Assuming health, Houston Rockets frontcourt prospects Alperen Sengun and Usman Garuba plan to play for Turkey and Spain, respectively, in FIBA Europe’s upcoming EuroBasket 2022 competition.
Sengun confirmed his plans in early April, while Garuba did so recently in an interview with Spanish publication AS. “I want to go to the EuroBasket, and I am at Sergio Scariolo’s disposal,” Garuba said. “We are Spain, and Spain always competes. We want to fight for medals despite the circumstances, despite the absences. We are ready for everything.”
The tournament, which takes place every four years, begins Sept. 1 and continues until the championship and third-place games on Sept. 18 (schedule). While cutting it close, that would allow both players to return to the United States in time to join the Rockets for the opening of training camp for the 2022-23 NBA season in late September.
In his exit interview with the Rockets, Garuba indicated that he views the 2022 NBA offseason as very important for his personal development, since so much of his 2021-22 rookie campaign was lost due to injury. Beyond his international duty, the 20-year-old has said he plans to play for the Rockets in the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League.
For Sengun, who turns 20 in July, the 2022 offseason isn’t quite as crucial as it is for Garuba — since the Rockets were able to get a good look at Sengun’s production as a rookie. Besides playing for the Turkish national team, Sengun indicated last month that he plans to report to Houston for the summer league minicamp. From there, it seems likely (though not confirmed) that he ultimately plays some in Las Vegas, as well.
After the end of his NBA rookie season, Usman Garuba can't wait to go out on the court with Spain 🔜
The former Real Madrid big man talked about the players he was close to during his maiden campaign overseas.https://t.co/NXRbk11KwG
— BasketNews.com (@BasketNews_com) April 30, 2022
