Is 76ers’ Latest Signing A Missed Opportunity for Knicks?

The Philadelphia 76ers have called upon foreign aid in their ongoing Atlantic Division arms race with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.

Per multiple reports, the first coming from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Philadelphia has added Olympic star Guerschon Yabusele to its fold in an attempt to climb out of the seventh seed that created a memorable matchup with the Knicks in last spring’s opening round.

Yabusele, who has had a couple of cups of coffee with the Celtics after they chose him in the first round in 2016, is fresh off a breakout showing at the Paris Olympics, one where he was second in scoring for host nation France behind only San Antonio sensation Victor Wembanyama. Of note, he scored 20 points in the gold medal game, which saw France give Team USA all it could handle before Stephen Curry’s outside prowess saved the day.

It’s going to take a lot to knock Knicks fans off a wave of momentum that, surprisingly, has been obtained without much player movement. The trade for Mikal Bridges feels like eons ago, especially considering the lack of men’s metropolitan representation in Paris. Other additions in the meantime (i.e. Cameron Payne, re-signing Precious Achiuwa) probably don’t move the needle in any noticeable direction while Boston has mostly opted to run things back with its 18th championship team.

But Yabusele’s arrival might be the most subtle of jabs at the Knicks, whose lack of new paint would require a trip to Home Depot under different circumstances.

Even the most optimistic of Knicks fans fully convinced that winds of contention and change are finally coming to Manhattan after five-plus decades has to be perturbed by the lack of activity at the four and five, especially after Isaiah Hartenstein chased big bucks in Oklahoma City.

The free agency well has mostly dried up (to the point where fringe threat Omer Yurtseven was reportedly turned down after a workout) and the Knicks waited until the literal last minute at the draft to address such woes, using the 58th and final pick on German-born prospect Ariel Hukporti. The trade deadline should offer some veteran replenishment, but the Knicks need to be ready from day one considering Boston won the conference by 14 games.

The Knicks’ post picture is one dominated by both good news and bad news: reliability and familiarity reign in the forms of Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson but both are coming off major injury scares. Achiuwa should alleviate at least some concerns (and did so last season) but more is needed until both can consistently stay off the injury list.

Philadelphia adding Yabusele, a display of leaving no stone unturned when it comes to overcoming their elimination shortcomings, is one of the best ways for them to take advantage of Manhattan inactivity. In addition to attacking an area the Knicks have woefully neglected, it addresses two areas that led to the Sixers’ demise.

Yabusele’s 6-8, 271-pound frame (as well as the addition of similarly-packed Andre Drummond) should come in handy when they’re trying to secure crucial rebounds, such as the ones lost at the end of Game 2 before Donte DiVincenzo’s heroic heave.

Philadelphia was also shut down when it came to depth scoring, unable to counter the Knicks’ similar attack headlined by Miles McBride. Yabusele’s scoring attack, on display in both the Olympics and EuroLeague efforts, should help provide depth while Caleb Martin and Eric Gordon fill the void Tobias Harris left behind.

In the grand scheme of things, there won’t be, and frankly shouldn’t be, tears over the loss of Yabusele, who could well become the product of mere recency bias. The Knicks got all they could handle of the Sixers last postseason and showed that they’re capable of handling divisional business even when Embiid was fully healthy.

Heck, bemoaning the loss of Yabusele might be the sign of metropolitan maturity: New York summers used to be partly defined over missing out on, say, Donovan Mitchell or LeBron James. Now that it’s about losing out on the services of Yabusele and Yurtseven, the Knicks are in a true spot of contention, as those needs can still be filled in the relatively near future.

Even so, it’s worth wondering if going dark amidst the City of Lights’ brightest hour is perhaps one of the few things that could cause a summer wipeout on this wave of momentum.

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