Guerschon Yabusele

Guerschon Yabusele was drafted at No. 16 by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft.

(Frank Franklin II / Associated Press)

While Boston Celtics fans knew draft-and-stash players were possibilities at the No. 16 and 23 picks, it still came as a surprise to many when Adam Silver (or Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter several minutes before) announced that the Celtics would take Guerschon Yabusele with the No. 16 pick.

Yabusele was not on many Celtics draft radars, but he probably should have been -- the versatile big man played at the highest level of French basketball as a 20-year-old, and while his team was out-manned, he put up impressive numbers given his age and the level of competition.

Yabusele might not join the Celtics this year -- presumably some of his appeal was his willingness to be draft-and-stashed -- but he's still an interesting player to keep an eye on. Let's take a closer look at his game.

Strengths

Yabusele has an enormous body with a long wingspan -- at just 6-foot-8, his long arms and thick frame make him an interesting offensive problem for teams to have to deal with. Equally intriguing are his physical tools -- for someone that hefty, his athleticism is startling. He's very fluid in pick-and-roll situations, and when he gets enough airspace to elevate, he can bring down thunderous dunks on his opponents.

Meanwhile, Yabusele's strong frame allows him to establish excellent position in the post. He can body opponents out of the way, and while his back-to-the-basket game is raw, his touch is excellent around the rim. He's also strong enough to be relatively unphased by contact in the paint, which can lead to and-one opportunities.

But where Yabusele's game promises to translate best to the modern NBA is as a floor-spacing center. Yabusele has strange 3-point form, but he knocked down a very efficient 42 percent of his long-range shots last season, and his ability to set an enormous screen in addition to his range makes him an ideal pick-and-pop threat, as well as a pick-and-roll scorer.

That 3-point threat opens up other aspects of his game as well. Yabusele can attack closeouts with a surprisingly explosive first step, and he can finish hard at the rim. He excels as an offensive rebounder as well, utilizing his athleticism to get up for boards, his size to clear space, and his nose for the ball to find the right spots on the floor. That type of versatility makes it easy to see why Ainge took a flyer on him, even if he isn't coming over right away.

Weaknesses

While Yabusele's bulk isn't much an issue -- scouts say he is able to put on and take off weight quickly -- he doesn't demonstrate as much toughness on the defensive end as one might expect from someone at his size. Yabusele's length and bounce don't translate to rim protection, and he can get lost off the ball. As a pick-and-roll defender, he doesn't always contain well, and he has the bad habit of reaching and swiping at perimeter players, which will rack up fouls in a hurry against NBA point guards. He's also a poor defensive rebounder at this point, which is a little strange given his proclivity for grabbing offensive boards.

Yabusele's versatility is his calling card, but his polish is questionable. He isn't a great passer, and while his touch in the post is soft, he doesn't always find ways to get his shot off cleanly. Despite his ability to absorb contact -- and his desire to dunk on opponents -- he isn't a particularly great finisher in traffic, since his bounce shows itself most in space.

Fit With The Celtics

Setting aside Yabusele as a draft-and-stash candidate -- which is where his fit with the Celtics shows itself the most, frankly -- he could weave his way into Brad Stevens' offense effectively, particularly if he can shore up the defensive issues that have plagued him. The Celtics love versatility, and Yabusele projects as a modern small-ball center -- a bruiser capable of stretching to the 3-point line and also raining down enormous dunks. If he plays for Boston's Summer League teams in Utah and Las Vegas, it's a pretty good bet that he'll quickly become a fan favorite.

Yabusele is not a rim protector, and that's something the Celtics have needed for several years, but less than two weeks removed from a season in which the Golden State Warriors won 73 games in large part by utilizing Draymond Green -- a versatile center an inch shorter than Yabusele -- it's easy to see how the French big man fits in today's league.

That brings us to our final point.

Are The Comparisons Fair?

As soon as everyone had taken a few minutes on Thursday to Google Yasubele's name, find the correct spelling and search him on Draft Express (which you should probably do), the comparisons began running rampant on Twitter. The two most common (and also the two least fair): Paul Millsap and Green.

Yabusele is neither Millsap nor Green, at least not at this point. Both Millsap and Green are incredibly versatile offensive players who are as versatile -- or more so -- on defense as well. Put Green on an opposing point guard and he's nearly as lethal as he is on a big man. Get Millsap switched in a pick-and-roll, and he can contain as well as his guards.

That's not Yabusele's game yet. He's athletic and strong, and he can shoot 3-pointers, but he's not a switchable monster like the other two. He's also not nearly the passer Green is -- don't expect Yabusele to be leading fast breaks off a defensive board.

Still, he's only 20, and most 20-year-olds are not great (or even good) defenders, especially professionally. There's plenty of room for growth in his game, and if he can continue to develop, he could be a very useful player for Boston.

If not? Ainge's reasoning at No. 16 was pretty sound. That's as much as fans can probably ask for.

Follow Tom on Twitter: @Tom_NBA.