NBA Draft: Usman Garuba could be a force of nature on the Knicks

Knicks seems to be bottomless. The upcoming draft is both top-heavy and also features high-ceiling players deep into the second round. New York is going to have a wide variety of players to pick from.</p> <p>While it seems like guards and scorers are the most popular targets (and rightfully so) New York could also use one of their picks to address their depth in the frontcourt, especially if they choose to let Nerlens Noel walk in unrestricted free agency.</p> <p>If this team wants to add a jolt of lightning to their frontcourt, they could turn to the tantalizing Spanish big-man, Usman Garuba.</p> <h2>NBA Draft: Usman Garuba could revamp the Knicks’ frontcourt</h2> <p>The Knicks could very well decide to pick from the plethora of guards that could be available at 19 (Mann, Cooper, Springer, Butler, Thomas, Duarte) and then potentially go for a frontcourt option with their next pick at 21.</p> <p>While are a few big-man prospects that could be realistic options with one of the Knicks’ first two draft picks, Usman Garuba stands out as someone who could mesh perfectly with the Knicks’ rugged style of play while bringing some extra flair to the team’s frontcourt. His unique skill set could be perfectly molded by New York’s coaching staff and have a high reward.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Usman Garuba could contribute right away </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed embed-video"><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/s82DpMOedNs?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <h2>NBA Draft:&nbsp; Why Usman Garuba could be a steal for the Knicks</h2> <p>Usman Garuba has one of the more complex draft profiles of any prospect. The 19-year-old Spaniard has spent the past 3 seasons with Real Madrid in Spain&#8217;s top flight of basketball in Liga ACB. He already has a few seasons of professional basketball in a world-renowned league under his belt.</p> <p>He has a powerful, stocky frame and stands 6&#8217;8 tall with a 7&#8217;3 wingspan. From his physical profile to his playing style, he&#8217;s an unconventional big-man in quite a few ways, but there&#8217;s a lot that jumps out when you watch his tape that looks like it would translate to the league.</p> <p>While Garuba isn&#8217;t the tallest big or the most explosive leaper in the NBA Draft, he still finds ways to cause damage in the paint. His wide, powerful base and long wingspan allow him to compensate for other physical shortcomings, and he&#8217;s certainly been battle-tested in Spain against players much older than him.</p> <p>Garuba seems to be a lock as a 1st round pick, but his projection, like so many of the other players just outside the lottery, is difficult to pin down. He could be a top-15 player or he may not be drafted until the very end of the first round.</p> <p>For the Knicks, you&#8217;ll frequently hear that the idea of drafting &#8220;project&#8221; players is something the team should avoid because their head coach, Tom Thibodeau, would banish them to the back of the bench and they would never develop.</p> <p>While there is some truth to Thibodeau&#8217;s reluctance to rely on rookies, the way this team is currently set up in terms of their roster makeup and aspirations to build sustainable success, a player like Garuba would make a lot of sense and could find a role early on.</p> <p>This is where you don&#8217;t want to fall into the trap of ignoring a prospect simply because they&#8217;re hard to project. New York isn&#8217;t a championship roster today. They don&#8217;t need to restrict themselves to only drafting instant, heavy-minute rookie contributors.</p> <p>You have to factor in the prospect with the situation they&#8217;re being drafted into.</p> <p>Garuba is a player who will find ways to earn the coaching staff&#8217;s trust because of his high motor and he could not only contribute early in his career, he could turn into an absolute beast for the future.</p> <p>The match between New York and Usman Garuba starts with his devastating defense.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Usman Garuba has DPOY potential </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_119519" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-119519" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1322925877.jpeg" alt="NBA Draft" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1322925877.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1322925877-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Usman Garuba, NBA Draft, Knicks. (Photo by Sonia Canada/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: Usman Garuba could blossom with the Knicks coaching staff</h2> <p>The first few notes you’ll always hear about Usman Garuba’s game are his energy and defense. He’s a 230lb game-wrecker who plays fast and determined. His level of activity and willingness to scrap and claw in the trenches is going to get the Knicks’ coaching staff’s attention right off the bat.</p> <p>Garuba can rim protect and has nice anticipation on his shot-blocking timing. Again, he’s not an incredible leaper, but his excellent positioning and timing show up in his interior defense and on the glass. He’s a very smart player at a young age.</p> <p>We saw Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau rely on the slower, grind-it-out centers like Taj Gibson and Nerlens Noel (not like he had much of a choice to do otherwise) and in some ways, Garuba can effectively perform those same duties scrapping in the paint.</p> <p>He has the strength to hang with NBA centers. He showcased strong defense against much older players in Liga ACB – <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"https://basketball.realgm.com/international/league/4/Spanish-ACB/stats/2021/Advanced_Stats/Qualified/All/drtg/All/asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">finishing 13th in the league in defensive rating. </a></p> <p>The biggest difference, and perhaps the most exciting part of his game, is that Garuba is an agile perimeter defender.