Usman Garuba Offensive/Defensive Synopsis

General Information

Name: Usman Garuba

Position: Big

Team: Real Madrid

Nationality: Spanish 

Age: 18.3

Height: 6’8” 

Wingspan: 7’2”

Weight: 229 lbs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Per Game Stats

Team	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	TS%	PER
Spain (FIBA U18)	7	27.7	15.6	12.9	2.3	1.6	2.1	2.4	1.7	47.1% (48/102)	25% (2/8)	47.8% (11/23)	48.6	22.6
Real Madrid (EuroLeague)	14	11.9	4.4	2.9	0.5	0.9	0.3	0.5	1.4	67.6% (25/37)	33.3% (2/6)	50% (9/18)	67.9	19.7
Real Madrid (Liga ACB)	24	16.8	4.4	5.3	0.4	0.5	0.9	1.4	1.8	55.1% (43/78)	30.8% (5/13)	55.6% (15/27)	58.4	13.1

 

Per 36 Stats

Team	GP	MPG	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	Turnovers	Fouls
Spain (FIBA U18)	7	36	20.3	16.8	3	2.1	2.7	3.1	2.2
Real Madrid (EuroLeague)	14	36	13.3	9.2	1.5	2.7	0.9	1.5	4.3
Real Madrid (Liga ACB)	24	36	9.4	11.4	0.9	1.1	1.9	3	3.9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Offensive Synopsis

Strong finisher. Explosive vertical athlete. Has the strength to move defenders down low. Length, strength, and pop allow him to finish against high level rim-protectors, and through multiple defenders. Lots of equity as a roll-man. Sets solid screens (though sometimes he doesn’t set his feet). Strong hands. Has the ability to catch lobs and finish above the rim. Short-roll passing is far along for a player his age, but still needs work. Has flashed some kick-outs to the perimeter and dump-offs to the dunkers spot, but occasionally misses a cutter or an open man in the weakside corner. Has flashed some interesting movement passing. Can execute drive and dishes when attacking the rim off the catch. Will need to tighten handle if passing off the bounce is to materialize. Really advanced passer from a standstill. Swings the ball well. Makes quick decisions. Could be someone who is able to initiate offense from the top of the key. Great transition player. Can initiate the break and make look-ahead passes, though I’d say he’s a little conservative here at the moment. I wouldn't classify him as a "gunslinger". Very good rim-runner. Fast in the open court. Shooting needs work. Teams can ignore him at this point. Poor free-throw percentage and low volume are bad indicators. Shooting form in youth ranks was ugly from what I’ve seen. Form looks more consistent, which is a good sign. Will be limited to open stationary catch-and-shoots. 

Offensive Clips 

 

Defensive Synopsis

Versatile defender who could be capable of filling a wide variety of roles. Elite rim-protector. Uses 7’2” wingspan well. Quick off the ground off of either one foot or both feet. Can fly in from the weakside to reject players at the rim. Has the mobility to cut-off drivers and then rotate across the lane to defend dump-off pass. Can efficiently cover ground. High-level play recognition. Excellent low-post defender. Does a good job denying post-entry passes, and leverages his strength to prevent post players from gaining position. Overaggressive denying the ball at times, which can get him into foul trouble. Low center of gravity and strength make him difficult for post-players to move. Height limits him a bit here, as taller post players can just shoot over him, but he uses his length well to contest shots. Effort and positioning on the defensive glass are both generally good, but could be more consistent. Versatile pick-and-roll defender. Excellent dropper. Backpedals well. Can contain ball-handler while still defending roller. Does a good job disrupting pocket-passes. Has the ability to drop and then recover out to the perimeter to contest popping bigs. Can come up high in PnR coverage. Gets caught flat-footed at times, allowing for handlers to blow by him, but has displayed the mobility to hard-hedge and then recover back down to the roller. Has lots of potential as a perimeter defender, but still needs work. Footwork is a bit choppy at times. Hip fluidity is near alien-level. Has the ability to quickly turn his hips when defending on the ball. Pretty light on his feet, though his balance could improve. Very active off-ball defender. High steals guy, but not a gambler. Active hands. Quick reflexes. Dives for loose balls. Closeouts could improve. Sometimes doesn't close out hard enough, other times closes out way too hard. Excellent at navigating off-ball screens. Outlier good transition defender capable of pinning unsuspecting players. 

 

Defensive Clips

 

Projected Offensive Role

Playmaking big. Can initiate offense from the top of the key and pass in the half-court at a high level (on fairly high usage if he is able to tighten handle). Roll-man/catch-and-finish scorer. 

 

Projected Defensive Role

TBD. Capable of anchoring a defense as a primary rim-protector, but can also be trusted to chase 4’s around on the perimeter. Versatile PnR defender who can be deployed in just about any coverage. Could he also become someone who can man-guard jumbo-sized initiators like Giannis, Kawhi, LeBron, Zion, etc.? 

 

Lots of potential avenues for success here, and his defensive role is impossible to project at the moment. Whatever team drafts him will have to figure out what the best way to maximize his value is.  

 

Wrap-up 

Garuba’s defensive IQ and tools are top-notch. It’s rare for a teenager to be as impactful as he has been against EuroLeague and Liga ACB competition. If he continues on his current development trajectory, Garuba could become one of the very best defensive players in the NBA. He doesn’t have the make-up of a high-volume offensive initiator, but his passing flashes are intriguing, and he should become a strong play finisher. In my opinion, Usman Garuba is worthy of early-lottery consideration in the 2021 NBA Draft.