Eurobasket Recap: Usman Garuba's Offensive Outlook for 2022-23
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It’s fair to say that Usman Garuba’s rookie season in Houston didn’t go as expected. The 23rd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft missed nearly two months of play with different injuries which caused him to never really get into a rhythm. It was only very late in the season that the Rockets gave him significant playing time, averaging 17.7 minutes through the seven games of the season, a stretch in which the Rockets went 0-7.
While Garuba’s play offered some bright spots, such as his defensive contributions, his activity on the glass, his relentless screening and his moments of passing, the scoring didn’t come easy for him, scoring just 48 points total during the entire 2021-22 season.
With Eurobasket nearly in the books, it’s time to dive into the tape and see what we learned about Garuba in the competition and project how he can fit offensively with the Houston Rockets, ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Complementary Offensive is Still There
Offensive rebounding, screening and energy had always been a part of Garuba’s profile and he certainly made the most of his role at Eurobasket, as he was able to create extra possessions for his team with his offensive rebounding, grabbing two offensive boards per game at the tournament, which gave Spain key extra possessions in a number of tight games.
Garuba’s ability to set screens was just as important, as he was really effective to create space both for pick-and-roll handlers and for off-ball shooters. However, there was yet another level in which his screen-setting was important offensively…
Short Roll Passing Can be an Antidote for the Lack of Gravity
Even if passing has been a part of Garuba’s arsenal ever since he was playing with the junior Real Madrid squad, it can be hard for players to create open looks for teammates at the NBA level when they don’t possess a level of offensive self-creation.
This is where Garuba’s ability to set screens comes in, as it allows him to create situations where he draws help defenders once he gets the ball as a roll man. One of the precepts of NBA defenses is that if an opponent gets the ball in the lane and his primary defender is on his back, then the closest defender must help from the corners.
This is what Garuba did exceptionally well at Eurobasket as evidenced by the 2.4 assists per game he racked up, against just 0.9 turnovers. Garuba got the ball in the short roll and was able to find teammates in the corners after drawing those help defenders, being reactive and accurate to deliver the ball.
This ability to create for others and make key passes within the flow of the offense could be really valuable for Houston next year, a team who lacks a true playmaker for others beyond Kevin Porter Jr. and runs playmaking mostly by committee.
The Shot Still Isn't There
Whenever Garuba’s offensive future is discussed, his shooting is one of the first things that gets brought up. Garuba came into the league with the shot being one of his big question marks and after shooting just 25% from beyond the arc on 20 total attempts during his rookie season, Garuba’s shooting projection continues to be a huge question mark.
Which brings me to the bad news. Looking at the Euroleague tape, not only the shot seems to not be coming around. It looks like it has regressed.
Garuba made just one of the seven jumpshots he took in the tournament according to InStat, but the percentages fail to tell the whole story. The pessimism is not just about the percentages, it’s about how the mechanics look slow, segmented and unbalanced to a point where it’s hard to consider a shot that looks like that ever working in the NBA.
At this point, considering his history of lack of shooting versatility, low volume of attempts and below-average percentages, it’s hard to see the shot ever coming around, and even if it did, an optimistic outcome would be for him to become a static catch-and-shoot player who converts jumpers at slightly below average efficiency.
The shooting conversation as of right now is less about him adding value with his shot and more about him not subtracting value for his team as a non-shooting forward who affects team spacing negatively and can’t derive any sort of gravity due to his lack of perimeter scoring.
Finishing Could be the Swing Skill
After an injury-plagued rookie season, the Rockets shut down Garuba before the NBA Summer League in July, after he sprained his left ankle in practice. The injury seems to have slowed Garuba down to some degree at Eurobasket, especially when it comes to his finishing, as he shot just 54% from the restricted area according to InStat.
Despite having the ability to create space with his physicality and with his footwork, it was clear in this tournament that some of the finishes that require a level of flexibility and hangtime were outside of his comfort zone and that his overreliance on his right hand, at times makes it easier for opponents to contest his shot.
Considering that Garuba shot 63.6% from the restricted area in his rookie season, just around league average, this wouldn’t be a big issue, but it certainly feels like a wasted opportunity if it doesn’t improve given how Garuba could contribute on offense as a driver.
When getting the ball in the short corner or the elbows, Garuba is quick to turn around and attack defenders one-on-one, creating space with his strength, forcing smaller opponents to foul him. When he’s matched up against bigs, he also offers a similar mismatch being able to out-quick opposing centers, forcing them to foul him on his way to the rim.
Improving as a finisher could unlock another level of his offense, as it would allow him to draw even more defenders in, which could make him more effective as a passer than I already project him to be, giving him more passing options when he’s in the lane with the ball in his hands.
Final Takeaways
At Eurobasket, the Rockets might have found the answer to some of the questions they had about Garuba after his rookie season. In short: It’s unlikely the shot ever comes around, but that doesn’t deter him from being a valuable offensive player at the NBA level.
The passing, the screen-setting and the offensive rebounding are all things that teams value and there are few players in the NBA who can do all three of those things at an elite level. When you combine those offensive contributions with his defensive ability, it allows you to plug Garuba in any line up and let him cover up for potential deficiencies that teammates might have in those areas of the game.
The focus for the Rockets going forward should be getting Garuba back to 100% in terms of health, then find a way to maximize his ability as a finisher on the interior, which would allow him to capitalize on drives, score on second opportunity shots below the rim and enhance his potential as a passer with the extra gravity he would create.
If they are able to maximize that potential, I see Garuba becoming a valuable offensive player, even with the lack of shooting.
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