The Celtics made a lot of changes this offseason, most notably trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis away. They also lost playoff hero and impactful backup center Luke Kornet to the Spurs, who signed Kornet to a four-year deal that Boston could not afford.
With the loss of Porziņģis, Kornet and Al Horford, who has yet to make a decision on his next move, the Celtics needed a center who could start games for them and help stretch the floor. They decided to spend lightly on former Pistons and Timberwolves center Luka Garza, signing him to a two-year, $5.5 million deal.
Coming Out of College
In four years at Iowa, Luka Garza emerged as one of college basketball’s best players. Garza never averaged less than 12 points per game. He was a central piece of Iowa’s offense, if not the engine of it, every year he played.
In his junior and senior years, Garza was consistently putting up over 20 points and 8 rebounds a game en route to being a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year. In the 2020-2021 season, Garza led the Big Ten in PPG and was both named the AP Player of the Year and given the Naismith Award.
He helped Iowa earn the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they would ultimately lose to the Oregon Ducks in the second round. Though Garza never had much NCAA tournament success, he was one of the best college players at the time, and is the Iowa men’s leading scorer in program history, with 2306 points.
Time with the Pistons and Wolves
Despite his impressive collegiate career, Luka Garza was not projected to be a first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. His poor defense was a concern for NBA teams, as was his size. In college, the 6-foot-10, 265 pound center used his large stature to score over opponents, similar to how Zach Edey found success. In the NBA, however, his size wouldn’t take him as far.
The Detroit Pistons drafted Garza at with the No. 52 pick — the same year where they chose Cade Cunningham first overall.
In Garza’s rookie season, he fought for minutes in a surprisingly deep Pistons frontcourt that included himself, Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Stewart and veteran Kelly Olynyk. Still, the rookie played in 32 games, averaging 5.8 PPG and 3.1 RPG.
After only one season in Detroit, Garza signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Despite playing in 39 games last season, a career high, Garza’s time in Minnesota was underwhelming. Between the logjam of big men, including Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid and Karl-Anthony Towns, Garza never started a game nor saw more than 18 minutes in a night.
After the Timberwolves traded Towns to the New York Knicks, a spot opened up for a backup big man. Unfortunately, Garza was still unable to find a role on a contending Timberwolves team. After three years with Minnesota, Garza entered free agency.
What He Can Be with the Celtics
Luka Garza’s signing instantly puts him in the running for the Celtics’ starting center role. He’ll be competing with Neemias Queta, rookie Amari Williams, and recent signee Chris Boucher.
Garza has shown some ability to stretch the floor, so if the Celtics were to lose Horford, he and Boucher would be prime candidates for the stretch-big role. If anyone can bring out the best in Garza’s shooting ability, it is head coach Joe Mazzulla, known for his three-point heavy approach.
Though he is not known for his defensive abilities, getting to learn from sound defenders Jaylen Brown and Derrick White will surely help his growth there. If Mazzulla gives him adequate minutes, he’s also bound to increase his 0.1 blocks per game average.
The 26-year-old is still young, and under Mazzulla’s coaching, can turn into a long-term piece for the Celtics. He occasionally shows signs of the player he was in college. If given minutes, he has the chance to be one of the biggest buy-low, high upside players in this past free agency.
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