We continued our 2021 NBA Draft previews with two defensive-minded big men – Real Madrid’s Usman Garuba and Kentucky’s Isaiah Jackson.
Garuba is a 6’8 tank with a 7’2 wingspan who spent the last three years playing in the Real Madrid program and competed in both Liga EBA and Euroleague contests. Real Madrid is one of the more historic squads in Europe, and in 2019 Garuba became the youngest ever starter for the Real Madrid senior team at just 17 years old. While his numbers this season are not eye-popping – 4.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 16.5 minutes a game while shooting 50.4% from the field, 27.5% from three, and 62.3% from the line – he’s emerged as one of the best defensive prospects in the 2021 Draft, and did so while competing in the second strongest basketball league in the world. Garuba’s combination of size, strength, length, open-court speed, quick-twitch ability, fluidity, motor, and physicality give him true potential to guard 1 through 5 at the next level, and just a quick glance at his highlights show a player with preternatural defensive instincts and feel. His offensive game is much more limited, and he has no sure fire offensive skills besides as a roller, a threat from the dunker spot, and occasional (if inconsistent) success as a corner deep shooter.
Jackson is a more traditional rim protecting prospect, and averaged 8.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 0.7 assists, and 0.8 steals while shooting 54% from the field and 70% from the line. Those blocking numbers round up to 5.0 blocks per 40 minutes; if you need a rim protector in this class (and you can’t draft Evan Mobley), Jackson may be your player. He’s also going to provide vertical spacing and a dangerous weapon in the pick-and-roll (something he was amazingly not used for at Kentucky). His offensive game outside of cuts, pick-and-rolls, and offensive rebounds is very much up in the air, as he was only 0 of 2 from three and 4 of 19 on all jumpshot this year – but considering the tiny skillset boxes that John Calipari shoves his players into, perhaps this is an untapped avenue for growth.
In this episode, we discussed:
- Is Usman Garuba the best defender in the class?
- Garuba’s offensive concerns and role at the next level
- Isaiah Jackson’s elite rim protection
- Kentucky’s atypical usage of center prospects
- The risks of drafting a center in the mid-lottery
- Comparing all the centers in the Kings range, including Alperen Sengun and Kai Jones
Would you select either Garuba or Jackson for the Kings? Let us know in the comments!
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I might talk myself into getting Jackson in the late teens/ early 20’s if the Kings can get an additional pick but it would depend on who the Kings have selected earlier in the draft.
If the Kings are looking to add a quantified defensive player, why don’t they try to trade for Ben Simmons by offering Hield, Bagley and the #9 pick? Doesn’t hurt to try….
Not enough to attain Simmons.
these players are nice but not worth the 9th pick. I do not like the idea of trading down unless super move but even then these 2 are not my best choices. Trey Murphy better at that spot.
I am all in in moving MB3 for OKC 16 + 18 or maybe 16 + 34. I am over him and OKC needs to get rid of some of their high number of picks.
oh yea ! the young Bagley decided to go back to school ( and enter into the portal). So the plan to move MB3 but draft the young one to piss off dad is off the table.
So, do we need to do the same in next year draft ?
i,e,
With the XXX pick in 2022 NBA Draft…the Sacramento Kings select Marcus Bagley…….
I don’t think you can get the 16 and 18 for Bagley. I don’t even think you could one of those picks for him.
Maybe the #9 and Bagley for the #16, #18, and a future 2nd?
Yeah, I don’t think you’re getting especially close to those picks with Bagley. If we’re talking about an OKC deal, it would probably look something more like Roby/Kenrich + 34. Whether you think that’s a deal with making is up to you.
Good podcast. I don’t think I’d draft either of them at 9. Garuba was a guy whose draft profile and highlights were enticing, but his offense was difficult to watch.
Garuba is 18 years old? GTFO! Dude looks 25, lets see the birth certificate and lets have it analyzed by a team of forensics to verify its authenticity. Sorry I am not buying it, he’s fudging on his age just like Buddy, only to a greater degree, to get the guaranteed dollars.
I question if Garuba is a legitimate 6’8″. Looks like 6’6. Regardless we have Garuba on our team already and his name is Robert Woodward, similar physique, an undersized PF with extra long arms. Woodward flopped in training camp and G-League, over which many of the hometown fans are in denial, outclassed by the hypertalented Metu, and I only have slighter rosier projection for Garuba.
The cool kids calling it “flipping the hips”. Garuba does a better job of this than Woodward trailing the guard to the rim. Woodward struggled in part because he could not guard on the perimter. I also like Garuba as a pick and roll, because he is so wide, and “hip rolling” comes into play during the roll part of the pick and roll.
The problem is when Garuba catches the ball out of the pick and roll he has no moves and no touch. He is probably worse than Woodward on offense and Woodward has almost NO offensive game. And Garuba is going to learn to shoot from deep when he has NO touch from two feet? Don’t bet on it.
Lets not even talk about comparisons to Draymond because while they are similar in body type and defensive intensity Green can dribble and pass and survey the floor. He’s a point forward. Woodward and Garuba have no inclination in this regard.
Garuba is a PJ Tucker like player, maybe. The real question is he younger or older 😉
Uh, the discussion of Isaiah Jackson is just misguided and without substance. You may be interested to know that Jacksons father is Marine! This is major, that work ethic and discipline will be on point.
If you are presumptively and presumptuously labeling Jackson a center, of which you did not sound too sure, then you have either not done your homework or are simply too quick to assign labels so you can dismiss him as a prospect. I believe the latter is the case.
The whole reason Jackson is intriguing and my frontrunner to be selected is because of his positional versatility and that he is not a center. He also does not consider himself a center and his skillset was narrowly expressed at Kentucky due to the restrictive system and lack of player freedom granted by Callipari.
Over the course of the season Jackson role did expand from off the bench to starter and though he averaged only 8.8 PPG overall, he averaged 15 PPG in 6 of last 7 games.
Lastly how can you question whether a prospect with a 13% block rate, which is phenomenal, was a skill that would translate. With this perspecive everything becomes an unknown, that is what a player does well is dubious and what a player does not do well is dismissive. In other words, I wonder if Giddey passing is translatable? I wonder if Garuba hustle is translatable?
You can project shot blocking in this case because in addition to the gaudy numbers and wingspan you have the fact that Jackson blocks shots with his non-dominant hand. Right hand players turn right into his “swat zone”. Jackson does not reach across his body to try to challenge the shot. He has the ambidexterity and effeciency to get to shots with his left hand, unlike Marvin for example, who is a lost cause as a shot blocker because he cannot challenge with his right hand, has poor anticipation, and lacks the desire to be a great defender.
And though you assert Jackson tries to block everything, I disagree. He actually stays down a lot of the time and waits for the offensive player to commit to a shot before he goes after it. These are the finer points that is required to notice to project the level of success most likely or unlikely. And one more finer point is that Jackson catches everything, which will be help him to become a dominant rebounder and finsher when he gets the requisite strength.
You really like Jackson
So your first point against Garuba is that he’s untrustworthy and that one of the most respected basketball programs in Europe has been helping Garuba lie about his age for 8 years now (he joined Real Madrid in 2013), and your first point for Isaiah Jackson is about how his parentage makes him trustworthy?
Both hands? That’s revolutionary thinking for the Kings.
I feel like projecting defense at the NBA level is very difficult. I still have WCS images burned in my brain. Dude was supposed to be a legit defender. That’s what I was told anyway.
He relied so much on his athleticism and not technique and knowledge of how to be a shot blocker and switchable defender.
Anything coming up for Luka?
Badge Legend