The Oklahoma City Thunder have announced their decision to waive former first-round pick Usman Garuba, who was initially selected by the Houston Rockets as the 23rd pick in the 2021 NBA draft. Despite his potential, Garuba struggled to secure significant playing time during his time with the Rockets. Would it make sense for the Boston Celtics to sign him? A recent analysis by Sports Illustrated’s Bobby Krivitsky explored the idea, perking our interest as well.
Garuba, on one hand, averaged ten minutes per game in his rookie season and 12.9 minutes per game in the following season, putting up 3.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and just under an assist per game during Houston’s 2022-23 campaign while shooting 48.6% from the field and 40.7% from deep on limited attempts.
On the other, he won’t get much playing time with Boston’s regular roster, and would likely have to spend much time in Portland with the Maine Celtics to continue developing his game.
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Such a move would also, as Krivitsky notes, signal the end of the Blake Griffin era in Boston without really replacing what he can do in spurts for Boston, should both sides elect to move forward together this season.
If Boston were to use the contract of Luke Kornet to land a player at another position of need, one could squint and see the wisdom of such a move, but we would be surprised if a club with more playing time doesn’t beat Boston (and the rest of the league) to the punch.
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