Rockets Forward Usman Garuba Enters 'Most Important' Summer In His Career

Of the four Houston Rockets rookies the team drafted in the first round last season, Spanish forward Usman Garuba left the most to be desired.

Usman Garuba

While Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Josh Christopher saw considerable improvement from the start of the season to the end, Garuba struggled to find his footing during his rookie season.

Whether it was injuries, COVID or a logjam in the frontcourt to find playing time, there was always an obstacle Garuba needed to overcome to realize the potential that prompted the Rockets to take him with the 23rd overall pick in last summer's draft.

Garuba played in just 24 games this past season, averaging two points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

With another pair of first round picks coming to Houston this year, Garuba finds himself in a hyper-competitive situation where he needs to produce results sooner rather than later.

Garuba spoke with HoopsHype's Raul Barrigon in an interview recently, detailing the importance of his summer preparation.

“This summer is probably the most important one of my life,” Garuba said. “It’ll likely determine my future in the NBA, and I’m very excited to face this challenge.”

Jalen Green

Tilman Fertitta

Stephen Silas

The Rockets still feel Garuba can be the defensive stretch forward they are looking for, but there's a good chance the Rockets will spend this offseason searching for more defense considering the team placed last in defensive rating this past season.

Garuba needs to improve in all aspects of his game in order to become a mainstay in the Rockets rotation, and having that "life or death" mindset attached to his career can be scary, but it's the right one to have to compete for playing time with this young roster.

Garuba is expected to play a large role on the Rockets' Summer League team this summer.