Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

OKC Thunder NBA draft profile: Usman Garuba – high-energy defender

By Tamberlyn Richardson

OKC Thunder draft profile series: Usman Garuba of Spain competes for the ball. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
OKC Thunder draft profile series: Usman Garuba of Spain competes for the ball. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
OKC Thunder
OKC Thunder draft profile series: Usman Garuba of Real Madrid. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /

As Intentions continues our annual OKC Thunder NBA Draft profile series the next prospect we turn our attention to is Real Madrid forward Usman Garuba.

A small ball center who utilizes his athleticism and energy to great effect particularly on the defensive side of the hardwood. With few elite big men in this draft class, Usman will draw extra attention. Particularly from clubs who’ve witnessed the reinvigorated role of the big man this postseason.

While just 19  Garuba’s resume belies his age as he’s played internationally for three years appearing in close to 90 matches for the Spanish club just this season. Unlike his NCAA counterparts, his experience comes against grown men and will pay dividends as he transitions to the NBA.

OKC Thunder draft prospect profile for Usman Garuba:

Specifics:

  • Height: 6’8″
  • Weight:  229 pounds
  • Wingspan: 7’3
  • Position: Forward
  • Birthdate/Age:  March 9, 2002, 19 years
  • International: Real Madrid, 3 years
  • Stat line:  5.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks
  • Home Town: Madrid, Spain

Box Score Statistics:

Per Game Table
Season Team League G MP FGA FG% 3P% 2PA 2P% FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK PTS
2018-19 Real Madrid Liga ACB 2 8.5 2.5 .800 2.5 .800 1.000 1.0 3.0 4.0 0.0 0.5 1.5 4.5
2019-20 Real Madrid Liga ACB 22 17.5 3.5 .553 .308 2.9 .603 .556 1.7 3.9 5.6 0.6 0.5 0.9 4.7
2019-20 Real Madrid EuroLeague 14 11.9 2.6 .676 .333 2.2 .742 .500 1.1 1.8 2.9 0.4 0.9 0.3 4.4
2020-21 Real Madrid Liga ACB 36 18.7 4.6 .461 .338 2.7 .552 .676 1.6 3.7 5.3 1.1 0.8 0.4 5.6
2020-21 Real Madrid EuroLeague 38 16.5 3.1 .504 .275 2.0 .623 .595 1.3 2.8 4.1 0.8 0.6 0.7 4.0

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/16/2021.

Current Ranking:

Some mock drafts have Garuba being selected in the middle of the first round while others believe he’ll go later in the first.

With that let’s dive a little deeper into Usman Garuba to determine his strengths and weaknesses.

Home/Thunder Draft