Nick Nurse Raves About Rare Bright Spot From 76ers’ Season

When the Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2024-25 NBA season, they didn’t envision thinking more about top prospect Cooper Flagg and whether they’d retain their first-round pick than the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Philadelphia signed Paul George to a four-year, $211.6 million contract. They retained Kelly Oubre, who became a fan favorite the previous year, his first in the City of Brotherly Love. The Sixers also added Caleb Martin. They even earned positive feedback at the NBA Draft, selecting former Duke Blue Devil guard Jared McCain.

Unfortunately for the 76ers, after contributing to the United States men’s basketball team’s gold medal run, Joel Embiid’s been plagued by a knee injury that limited him to 19 games this season. In September, the seven-time All-Star signed a three-year, $193 million extension.

Meanwhile, George, who’s on one of the NBA’s worst contracts, has only appeared in 41 contests. He’s averaging 16.2 points, down from 22.6 in his final campaign with the Los Angeles Clippers. His field goal percentage has plummeted to 43 percent compared to slightly north of 47 percent a season ago. The six-time All-NBA selection, who turns 35 in May, is shooting 35.8 percent from beyond the arc on 6.5 three-point attempts per game.

After a promising start, McCain’s season ended in December when the rookie tore his left meniscus.

Philadelphia’s nightmare year has led to the franchise clinging to the hope of retaining its first-round draft pick. If it falls outside of the top six, it belongs to the kings of draft capital, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Between the Thunder’s picks, swaps, and protected selections, like the one the 76ers may convey to them, Oklahoma City has 29 first and second-round choices between now and 2031.

But in a season filled with glum for the Sixers, Guerschon Yabusele has been a bright spot. The former Boston Celtics’ first-round pick shined at the Olympics. He replaced Rudy Gobert in France’s starting lineup, a move that helped propel the host country to the gold medal game against the United States.

Yabusele’s performance earned him a ticket back to the NBA, signing a deal with Philadelphia shortly before training camp. He has since started in 31 games and is producing 10.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. He’s also knocking down nearly 40 percent of the 3.8 threes he’s hoisting.

“First and foremost, he’s played very well all year,” said Sixers head coach Nick Nurse at his pregame media availability before Philadelphia’s 123-105 loss to the Celtics. “He plays very hard. He’s a coach’s dream, [a] true pro. [He] plays hard every night, [he] is out there almost every night. He’s played almost all the games. Great spirit.”

The 76ers’ bench also noted of Yabusele, “We didn’t know if he was going to help us at all at the start of the year. He was one of the last guys picked up as we went in there. We did kind of have a need at the roster there, we thought. It’s been a lot of positives from him. He’s been really awesome.”

The 29-year-old veteran has made such an impression on the Sixers that despite being an unrestricted free agent this offseason, they opted against moving Yabusele at the trade deadline, signaling their desire to re-sign him this summer.