yabusele said.
One of the many roles Yabusele has thrived in through 36 games in his return to the NBA after a half-decade stint overseas: the guy who makes hustle play after hustle play on both ends of the floor. Despite being the only Sixer to appear in each and every game this season, and frequently handle significant workloads due to multiple injuries suffered by Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond, Yabusele never takes a play off and never relents.
"Yabu's been great, dude," Tyrese Maxey said last month. "He's done so many different things: played the five, played the four, started, come off the bench. Like, he's done everything that the coaches have asked him to do. And all you can do is appreciate someone like that, man."
Yabusele's impressive ability to battle and generate new possessions when his teammates miss shots at the free-throw line has been powered by a combination of sheer effort and being able to catch people sleeping. But when you are also listed anywhere between 265 and 280 pounds, it might be a bit easier to power through a lighter, unsuspecting player:
One of the most valuable assets a player can have is self-awareness. Yabusele understands that his size and strength will always be at the top of an opposing team's scouting report -- and the forefront of the mind of any player with the unfortunate task of having to box him out.
Yabusele observed a trend in how those players were frequently attempting to shield him from grabbing offensive rebounds, and he developed a counter.
"Because I'm big, the first thing [defenders do] is to do like this," Yabusele said, demonstrating a defender holding their arm out. "So, I'm just trying to read and push their arm in... they're off-balance, so I'm getting that rebound. It's a little technique."
Of course, Yabusele is far from a one-trick pony. He has become a stunningly efficient post-up scorer in limited opportunities. His passing chops have become a real asset for Sixers head coach Nick Nurse. And as injury after injury have devastated the team's center rotation, the 6-foot-8 Yabusele being able to slide up on the positional spectrum and become a true floor-spacing five has been a godsend for Nurse.
"It certainly helps, especially against rim-protecting centers that are going to be in drop [coverage] and waiting at the rim. You see a good chunk of those guys come through, so that's helpful," Nurse said on Wednesday. "The second thing is [Yabusele has] a good, safe pair of hands out of the blitz stuff, too. When they blitz, he ends up with the ball there, having to make the 4-on-3 next pass/read, and he does a pretty good job of reading that as well. It's big on both accounts."
In a season filled with so many reasons to worry or be angered, Sixers fans have grown to be delighted by Yabusele -- not only for his hustle and his grit, but also for his significant skill in all phases of the game. As Yabusele pays off his bet on being able to thrive in an NBA return, he has remained grateful for the overwhelming ovations he receives for every offensive rebound, every spot-up triple and, unbelievably, every starting lineup introduction.
"From the beginning, they've been super positive with me, pushing me every time I'm on the court," Yabusele said last month. "It's been perfect since I got here. They show me so much love. Everything they give me, I'm really feeling that energy for sure, and it makes me want to do more."
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