Guerschon Yabusele’s targeted aggressiveness led to the Knicks’ breakthrough

The bar wasn’t that high, but Wednesday was probably Guerschon Yabusele’s best game as a Knick.

He played 13 minutes in the Knicks’ 123–111 victory over the Clippers at Madison Square Garden, recording eight points and two rebounds.

“Yabu was huge,” head coach Mike Brown said after the game. “The lineups we faced justified it. He was great defensively, he was aggressive – I like his aggressiveness. That’s something we’ve talked about a few times – if you’re able to catch the ball and make a quick decision, make it as fast as you are, as athletic as you are, go to dunk. Go to dunk. I don’t care if you miss it, whatever, go to dunk, because you’re more than capable of giving it to people … We need him to stay aggressive when he can drive, especially with his size, attacking the rim with aggression. And then we need him to rebound, that’s one of the main reasons he’s on the floor and helping in that department, that was big.

Yabusele, the Knicks’ biggest free agency signing since Donte DiVincenzo, had largely fallen out of Brown’s rotation during a personally difficult start to the season.

He had four consecutive DNPs by the end of December and had been usurped by Mohamed Diawara.

But it seems Yabusele has regained his place.

Diawara played just two minutes on Wednesday. And in six games since those four DNPs, Yabusele has averaged 11.0 minutes per game.

Josh Hart’s eventual return from his sprained ankle will likely take up Yabusele’s minutes.

But the Knicks signed Yabusele as a key part of their bench unit. He begins to show that this could become a reality.

“He stays ready,” Jalen Brunson said. “I think he’s playing fantastic the way he did, especially in the second half. That’s what we needed.”

Hart (sprained ankle) remains out for Friday’s game against the Suns in Phoenix, the eighth consecutive game he will miss. He will be reevaluated on Friday.