Usman Garuba

[FNQ]

Again...I think the relevant comparison points are guys like Mobley, Johnson, Jones, Barnes, Sengun, and Kuminga, not other Euroleague pros. I'm not saying he'll be the best shooter in that group long-term necessarily, but he's shown the most evidence of a reliable catch-and-shoot 3-ball so far, and that's gotta count for something.

He hasn't shown a reliable shot so far.

Reliable enough to stretch the floor and punish teams for leaving him open. I dunno what more you want from a defensive-minded 19-year-old big. Not every prospect is gonna be Jaren Jackson.

Every draft video I've seen has noted that teams often did leave him open and refused to challenge his perimeter shots. If he ever gets good enough to be a legitimate threat, he might actually get pressured, and the learning curve basically resets

His shot is noteworthy enough to not be a complete zero, but any positive expectation from it is as optimistic as optimistic gets IMO

[fteru6uhre54ew]

He hasn't shown a reliable shot so far.

Reliable enough to stretch the floor and punish teams for leaving him open. I dunno what more you want from a defensive-minded 19-year-old big. Not every prospect is gonna be Jaren Jackson.

Every draft video I've seen has noted that teams often did leave him open and refused to challenge his perimeter shots. If he ever gets good enough to be a legitimate threat, he might actually get pressured, and the learning curve basically resets

His shot is noteworthy enough to not be a complete zero, but any positive expectation from it is as optimistic as optimistic gets IMO

Garuba all the season has been an enough shooter to don't let him open because he can make it and he has been playing the role of strech four all the season. In the last 3 months of the season he has been a really solid shooter from the 3pt and ft line and has improved his shooting mechanic and release even his confidence to shoot well during the season.

Anyways the team who drafts him if they want to make him grow into a complete player on both sides and one of the face of your team they have to let him have more situations touches with the ball have more confidence with the ball in a lot of situations because this kid know to make the ball run he is really unselfish and has an amazing basketball awareness concepts of understand this game and enough strengh-power to hurt the mismatchs inside. Has really good IQ and is savvy for his age.

If you let him run the defense be the vocal leader in this aspect you are going to have a good defense because he is going to be the example always in that aspect and he doesn't stop.

[Charm]

He hasn't shown a reliable shot so far.

Reliable enough to stretch the floor and punish teams for leaving him open. I dunno what more you want from a defensive-minded 19-year-old big. Not every prospect is gonna be Jaren Jackson.

Every draft video I've seen has noted that teams often did leave him open and refused to challenge his perimeter shots. If he ever gets good enough to be a legitimate threat, he might actually get pressured, and the learning curve basically resets

His shot is noteworthy enough to not be a complete zero, but any positive expectation from it is as optimistic as optimistic gets IMO

The level of scrutiny being applied to his jumpshot is just crazy in my opinion. Of course he's a legitimate threat...Real Madrid literally won a playoff series because he went 3/5 from deep in the deciding game. Nearly half his field goal attempts were from 3, he connected at a respectable rate, and he had several games with multiple made 3's toward the end of the season. Did defenders respect him less than they respected Real Madrid's other offensive weapons? For sure! But that doesn't mean he's a non-shooter like Udoh or Biyombo. His shooting numbers are more similar to a guy like Jaylen Brown at the same age.

Here's a good example clip. Garuba's defender helps out on the drive, and Garuba catches and shoots over the contest with no hesitation. Obviously if Garuba had shot 36% or so instead of 32% that would've been ideal, but 32% on a pretty high volume of attempts is a good start for a player his age.

[ThunderBolt]

Reliable enough to stretch the floor and punish teams for leaving him open. I dunno what more you want from a defensive-minded 19-year-old big. Not every prospect is gonna be Jaren Jackson.

