Rozier and Yabu similarities

[KG Living Legend]

 One is huge and one is not. Both were the #16 picks in the first round. Both were drafted ahead of their perceived position. Both were extremely raw picks with high upsides.

 Rozier has really came through in his fourth year, as a result I'm giving Yabu four years to prove himself as well. Yabu is even more raw than Terry, but does have a freakish body and skillset.

 Hopefully Yabu turns the corner just like Rozier did.

[jambr380]

Rozier is actually only in his 3rd year and he did show flashes as a rookie in the 1st round. Since they were about the same age when drafted, Yabusele shouldn't get a whole lot of leeway here, but I been impressed [at times] with his motor and semblance of an offensive game.

Fast guards usually have it easier than young big men in acclimating to the NBA and it will be interesting to see if Yabusele actually ever gets his chance with this contending team. To be effective, he is really going to need to learn the defensive sets and really grind it out. It's one of the major reasons Ojeleye has seen so much of the court this season.

[Big333223]

Fun comparison. Both raw players selected in the middle of the first round. Rozie spent a lot of his rookie year in the D-League as Yabu has done. Hopefully Rozier's growth is a result of the Celtics' development system and we'll get to see similar growth for the Dancing Bear.

[ChillyWilly]

I'm a terrible evaluator of upside because I can't see it with Yabu. I struggle to see even a sliver what others are seeing never mind the excitement some have of his future.

He seems really out of place on the court to me. Ala James Young.

[KG Living Legend]

 Tp to the first 3 posters! James young never showed anything except a jump shot. Yabu is strong as a 🐻, very quick, good jumping ability, nice form on his 3 ball. Long arms. A lot to like.

 More raw than Rozier because he never played in America. Sky is the limit for Yabu but needs to work his bear claws off.

[Alleyoopster]

I'm a terrible evaluator of upside because I can't see it with Yabu. I struggle to see even a sliver what others are seeing never mind the excitement some have of his future.

He seems really out of place on the court to me. Ala James Young.

I felt that way you did when he was drafted. Some of his highlight films looked liked he never learned a thing about defense. Now, I'm shocked at how far he's come in this area.

As a silver lining, and maybe it's just coincidence, it seems like shooters don't like him bodying up to them. He may not block their shots, but their field goal percentage seems to dip. Will have to wait and see if this trend continues.

[csfansince60s]

Here's another similarity:

Both Rozier (obviously) AND Yabusele should be on the court before Ralph Nader.

TP to the OP...fun thread

[ChillyWilly]

 Tp to the first 3 posters! James young never showed anything except a jump shot. Yabu is strong as a 🐻, very quick, good jumping ability, nice form on his 3 ball. Long arms. A lot to like.

 More raw than Rozier because he never played in America. Sky is the limit for Yabu but needs to work his bear claws off.

Thanks for the TP!

He seems to be a below the rim player to me so I'm not seeing the good jumping ability. His stroke is very slow although it looks pretty sound so no beef from me there. Does he appear quick because he's so meaty or is he legit quick?

I'll be honest I don't follow G league or overseas because that doesn't mean much when playing in the NBA. His minutes have been scarce so my eyeball sample size is small which is quite unfair to a rookie but Yabu to me is really really raw without the Troz3 super athlete.

Maybe my issue is everytime I see him all I can think of is Big Baby Davis a weird tweener who was out of the NBA before age 30. Hard to get hyped on that.

[ChillyWilly]

Here's another similarity:

Both Rozier (obviously) AND Yabusele should be on the court before Ralph Nader.

TP to the OP...fun thread

Something we can all agree on except for Nader's mama.

[mr. dee]

I'm a terrible evaluator of upside because I can't see it with Yabu. I struggle to see even a sliver what others are seeing never mind the excitement some have of his future.

He seems really out of place on the court to me. Ala James Young.

James Young didn't really show any motor or commitment on any side for the floor. Yabu on the other hand always looked active, although he's lost sometimes but that's due to his lack of experience. 250+ lbs muscle with lateral agility + shooting skill with high motor. That's a potential solid player right there.

[mr. dee]

 Tp to the first 3 posters! James young never showed anything except a jump shot. Yabu is strong as a , very quick, good jumping ability, nice form on his 3 ball. Long arms. A lot to like.

 More raw than Rozier because he never played in America. Sky is the limit for Yabu but needs to work his bear claws off.

Thanks for the TP!

He seems to be a below the rim player to me so I'm not seeing the good jumping ability. His stroke is very slow although it looks pretty sound so no beef from me there. Does he appear quick because he's so meaty or is he legit quick?

I'll be honest I don't follow G league or overseas because that doesn't mean much when playing in the NBA. His minutes have been scarce so my eyeball sample size is small which is quite unfair to a rookie but Yabu to me is really really raw without the Troz3 super athlete.

Maybe my issue is everytime I see him all I can think of is Big Baby Davis a weird tweener who was out of the NBA before age 30. Hard to get hyped on that.

Big Baby was a solid rotational player during his tenure with the Celtics. The problem with him lies with his lack of discipline and commitment on staying in shape. And he does have some huge ego.

Yabusele doesn't have those problems. He's a very humble kid and looks like a hard worker. Don't let the massive body fool you.



