Luka Garza was a bit of an afterthought after the Boston Celtics signed Mitchell Robinson in the offseason. The discussions were always centered around which player would start at center between Robinson and Neemias Queta, or about how threatening Boston would be on the boards with those two alternating minutes, or about how the Celtics have legitimate paint presence on both sides of the ball now, etc. But it seemed like everyone sort of forgot about Garza, who just had a career year with the Celtics in his first season with the team.
To be clear, the Iowa alum is still the third-best center on the Celtics' roster. But that doesn't mean he can't still have a nice role in the rotation, and on Sunday, he showed exactly why.
Luka Garza was fantastic during Celtics' win against the Magic
With Boston choosing to rest Robinson for its game against the Orlando Magic on Sunday, Garza moved up the depth chart and took on his biggest role of the young season so far. And he did not disappoint.
In the win, Garza recorded 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting (2-for-4 from behind the line), six rebounds, four assists, and a steal in 21 minutes.
The 27-year-old was incredibly active against Orlando, and he showed a lot of what made him intriguing to the Celtics to begin with. He plays hard and hustles on every play. He also plays with a ton of tenacity and never gives up on a play (this is especially noticeable on the boards). He's a great screen-setter. And while he's not necessarily a good defender, he is strong enough to not get bullied in the paint or the post.
Perhaps most importantly, though, Garza is Boston's only floor-spacing center (he is shooting 43.1% from deep as a member of the Celtics; it's fair to call him a true floor spacer now). Given how important spacing is in "Mazzulla Ball," players who can reliably hit shots from deep will always provide value to the team. And as it is, Garza is the only center currently on the Celtics' roster who fits that mold.
Luka Garza brings real value to the Celtics
Garza isn't necessarily irreplaceable, but there's a lot to like about what he brings to the table in Boston.
He plays hard and clearly has a "team-first" type of mentality.
Garza should have plenty more opportunities to show his worth this season, and if he performs like he did against Orlando, then it's going to be tough for the Celtics to keep him on the sidelines for too long moving forward.
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