NBA Comparison: Amir Johnson

Strengths: Blue collar forward/center, who always gives 100% … Energy guy, plays with no fear … Relentless motor … A bit undersized for a big but his great wingspan (measured at 7-2) makes up for it … Very good athlete … Runs the floor like a deer… Excellent leaper… Has an NBA body… Likes to play physical, doesn’t shy way of contact on both ends of the floor … Has a good basketball I.Q … Battle tested at the highest level in EuroLeague … Very good roller in Pick and Roll situations … Tries to dunk everything … Has shown glimpses as a shooter in Pick and Pop and Spot Up 3’s situations … Has acceptable footwork when he is Posting Up with a good right hook in his arsenal … Good passer when he is Posting Up … Has improved as a passer in Pick and Roll situations after doing a short roll … Moves very well without the ball, doing timely cuts to the basket either from the baseline, or from the perimeter … Great in transition … Acceptable ball handler when running the floor, can even score an occasional coast to coast … Crashes the offensive boards, putting pressure on the opponent’s team … He is an one man defense … Can guard all five positions … Elite lateral movement … Able to switch on the perimeter in defensive Pick and Roll and make life miserable for opposing guards … Excellent Post Up defender, knows how to use his physical edge to his advantage… Understands how to fill the passing lanes and gain a lot of steals … Good shot blocker thanks to his physical profile, leaping ability and length … Very good help defender …

Weaknesses: He is more a 5 than a 4 for now on offense because of his skillset … He is undersized for a center for the NBA level … Not skilled enough to play as a power forward on a consistent basis, but not big enough to play as a center … Needs a big with size and shooting range alongside him  to be more effective on the floor … Shooting mechanics are inconsistent … Pretty limited offensively either as a power forward, or a center … Below average 3-point shooter with FIBA’s 3-point line, which makes it even more of a challenge from the NBA 3-point line … His low shooting percentage from the free throw line makes it difficult for now to imagine him becoming a scorer in the future … Has no in-between game, he will either shoot a 3 or go hard to the basket since his mid-range shot just isn’t there … Can’t create his own shot, he mostly scores on Pick and Rolls, cuts or after offensive rebounds … His low post game needs a lot of work, he mostly turns and shoots over his left shoulder, which makes him predictable … Needs to add some moves to his arsenal when he is posting up … Can be a little foul prone when his energy and aggression gets the best on him … Sometimes forgets to box out, thinking that his athletic ability is enough to get the rebound…Bigger, skilled centers can find ways around him to score … Off ball defense can be a problem some times, he can over commit on help and leave his assignment …

Overall: Usman Garuba is a high energy/blue collar big, with an amazing motor … Physically gifted with a good basketball I.Q, can guard everyone on the floor, while he can be a great partner for a point guard in Pick and Roll situations … At the same time though, he is limited offensively and kind of a tweener on offense, which can make his transition tricky for the next level.

Stefanos Makris 6/22/21