Boston Celtics: Ranking the last 10 first-round draft picks by the Celtics

10. Guerschon Yabusele

In 2016, the Boston Celtics selected Guerschon Yabusele 16th overall in the first-round of the NBA Draft. At 6’8, 260 lbs, the unpolished Frenchman joined the team for Summer League that year before signing a contract to play for the CBA’s Shanghai Sharks. Yabusele would go on to play 38 games for the Sharks while averaging 21.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game before rejoining the Celtics the following year.

Unfortunately for the Celtics, Yabusele couldn’t transition his stellar international performance to the NBA courts. In just two seasons with the Celtics, Yabusele only averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in 74 total games. After multiple failed opportunities, the Celtics were forced to cut Yabusele and he was then never acquired by another NBA team.

Since being cut in 2019, Yabusele returned to the CBA in August to play for the Nanjing Monkey Kings for 14 games and averaged 18.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Then in February, Yabusele returned to France to play for LDLC Asvel, which has since been put on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

It’s worth mentioning the Celtics had three first-round picks in 2016 and selected Jaylen Brown (third overall), Yabusele (16th overall), and Ante Zizic (23rd overall). I am not including Zizic in this overall ranking only because he never played a game for the C’s and was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a package in exchange for Kyrie Irving.