HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- When Usman Garuba checked in with 2:27 left in the first quarter of Monday's game, it marked just the second time Rockets head coach Stephen Silas called his number in an opening period all season. Garuba played 14 minutes and it's clear he will have a role over the final six games of the season.
"I was just happy for (Garuba) to be out there," Silas said after the Rockets 123-120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Garuba scored five points and grabbed three rebounds while on the floor against the Spurs, but for Silas, the numbers are secondary.
"It is very important for him to feel good about his position on this team, his worth for our group cause he's talented, and he hasn't really gotten a chance this year, and we have such high hopes for him, and we're so positive about him, but he needs to feel it as well."
The 23rd pick of July's draft has dealt with a myriad of injuries over the course of his rookie campaign. A thigh contusion cost him time early in the season, then he missed 25 games after undergoing left wrist surgery in January. More recently, a sprained ankle has kept him off the floor, but while his opportunities have been sparse this season, the Rockets still believe in his talent.
"He's very versatile defensively," Silas said. "It's gonna be up to him to get more comfortable on the floor and keep his hands back and still use his gifts because he has great hands, but there are times where he'll foul."
Left hamstring tightness kept Christian Wood out of Monday's game, and his availability for the remainder is up in the air. Alperen Sengun, who started in place of Wood against San Antonio, left in the third quarter with a left thigh contusion, so there could be even more minutes up for grabs.
