A lot of people were absolutely perplexed when the Philadelphia 76ers allowed Guerschon Yabusele to slip away from their grasps last summer. To make matters worse, the rage among the fanbase was even more apparent when the Frenchman himself revealed that the team did not even bother to offer him anything close to the payday he was seeking, which he eventually got from the Knicks.

Turns out, the 76ers actually made the right call. A few months later, Yabusele finds himself stuck on the bench, barely even sniffing any court time for the upstart Knicks. Meanwhile, Philly has enjoyed even more solid production from his de facto replacement in the form of two-way forward Dominick Barlow.

Barlow, who has been one of the feel-good stories for the 76ers so far this season, has suddenly entrenched himself as the team’s starting power forward, assuming the post which Yabusele held for the most part in the previous campaign. And taking into account what both players are making this season, it is pretty obvious that the 76ers did the right thing letting the burly forward go.

The 76ers made the right call with Guerschon Yabusele as Dominick Barlow impresses

For reasons which reason does not know, Yabusele has simply not panned out for the Knicks. But most suspect is the fact that new head coach Mike Brown has not really given him a fair shot. Through 29 games, he’s been averaging just 9.6 minutes per game — a significant decrease from the 27.1 minutes he got with the 76ers on the average last season. Now, he’s already on the trading block.

Meanwhile, Barlow has emerged as arguably the best two-way player in the entire league. He should be well on his way to securing a standard NBA deal sooner than later, and most importantly, as a 22-year-old, he should have much more staying power with the franchise for the long term.

It is most certainly unfortunate to see Yabusele suddenly fizzle out after taking on the mantle of someone who can be a staple in the league moving forward just last season, but his situation are no longer within the 76ers’ province. Luckily, the front office was able to act fast after his departure and secured Barlow — on a two-way deal, no less.

It also bears noting that another Yabu replacement, Trendon Watford, has played great basketball for the 76ers before an injury sidelined him. All in all, the front office not only made the right read with their erstwhile free agent, but they also ensured that his production will not be missed.

Ultimately, this is one omission the 76ers made that definitely made sense despite the initial outcry and derision.