3 potential stretch big targets for Cavs in 2021 NBA Draft
By Corey Casey
Cavs potential 2021 stretch big target #2: Usman Garuba
The next guy on this list is power forward Usman Garuba who plays basketball for Spanish club Real Madrid. Garuba is still really young and very raw, but he’s someone to really keep an eye on. It wouldn’t be surprising if he shot up the boards between now and next year’s draft. Garuba stands at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, is an exceptional athlete, and would project as a high energy guy.
Unfortunately he didn’t play as much basketball as he did in the past this year, due to circumstances he couldn’t control when it comes to the novel coronavirus pandemic. This year for Real Madrid in the Euroleague he played in 2 games ( only 15 minutes a game ) he averaged 3.5 points on 50.0 percent shooting, 3.0 rebounds, to go with 2.0 blocks per game.
That may not sound like much, but unfortunately we were robbed of him not playing more basketball this year and again he’s somebody to watch between now and next year’s draft. Right now he’d probably be a late-lottery pick or just outside the lottery, but he could sneak into the top 10.
When you watch Garuba, again he’s very quick and long and shows a lot of potential to block shots, while being switchable as well. Plus, he can be an absolute pest on the glass as an offensive rebounder.
Offensively he’s capable of putting the ball on the floor and being a very effective finisher at the rim, while being a terrific lob threat off-ball. He’s raw and not consistent, but he’s shown he’s capable of hitting mid-range shots and has shown flashes before this year and in previous campaigns of extending his range beyond the arc, which perhaps the Cleveland Cavaliers could build on.
The numbers certainly don’t tell the entire story overall though, and he’s certainly not a finished product, but he’s a prospect, after hopefully given much more play next season, to watch for the next year.