Every draft video I've seen has noted that teams often did leave him open and refused to challenge his perimeter shots. If he ever gets good enough to be a legitimate threat, he might actually get pressured, and the learning curve basically resets

His shot is noteworthy enough to not be a complete zero, but any positive expectation from it is as optimistic as optimistic gets IMO

The level of scrutiny being applied to his jumpshot is just crazy in my opinion. Of course he's a legitimate threat...Real Madrid literally won a playoff series because he went 3/5 from deep in the deciding game. Nearly half his field goal attempts were from 3, he connected at a respectable rate, and he had several games with multiple made 3's toward the end of the season. Did defenders respect him less than they respected Real Madrid's other offensive weapons? For sure! But that doesn't mean he's a non-shooter like Udoh or Biyombo. His shooting numbers are more similar to a guy like Jaylen Brown at the same age.

Here's a good example clip. Garuba's defender helps out on the drive, and Garuba catches and shoots over the contest with no hesitation. Obviously if Garuba had shot 36% or so instead of 32% that would've been ideal, but 32% on a pretty high volume of attempts is a good start for a player his age.

I don’t have a dog in this fight but the fact you posted a video of him banking in a three is somewhat hilarious.

[Charm]

Every draft video I've seen has noted that teams often did leave him open and refused to challenge his perimeter shots. If he ever gets good enough to be a legitimate threat, he might actually get pressured, and the learning curve basically resets

His shot is noteworthy enough to not be a complete zero, but any positive expectation from it is as optimistic as optimistic gets IMO

The level of scrutiny being applied to his jumpshot is just crazy in my opinion. Of course he's a legitimate threat...Real Madrid literally won a playoff series because he went 3/5 from deep in the deciding game. Nearly half his field goal attempts were from 3, he connected at a respectable rate, and he had several games with multiple made 3's toward the end of the season. Did defenders respect him less than they respected Real Madrid's other offensive weapons? For sure! But that doesn't mean he's a non-shooter like Udoh or Biyombo. His shooting numbers are more similar to a guy like Jaylen Brown at the same age.

Here's a good example clip. Garuba's defender helps out on the drive, and Garuba catches and shoots over the contest with no hesitation. Obviously if Garuba had shot 36% or so instead of 32% that would've been ideal, but 32% on a pretty high volume of attempts is a good start for a player his age.

I don’t have a dog in this fight but the fact you posted a video of him banking in a three is somewhat hilarious.

I dunno why it looks that way; here it is from another angle:

[ThunderBolt]

Spoiler:

The level of scrutiny being applied to his jumpshot is just crazy in my opinion. Of course he's a legitimate threat...Real Madrid literally won a playoff series because he went 3/5 from deep in the deciding game. Nearly half his field goal attempts were from 3, he connected at a respectable rate, and he had several games with multiple made 3's toward the end of the season. Did defenders respect him less than they respected Real Madrid's other offensive weapons? For sure! But that doesn't mean he's a non-shooter like Udoh or Biyombo. His shooting numbers are more similar to a guy like Jaylen Brown at the same age.

Here's a good example clip. Garuba's defender helps out on the drive, and Garuba catches and shoots over the contest with no hesitation. Obviously if Garuba had shot 36% or so instead of 32% that would've been ideal, but 32% on a pretty high volume of attempts is a good start for a player his age.

I don’t have a dog in this fight but the fact you posted a video of him banking in a three is somewhat hilarious.

I dunno why it looks that way; here it is from another angle:

My bad. That is crazy that it looks that way.

[Nuntius]

My bad. That is crazy that it looks that way.

Not gonna lie, after you said that it was banked it, that's all that I could see. Has to be some kind of illusionary trick

[Ruzious]

My bad. That is crazy that it looks that way.

Not gonna lie, after you said that it was banked it, that's all that I could see. Has to be some kind of illusionary trick

Lol, me too. Maybe it's the power of suggestion.

[jezzerinho]

I get to see a bit of Garuba here in Spain and he's certainly an interesting prospect. His final production will depend massively on who picks him. A team that buys his defense and doesn't care too much about anything else could end up with a Biyombo-at-best scenario. And it wouldn't surprise me if this happened, as he can contribute out the gate as a defensive big.

