Only two days after finalizing a contract buyout with his Spanish club team, Real Madrid, rookie forward Usman Garuba successfully made the long trek to Las Vegas and joined the Houston Rockets in time for Thursday’s summer league game versus the Toronto Raptors.
Garuba’s playing time was limited after the complicated travel logistics and a lack of practice time with his new team, but he did grab 6 rebounds in 12 minutes during Thursday’s 92-76 loss (box score).
Known as a strong, versatile defender with upside, the 19-year-old Spaniard was drafted by Houston at No. 23 overall in the 2021 first round. At 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, he projects as a frontcourt reserve next season behind established players such as Christian Wood, Jae’Sean Tate, Daniel Theis, and perhaps his summer teammate, KJ Martin.
Garuba joins guard Jalen Green (No. 2), big man Alperen Sengun (No. 16), and guard Josh Christopher (No. 24) as young building blocks from Houston’s strong 2021 draft class. All are members of the summer Rockets, who entered Thursday with wins in each of the first two games.
The moment you've all been waiting for.. @destusman1 in the building. 😤 pic.twitter.com/5Och58GDkw
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) August 13, 2021
