On a busy day in Houston Rockets news, with a clear emphasis on the suspensions to Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr., one potential beneficiary was poised to be rookie forward Usman Garuba.
Only 19 years old, Garuba is the lone rookie from Houston’s four first-round selections in the 2021 NBA draft who has yet to receive major playing time with the Rockets. But with Wood and fellow big man Alperen Sengun (right ankle sprain) out, Garuba looked to be next in line for minutes (after veteran Daniel Theis) among Houston’s frontcourt players.
Unfortunately, only minutes before tipoff between the Rockets and 76ers, Garuba was ruled out due to the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. He joins teammates Armoni Brooks and DeJon Jarreau (hardship exception) on that list. To this point, none have clear return timetables — though recently relaxed rules by the NBA could allow them to return as soon as later this week, pending future testing results.
Here’s a rundown of what else we learned Monday.
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— Usman Garuba Alari (@Usmangaruba) January 3, 2022
