After an injury-plagued rookie season with the Houston Rockets, 2021 first-round draft pick Usman Garuba had a very successful NBA offseason by helping lead his native Spain to glory at the recent European Basketball Championship (EuroBasket).
But, as Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said while the tournament was in progress, the key is whether the team and player can successfully translate that European play to NBA environments. On paper, the 6-foot-8 Garuba, who has bulked up to 253 pounds, could soon figure into the backup center mix behind Alperen Sengun.
Through one week of training camp for the 2022-23 season, it’s a case of so far, so good. Speaking at Saturday’s practice, starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. went out of his way to highlight Garuba’s growth and improved fitness, relative to when he was last with the team.
Porter’s comments:
Usman came back looking a lot faster. He’s looking good. He’s more coordinated. He’s knowing his spots on defense and a big help on offense.
Porter, Garuba and the rest of the Rockets will begin preseason play Sunday night when San Antonio visits Toyota Center in downtown Houston. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central.
Kevin Porter Jr. on if any #Rockets combos have surprised him during training camp practices: “Boban and Usman (Garuba).”
He says it’s impossible to get a rebound when Boban is on the floor, and Garuba is much faster than he was last season pic.twitter.com/CPQ7dZrtBd
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) October 1, 2022
