Garuba finished with two points (1-3 FG, 0-2 3Pt), two rebounds and one block over nine minutes during Friday's 112-109 win over the Hornets.
Garuba barely saw the court in the victory, continuing what has been an underwhelming season. Despite head coach Stephen Silas running some awful rotations at times, Garuba has failed to take advantage of his limited opportunities. While Garuba has youth on his side, it's hard to see him being anything more than a minor piece, at least for the foreseeable future.
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Rockets' Usman Garuba: Plays 19 minutes in loss
Rotowire
Garuba amassed seven points (3-5 FG, 1-2 3Pt) and three rebounds over 19 minutes during Monday's 121-108 loss to Golden State.
With Alperen Sengun (illness) sidelined, Garuba played his most minutes since Jan. 28, but he still struggled to make a significant impact. Across 11 March appearances, the second-year big man is averaging 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game.
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Rockets' Usman Garuba: Nails two straight triples late
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Garuba contributed six points (2-2 FG, 2-2 3Pt), four rebounds and three assists in 12 minutes during Monday's 111-109 win over the Celtics.
With Alperen Sengun sitting out (groin), the Rockets went small for the majority of Monday's game, but Garuba was able to make an impact in minimal minutes by knocking down two shots in a row from deep in the middle of the fourth quarter. It gave Houston an eight-point cushion after a surging Boston team was making a comeback. The young big also put up some decent rebounding and assist numbers in his short time on the court. It's an atypical amount of production from him though, as he also went scoreless over his last three contests prior to Monday's win.
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Rockets' Usman Garuba: Makes most of limited minutes
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Garuba totaled 11 points (3-3 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and one assist across nine minutes during Saturday's 122-110 win over the Spurs.
Garuba needed just nine minutes to make an impact off the bench, but he entered the action when the game was already decided and is not expected to play a significant role going forward. Even though his performance looks decent at first glance, he's not going to produce at this rate -- or with this efficiency -- in Houston's upcoming contests.
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Rockets' Usman Garuba: Limited minutes again
Rotowire
Garuba produced five points (2-3 FG, 1-1 3Pt), two rebounds and two steals across nine minutes during Monday's 123-104 loss to Philadelphia.
Garuba hasn't been a consistent part of the rotation and it's mainly because Kenyon Martin is standing in his way. Garuba will likely get an opportunity at some point down the stretch, but for now minutes will be hard to come by.
Garuba logged two points (1-2 FG), three rebounds and one assist in 13 minutes during Tuesday's 126-102 loss to the Celtics.
Garuba turned in another quiet performance Tuesday, providing little in the way of stats. He continues to play consistent minutes off the bench despite a lack of production. Garuba should not be on the radar in any fantasy format.
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Rockets' Usman Garuba: Grabs 10 boards in loss
Rotowire
Garuba registered four points (2-3 FG), 10 rebounds and one block over 17 minutes during Saturday's 120-101 loss to the Warriors.
Garuba came off the bench to grab a season-high 10 rebounds, a minor high point in what has been a ho-hum season thus far. While he has played in every game, his playing time typically fluctuates from one night to the next, making him a consideration in deeper formats only.
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Rockets' Usman Garuba: Scores nine in win
Rotowire
Garuba recorded nine points (1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, 7-8 FT), five rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks across 19 minutes in Friday's 128-122 victory over the Hawks.
Garuba continues to play around 20 minutes per game off the bench for the Rockets. Barring an injury in Houston's frontcourt, he figures to continue taking on the same role going forward.
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Rockets' Usman Garuba: Nearly posts double-double in win
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Garuba ended Wednesday's 101-92 victory over the Mavericks with 12 points (5-5 FG, 2-2 3Pt), nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks over 22 minutes.
Garuba came off the bench again during Wednesday's matchup, and he was perfect from the floor en route to double figures for the first time this season. He also set a new season high in rebounds and matched season-high marks in assists and blocks, falling just shy of a double-double in the victory.
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Rockets' Usman Garuba: Blocks three shots Monday
Rotowire
Garuba had five points (2-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one steal in 17 minutes during Monday's 122-106 loss to the Clippers.
Garuba blocked a career-high three shots in the loss, as he continues to log meaningful minutes. In 18.2 minutes per game, he has elevated himself to be the 115th-ranked fantasy player over the past week thanks largely to his 2.0 blocks per contest. While the rank would have him on the standard-league radar, managers should view him as nothing more than a streaming option moving forward.
The Rockets exercised Garuba's $2.59 million team option for the 2023-24 season Sunday.
Garuba has had somewhat limited playing time for Houston early in his professional career, but the 2021 first-round pick will remain under contract with the team for at least one more year. Over the first four matchups of the 2022-23 season, he's averaged 3.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game.
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Rockets' Usman Garuba: Back in bench role
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Garuba will come off the bench Monday against the Jazz, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Garuba drew a spot start for Bruno Fernando (knee) Saturday against Milwaukee, but he'll head back to the bench Monday evening, as Eric Gordon, Kenyon Martin and Jabari Smith will start in the frontcourt. Garuba fared well in limited shot attempts in his only action of the 2022-23 season, finishing with six points, eight rebounds, two assists and four steals in 25 minutes.
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Rockets' Usman Garuba: Starting for injured Fernando
Rotowire
Garuba will start Saturday's game against the Bucks with Bruno Fernando (knee) sidelined, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Coach Stephen Silas loves bringing Alperen Sengun off the bench, so Garuba gets the nod Saturday after not playing in either of the Rockets' first two games. In Garuba's two starts as a rookie last year, he averaged 4.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks in 28.0 minutes.
Garuba (ankle) is healthy and available for training camp, Ben DuBose of USA Today reports.
Garuba suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain during Summer League and was sidelined for a few weeks. However, as expected, the second-year forward is good to go for training camp. He appeared in 24 games as a rookie, posting 2.0 points and 3.5 rebounds across 10.0 minutes.