</p> <p>While his likely projection is as a power forward/center, there are parts of Usman Garuba’s game, particularly on the defensive end of the floor, where you’re better off labeling him as “positionless”.</p> <p>Garuba is one of the best perimeter wing defenders in the NBA Draft, period.</p> <p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"https://nbadraft.theringer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It’s to the point where some top draft analysts use some premier NBA wing defenders as player comparisons, such as OG Anunoby.</a></p> <p>He’s light on his feet, uses every inch of his wingspan, and once again, has great anticipation. The Knicks don’t have a lot of elite perimeter defenders. Imagine Tom Thibodeau being able to coach him and help him reach his defensive ceiling?</p> <p>He could very much play the rim-protection role but still be deployed all over the court. New York does a ton of rapid-fire switching with their defensive scheme and Usman Garuba could become the stick of dynamite who blows up opposing offenses.</p> <p>It’s hard to wrap your head around that type of big, physical, agile defensive player, and the only one who really comes to mind as a high-end comparison is Draymond Green.</p> <p>Usman Garuba’s offense isn’t as instant-impact as his defense, but it could still mesh well with this current Knicks roster.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Why Usman Garuba could be perfect for the 2nd unit </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_118951" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-118951" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1313141122.jpeg" alt="NBA Draft" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1313141122.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1313141122-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Usman Garuba, NBA Draft, Knicks. (Photo by Sonia Canada/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: Usman Garuba could fit perfectly on the bench</h2> <p>Anyone who watched the Knicks in 2021 knows how different the style of player was from their starters to their 2nd unit. While still embracing the same hard-nosed, gritty identity that Tom Thibodeau instilled, the 2nd unit was a much more fast-paced, free-flowing style of offense than the team’s starting unit.</p> <p>Garuba is very much a fullcourt player. He’s not the alley-oop finisher that Obi Toppin is, but he’s got the itch to push the pace – whether it means quick outlet passes on rebounds are just the simple willingness to sprint down the floor and make the defense work. He’s tireless.</p> <p>The pairing of Obi Toppin and Usman Garuba in the frontcourt sound oh so chaotic… in the best ways possible.</p> <p>It would be an undersized frontcourt but <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"https://dailyknicks.com/2021/05/03/new-york-knicks-obi-toppin-evolving/">one that would complement each other on the floor together</a>. What Toppin lacks in defensive prowess, Garuba can be there as a support system. They both thrive in transition. The Knicks could run a ton of different pick-and-roll combinations with the two.</p> <p>It could be peak “small-ball” basketball.</p> <p>Garuba doesn’t have any scoring moves out of the post or off the dribble. This is the day and age of basketball where if you’re a big-man who doesn’t have a bag of moves, it’s almost considered a major flaw. That doesn’t mean you should confuse Usman Garuba with someone who simply isn’t a threat with the ball in his hands.</p> <p>He’s a good passer for his size, which is another fun reason to envision him and Obi Toppin on the court together. Garuba is capable of making cross-court kick-outs and swift hand-offs. He looks comfortable.</p> <p>There are plenty of analysts who don’t believe he can ever shoot due to his 65% free throw shooting and aforementioned lack of scoring touch, but I think Garuba can become a stretch, catch-and-shoot player from 3.</p> <p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/usman-garuba-1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">In his 3 seasons at Madrid, he shot 31.% from deep</a>. Defenses usually paid him no mind on the perimeter, but he could gain more confidence in his shot as he grows older. If he’s left wide-open, he’s already capable of knocking it down.</p> <p>He’s not going to become some kind of ball-handling sniper, but I believe it’s well within the realm of possibility for Garuba to be able to consistently hit open catch-and-shoot 3s in the NBA. We’ve seen too many examples of NBA bigs who develop a 3-point shot 5-8 years into their career.</p> <p>So, to summarize, the Knicks are probably going to want to address their big-man depth, whether it’s in free agency or with one of their first 3 picks in the NBA Draft.</p> <p>To me, Usman Garuba is the perfect balance of NBA Draft prospect who can carve out a small role early on for a coach like Tom Thibodeau while not being limited to a role player down the line.</p> <p>His ceiling as a defensive monster, rebounding menace, and someone who contributes as an off-ball finisher on offense is really compelling. By all accounts, he has the high motor and work ethic to get there.</p> <p>The Spaniard could add some new dynamics to the Knicks frontcourt that they didn’t even realize they needed.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Knicks Mock Draft 2.0: Trading up in the draft" data-url="https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/06/2021-nba-draft-mock-draft-2-knicks/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/26/nba-draft-usman-garuba-knicks/"https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/06/2021-nba-draft-mock-draft-2-knicks/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Knicks Mock Draft 2.0: Trading up in the draft </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">