As is the case with most NBA teams over the course of an 82-game season, the Golden State Warriors have had to go deep on their roster at different times due to injuries and other absences.
Someone like Lester Quinones, who started the season on a two-way contract, has seen playing time in each of the last 17 games. The 23-year-old’s form was productive enough to warrant a conversion to a guaranteed contract last month, putting him on the Warriors’ main roster.
Quinones led Golden State in scoring against the Boston Celtics on Sunday, with a number of young players seeing an extended opportunity in the blowout loss. However, there was still one young player who was not in the game.
Two-way contract big man Usman Garuba has become something of a forgotten man for the Warriors, having appeared in just three games and playing less than eight minutes total so far this season.
The former first-round pick played in 99 career games for the Houston Rockets during his first two NBA seasons, but essentially had to thrive in the G League during his third.
Garuba played in 27 games in the G League this season, averaging 12.8 points on 61.3% shooting while adding 10.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. match. The 21-year-old had 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in Santa Cruz’s 127-104 loss to the Capitanes de Mexico on Sunday.
Usman Garuba’s consistency.
????????22 points · 11 restarts · 4 assists@GLeagueWarriors | @usmangaruba pic.twitter.com/MM2jpoSrcG
– NBASpain (@NBAspain) March 4, 2024
Golden State is well stocked with Draymond Green, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kevon Looney and Dario Saric, but could Garuba become a legitimate rotation piece for the franchise starting next season and beyond?
We asked Steve Kerr about the Spaniard last week, and while the head coach had plenty of positives, he also suggested that Garuba may have to find his place elsewhere if it doesn’t pan out with the Warriors.
“I think at the moment ‘Usi’ has to play at ‘5’ unless he has a great player and shooter alongside him. He could play at ‘4’ if he has a 5 on his side. sides. But he has to refine his game and find his niche, whether with our team or with another.”
– Steve Kerr on Usman Garuba
Garuba may have the talent to succeed as an NBA player, but it’s not necessarily a good sign when the head coach suggests that might need to happen on another team. It’s also the brutal reality of the franchise’s situation, with Jackson-Davis obviously the young big who will be prioritized as a player for the future (let alone the present).
Garuba averaged 2.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 11.9 minutes per game during his three-year career. He signed a two-way deal with the Warriors after being waived by the Oklahoma City Thunder during the offseason.