But a team who works to nurture the green shoots of a shooting game, playmaking out of the paint and touch around the rim could get a much more interesting guy. Hi session with Schmitz was really impressive - his attitude, ethic and no bullshït approach to the game is going to take him far as he and his team wants.

[BlazersBroncos]

I really like him for OKC at 16, 18 or in a trade up.

I think their willingness to play young, raw guys big minutes can do wonders for his shooting development. And long term a low usage, switchy defensive C who can sorta shoot a 3 is a great fit next to Poku IMO.

[FNQ]

I get to see a bit of Garuba here in Spain and he's certainly an interesting prospect. His final production will depend massively on who picks him. A team that buys his defense and doesn't care too much about anything else could end up with a Biyombo-at-best scenario. And it wouldn't surprise me if this happened, as he can contribute out the gate as a defensive big.

But a team who works to nurture the green shoots of a shooting game, playmaking out of the paint and touch around the rim could get a much more interesting guy. Hi session with Schmitz was really impressive - his attitude, ethic and no bullshït approach to the game is going to take him far as he and his team wants.

Why do people keep saying Biyombo? BB ironically had no BBIQ, stayed close to the rim, couldn't pass to save his life. He looks to be a better defender right now at 19 then Biyombo has ever been in his career.

I like the kid's upside because if you're a smart player at 19, you're a student of the game, and that's a level of upside that often gets overlooked, and the Warriors have capitalized on that with Curry, Klay, and Draymond. Ideally we add Moody and Garuba to that list, though I dont think either will have star power, but ought to look damn good in GS if we get em

[FNQ]

Reliable enough to stretch the floor and punish teams for leaving him open. I dunno what more you want from a defensive-minded 19-year-old big. Not every prospect is gonna be Jaren Jackson.

Every draft video I've seen has noted that teams often did leave him open and refused to challenge his perimeter shots. If he ever gets good enough to be a legitimate threat, he might actually get pressured, and the learning curve basically resets

His shot is noteworthy enough to not be a complete zero, but any positive expectation from it is as optimistic as optimistic gets IMO

The level of scrutiny being applied to his jumpshot is just crazy in my opinion. Of course he's a legitimate threat...Real Madrid literally won a playoff series because he went 3/5 from deep in the deciding game. Nearly half his field goal attempts were from 3, he connected at a respectable rate, and he had several games with multiple made 3's toward the end of the season. Did defenders respect him less than they respected Real Madrid's other offensive weapons? For sure! But that doesn't mean he's a non-shooter like Udoh or Biyombo. His shooting numbers are more similar to a guy like Jaylen Brown at the same age.

Here's a good example clip. Garuba's defender helps out on the drive, and Garuba catches and shoots over the contest with no hesitation. Obviously if Garuba had shot 36% or so instead of 32% that would've been ideal, but 32% on a pretty high volume of attempts is a good start for a player his age.

He's fairly scrutinized because his mechanics are not consistent, which is good and bad for him. Its bad, because obviously you want repeatable mechanics. Its good because he has enough feel that he's hitting 31.5% shot between the 2 leagues last season from 3, despite not having the repeatable mechanics. Very few passable NBA shooters get away with having decent outside shots while not maintaining the same form/landing on their standard shots

As I said above - not a total zero like Udoh or BB (Udoh did have an OK midrange fwiw), but it's gonna take a lot for it to be an actual weapon to use. And certainly not a shot that his team is going to look for, or be ok with, at this stage.

[Frichuela]

His first 2 games with Spain at the Olympics could be a factor in his draft stock. Spain plays Japan on July 26 and Argentina on July 29 (the morning of draft day). He is a great fit there as all 5s (Gasol brothers and Hernangomez) can hit the 3.

[DCasey91]

Still like the bigger Millsap comp. Biyombo is a fair sized too big for my liking.

Millsap is a stud anyway. Though Garuba is more energetic and won’t be the scorer Millsap is in the later years established. But there is some foundation on the trajectory.

Ultra important on who drafts him and what offensive role he’s given as the green light. Less is more with Usman.

But that defense is very noteworthy.

