After being traded from the Houston Rockets earlier this offseason, Oklahoma City Thunder big man Usman Garuba reveals that he's recently spoken to Thunder general manager Sam Presti and head coach Mark Daigneault, and that he's happy to be in OKC because its where he originally hoped to be drafted (h/t the Daily Thunder's Brandon Rahbar).

In an age of semi-positionless basketball, a player like Garuba is at his most valuable.

Listed at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, the Spanish-Nigerian's first name (“Destiny”) sounds as much like an enthusiastic response from expectant parents as a proclamation of that child's future greatness.

If the latter portion of that assessment is correct, his parents may have proven to be prophetic. Before Garuba was a first-round pick (No. 23 overall) of the Houston Rockets in the 2021 NBA Draft, an event that happened while he was playing for Spain's national team in the Tokyo Olympics, he was the youngest starter in Real Madrid history at 17-years-old, winning multiple awards, medals and championships with both Real Madrid and Team Spain in that time.

Related Oklahoma City Thunder NewsArticle continues below
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) controls the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) guards in the second quarter during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena.
Thunder’s Jalen Williams reveals where OKC ‘paid the price’ in Game 6 loss to Nuggets
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles the ball up court in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena.
Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops bomb about Game 7 vs. Nuggets

Moving stateside

After being drafted, Usman Garuba's rookie season was relatively uneventful, as he honed his skills (and acclimating to being stateside) behind the scenes more than on the court, playing just twice as many minutes with the Houston Rockets as he did with their G League affiliate. Of course, those minutes with both teams would prove valuable, as Garuba averaged 9.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks per game with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and earned two starts with the Rockets (in which averaged 4.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.0 block per game) by the end of the season.

However, it was 2022-23 campaign that proved to be impressive, with Garuba shooting 40.7 percent from 3-point range (largely from the shorter corners, which constituted 49.2 percent of his 3-point attempts) and playing a minor but consistent role in the rotation at 12.9 minutes per game.

Between his two-way playmaking, athleticism, shooting upside and youth, Garuba could help plenty of teams as a low-usage player or a potential point-forward down the line. With that said, the best thing about Garuba landing with the Thunder is that there are few teams that have proven themselves as willing to let a player explore the full breadth of their abilities.