Big Baby can only dream of having a fit body like the dancing bear.

[Alleyoopster]

 Tp to the first 3 posters! James young never showed anything except a jump shot. Yabu is strong as a 🐻, very quick, good jumping ability, nice form on his 3 ball. Long arms. A lot to like.

 More raw than Rozier because he never played in America. Sky is the limit for Yabu but needs to work his bear claws off.

Thanks for the TP!

He seems to be a below the rim player to me so I'm not seeing the good jumping ability. His stroke is very slow although it looks pretty sound so no beef from me there. Does he appear quick because he's so meaty or is he legit quick?

I'll be honest I don't follow G league or overseas because that doesn't mean much when playing in the NBA. His minutes have been scarce so my eyeball sample size is small which is quite unfair to a rookie but Yabu to me is really really raw without the Troz3 super athlete.

Maybe my issue is everytime I see him all I can think of is Big Baby Davis a weird tweener who was out of the NBA before age 30. Hard to get hyped on that.

He may be a below the rim player. However, he takes up a lot of space, especially when going to the hoop. Doesn't look like it's easy to block his shot because his body and strength gets in the way of the defender. 

[nickagneta]

I'm a terrible evaluator of upside because I can't see it with Yabu. I struggle to see even a sliver what others are seeing never mind the excitement some have of his future.

He seems really out of place on the court to me. Ala James Young.

James Young didn't really show any motor or commitment on any side for the floor. Yabu on the other hand always looked active, although he's lost sometimes but that's due to his lack of experience. 250+ lbs muscle with lateral agility + shooting skill with high motor. That's a potential solid player right there.

Young's biggest problem was the same problem Yabu has to a large extent...he's lost an awful lot. Whether that's BBIQ or real life IQ or not putting in the work on tape and translating it to the court, I don't know.

Yabu has some of the physicals that are real good if not impressive. He shows flashes of real talent for the game, shot, handle, footwork, etc. But can he put it all together mentally? That's what worries me about Yabu.

Think he has much much higher upside than Nader or Semi but just don't know if he will have the head for the game.

[mr. dee]

I'm a terrible evaluator of upside because I can't see it with Yabu. I struggle to see even a sliver what others are seeing never mind the excitement some have of his future.

He seems really out of place on the court to me. Ala James Young.

James Young didn't really show any motor or commitment on any side for the floor. Yabu on the other hand always looked active, although he's lost sometimes but that's due to his lack of experience. 250+ lbs muscle with lateral agility + shooting skill with high motor. That's a potential solid player right there.

Young's biggest problem was the same problem Yabu has to a large extent...he's lost an awful lot. Whether that's BBIQ or real life IQ or not putting in the work on tape and translating it to the court, I don't know.

Yabu has some of the physicals that are real good if not impressive. He shows flashes of real talent for the game, shot, handle, footwork, etc. But can he put it all together mentally? That's what worries me about Yabu.

Think he has much much higher upside than Nader or Semi but just don't know if he will have the head for the game.

I've seen Young actually plays couple of times. He always shows some nonchalant tendencies on the court, like Jeff Green. I don't see those problems with Yabu. Yabu's deficiencies is sometimes, he's in wrong position although he's trying. There are some low BBIQ players who had success in the NBA because they play hard. Young neither plays hard or physical. Yabu is physical but plays within the flow of the offense and puts efforts on defense against players who is faster than him on switches.

[nickagneta]

I'm a terrible evaluator of upside because I can't see it with Yabu. I struggle to see even a sliver what others are seeing never mind the excitement some have of his future.

He seems really out of place on the court to me. Ala James Young.

James Young didn't really show any motor or commitment on any side for the floor. Yabu on the other hand always looked active, although he's lost sometimes but that's due to his lack of experience. 250+ lbs muscle with lateral agility + shooting skill with high motor. That's a potential solid player right there.

Young's biggest problem was the same problem Yabu has to a large extent...he's lost an awful lot. Whether that's BBIQ or real life IQ or not putting in the work on tape and translating it to the court, I don't know.

Yabu has some of the physicals that are real good if not impressive. He shows flashes of real talent for the game, shot, handle, footwork, etc. But can he put it all together mentally? That's what worries me about Yabu.

Think he has much much higher upside than Nader or Semi but just don't know if he will have the head for the game.

I've seen Young actually plays couple of times. He always shows some nonchalant tendencies on the court, like Jeff Green. I don't see those problems with Yabu. Yabu's deficiencies is sometimes, he's in wrong position although he's trying. There are some low BBIQ players who had success in the NBA because they play hard. Young neither plays hard or physical. Yabu is physical but plays within the flow of the offense and puts efforts on defense against players who is faster than him on switches.

Young was lost. He ball watched, missed switches, had to be told where to be on offense. It wasn't non-chalance, it was dreadful BBIQ, maybe reg IQ.

Yabu, by your own admission is the same way. He gets lost. Reaches too much. Misses switches. Goes for fakes too much. Doesn't know where to be on offensive rotations. Now hopefully its just lack of experience as he started playing basketball late in life, but he does look lost, like Young did often.

Still think he has tons of upside.