[Charm]

As I said above - not a total zero like Udoh or BB (Udoh did have an OK midrange fwiw), but it's gonna take a lot for it to be an actual weapon to use. And certainly not a shot that his team is going to look for, or be ok with, at this stage.

I was with you until this last bit. I guess it depends some on the team that drafts him...but...is there any precedent for a player who was a reasonably frequent 3-point shooter pre-draft (3.6 attempts per 40) being a non-shooter as a rookie? Unless a rookie is coming in with zero or near-zero 3-point shooting experience, it's basically a given these days that their team will use them as a shooter.

My team, the Cavs, drafted Okoro last season, who's similar to Garuba in some ways but at a different position. Very similar issues with his 3-point shot. It's still unclear whether or not he'll be an adequate shooter long-term. But it was never even a question whether the Cavs would be ok with him shooting 3's...the coaches openly encouraged him to take more 3's. This phenomenon isn't exclusive to bottomfeeder teams either; over in Boston they watched Grant Williams miss like 20-30 straight 3's to start his career, and they kept telling him to shoot.

[Frichuela]

I was with you until this last bit. I guess it depends some on the team that drafts him...but...is there any precedent for a player who was a reasonably frequent 3-point shooter pre-draft (3.6 attempts per 40) being a non-shooter as a rookie? Unless a rookie is coming in with zero or near-zero 3-point shooting experience, it's basically a given these days that their team will use them as a shooter.

My team, the Cavs, drafted Okoro last season, who's similar to Garuba in some ways but at a different position. Very similar issues with his 3-point shot. It's still unclear whether or not he'll be an adequate shooter long-term. But it was never even a question whether the Cavs would be ok with him shooting 3's...the coaches openly encouraged him to take more 3's. This phenomenon isn't exclusive to bottomfeeder teams either; over in Boston they watched Grant Williams miss like 20-30 straight 3's to start his career, and they kept telling him to shoot.

Agreed. Reasonable points. Whoever drafts Usman is likely to want him taking 3s, particularly from the corners.

Defensively he is already very promising, being able to guard 1-5 in a pinch.

[BlazersBroncos]

Do people see him as a PF or C? I think he is 100% a center. He might work as a defensive compliment at PF to a scoring centric C who cant defend, but I dont think that blueprint works in the current NBA so I dont really consiter it.

As a low usage, switchy C who can hit the corner 3? Love the kid. Compliment him w/ a true 7' footer and you have enough to get by. Thats how you do it at C unless you have a elite center IMO.

[namlede]

Poku and Garuba would be a nice combo if Poku can become a good weak side shot blocker and strengthen up a bit.

He reminds me of a more twitchy Draymond without the craziness.

[UcanUwill]

Do people see him as a PF or C? I think he is 100% a center. He might work as a defensive compliment at PF to a scoring centric C who cant defend, but I dont think that blueprint works in the current NBA so I dont really consiter it.

As a low usage, switchy C who can hit the corner 3? Love the kid. Compliment him w/ a true 7' footer and you have enough to get by. Thats how you do it at C unless you have a elite center IMO.

Center for sure. And yeah, hes not reliable shooter at all.

[fteru6uhre54ew]

Do people see him as a PF or C? I think he is 100% a center. He might work as a defensive compliment at PF to a scoring centric C who cant defend, but I dont think that blueprint works in the current NBA so I dont really consiter it.

As a low usage, switchy C who can hit the corner 3? Love the kid. Compliment him w/ a true 7' footer and you have enough to get by. Thats how you do it at C unless you have a elite center IMO.

His more natural position is the center. His best bb always has been playing at center since a kid is when he has been more exploited and has been a versatile monster and an amazing dymano in that position always. But he can play at the PF too I mean he played like 85% of the time in that position the last season. The kid is always confortable doesn't matter in wich of those two positions plays. When you are good the position care less. In my case I prefer him being the anchor at the center position he is amazing defending the pick and roll and is natural for him. At the pf he is always outside the paint and you take less advantage of his defense.