The New York Knicks improved to 3-0 at home on Sunday night with a 128-116 win over the Chicago Bulls. It was the kind of game Leon Rose’s front office likely had in mind when they hired Mike Brown as head coach.
Jalen Brunson led the way with 31 points in an ‘everybody eats’ kind of win for the Knicks. Jordan Clarkson, an offseason signing, made six of his 11 shots off of the bench for a total of 15 points. It was Clarkson's best game thus far of the young season.
New York’s other notable summer addition had much less of a role in the victory. Guerschon Yabusele only logged two minutes of playing time, all in the first quarter, before heading to the bench for the night. It was even less than the three minutes he played against the Bulls on Friday.
Asked by ClutchPoints after the game about Yabusele’s lack of involvement, Brown made clear it has been a conscious decision by him and his coaching staff.
“No, that’s- it’s me. I can probably play 10 guys, right? But, it’s not going to be 10. It’s more nine and a half. And, so, there’s going to be somebody that has the half,” Brown told media on Sunday.
The Knicks’ coach spoke at media day to his penchant for “nine-and-a-half man” rotations. It was refreshing for fans eager to see the team utilize more of its bench. Fans are learning what Brown’s rotations look like, with the coach already having deployed 15 different players. Yabusele, however, has not been a key part of the plans.
Why Mike Brown needs Guerschon Yabusele to “stay ready”
Yabusele has been busy over the last year. He represented France in both the 2024 Olympics and 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tournament. The Frenchman had logged just 486 NBA career minutes before playing in 70 games for Philadelphia between international contests. He played 1,895 minutes for the 76ers.
Brown indicated on Sunday night that he was aware of the toll taken on the big man’s body. He clarified that his lack of playing time was fueled more by Mitchell Robinson’s injury scare than a desire to let Yabusele rehabilitate and recover.
”I got minutes for him in both halves, but not a ton,” Brown explained, “and he’s just got to go out there and give us whatever he can give us. I just chose- nothing that he did, it was just rotation based, and, got a little funky ‘cause Mitch went out early, you know, and then he came back, and, so, it was just- it was my call.”
Robinson is injury-prone at this stage of his career and left Sunday’s game briefly so trainers could tend to his right leg. Yabusele didn’t see playing time despite the sudden vacuum in the rotation. Karl-Anthony Towns tied a season-high 36 minutes played in the win; Brown may not have trusted the front-court pairing defensively.
Although Yabusele isn’t playing as big of a role in the rotation as anticipated, Brown was complementary of his contributions. He concluded his answers about Yabusele with an honest assessment of the situation.
“Guersch has played well. He’s got to keep himself ready, because he’s going to continue to get minutes. I just got to try to find more if I can, but there’s not going to be a lot more for—when you start talking nine, ten guys—there’s not going to be a ton for that ninth or tenth guy.”
The Knicks will stay at home for a quick turnaround, playing the Washington Wizards on Monday night. How Brown continues to tinker with his rotations remains to be seen. The message to Yabusele, however, is clear. Stay ready.
