2 Rockets that earned untouchable status, 4 that should be forgotten expeditiously

4 players that should be forgotten expeditiously

Usman Garuba

At just 21 years-of-age, Usman Garuba surely has a boatload of basketball life in him still. It can be assumed that not an ounce of that will be displayed in a Houston Rockets uniform.

The Rockets sought to add Garuba to their group because of his defensive prowess, which remains to be seen after two seasons and 99 games. This is in part because of Garuba's lack of availability (68 games missed in 2021-22), which is concerning for someone this early into their basketball career.

And even when Garuba wasn't logging DNPs, he still didn't really play much, which one would figure wouldn't be the case if he had shown the coaching staff any reason for excitement. And although Garuba has been one of the team's better defenders, that isn't saying a lot for a team that ranked 29th in defensive efficiency.

The Rockets could easily upgrade from Garuba if they're looking for someone to fill the Draymond Green role as the defensive anchor and it's quite expected for someone drafted with the 23rd pick in the NBA Draft, as not many players selected that late become contributors.

And it would be even easier to replace Garuba's contributions on the offensive end (or lack thereof).