While most of the Knicks’ roster is enjoying the final weeks of their summer and getting their off-season workouts in, one of New York’s newest members, Guerschon Yabusele, has been competing in EuroBasket 2025 with the French national team.
France started out the tournament with a dominant 28-point victory over Belgium last week, but Yabusele struggled in the opening game. The big man, who is just one of the three returning members of the country’s Olympic team from last year, lead the team in minutes
but scored just 11 points, going 1-7 from the field.
The Frenchmen then followed that win up with a high-scoring affair against a Luka Doncic-led Slovenia team. It was an exciting back and forth that saw France roar back from behind in the final quarter, but it was another quiet game for Yabusele, as he managed to score just six points on five shots.
In their third contest of the tournament, though, France suffered their first loss of the competition. In a game in which France took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, they managed to score just 13 points in the final period and lost to an Israel team led by Portland Trail Blazers standout, Deni Avdija, who flirted with a triple-double, and went off for 23 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Meanwhile, Yabusele took just six shots, and was tied for a game worst plus minus of -15.
While France entered Tuesday’s game against Poland with a solid, but not overly impressive 2-1 record, Knicks fans, and I’m sure French fans, were left wanting more from Yabusele. And the big man answered.
Yabusele exploded for 36 points on 12-20 shooting from the field, 6-12 from three, and 6-10 from the free throw line, while being tied for the third-best plus minus on the team in a much-needed seven-point win to clinch a spot in the round of 16.
With this monster performance, which happened to be Yabusele’s career-high scoring game while representing France in an international competition, he now leads the team in points per game, rebounds per game, and blocks per game.
France will face Iceland next on September 4th, at 8:00 a.m. ET, with a place in the knockout stage already secured.