Luka Garza explains why he decided to join Celtics in free agency

The Boston Celtics is likely to be in line for some rising pains in 2025-26. 

With Jayson Tatum anticipated to be sidelined for a lot of the yr whereas rehabbing a torn Achilles, a number of different gamers in Boston’s frontcourt might want to step up with these reps up for grabs.

To additional compound issues for Boston, the Celtics have already misplaced acquainted faces in Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Vacation, and Luke Kornet through commerce or free company — while Al Horford is also unlikely to return. 

However as painful as this offseason has been to this point for Celtics followers, these minutes up entrance for Boston is why large man Luka Garza opted to sign a two-year deal in free agency. 

“Clearly, the franchise speaks for itself and simply the profitable and the historical past,” Garza told MassLive’s Brian Robb at Summer League in regards to the purpose why he joined Boston earlier this summer season. “I’m an enormous basketball junkie, so clearly the prospect to placed on that uniform and play for the Celtics is enticing sufficient.

“However clearly there’s numerous alternative, particularly within the frontcourt and with the fellows that we have now. I believe the entrance workplace and the coaches imagine in me and what I can do, so I simply noticed that as actually good for me at this stage in my profession.”

Garza performed restricted minutes over the previous few seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, together with simply 5.6 minutes per contest throughout the 2024-25 season. In three years with Minnesota, Garza solely logged a complete of 584 minutes performed as a depth possibility on the bench.

“I really feel like I discovered a lot from my time in Minnesota from being round these sort of men, however I believe it was time to seek out that chance to get on the ground,” Garza mentioned. “I felt like within the restricted alternatives I used to be in a position to get, I used to be in a position to present properly and maximize these. However for me it was a precedence for me to get someplace the place I might get extra of these alternatives.”

Even when it’s unlikely that Garza will likely be thrust proper right into a featured function on a retooling Boston roster, he needs to be in line for a better function in 2025-26 — particularly on a Celtics depth chart that has Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman, and Amari Williams standing as the subsequent males up on Boston’s frontcourt. 

Regardless of his restricted reps with Minnesota in 2024-25, the 26-year-old Garza nonetheless averaged 3.5 factors and 1.4 rebounds per sport — with Brad Stevens praising Garza’s manufacturing throughout these restricted alternatives final week on the Auerbach Heart. 

“We’re in search of guys on these contracts which have upside, which might be rivals, which might be staff, that need to be good, that haven’t hit their peak but — however we’ve seen one thing in them that we predict offers them an opportunity to be very impactful,” Stevens said of Boston’s free-agent signings of Garza and fellow Minnesota bench player Josh Minott. “Luka clearly has been a stats darling, however in restricted time behind very, superb gamers.

Even when Garza is much from a confirmed product, the previous collegiate standout at Iowa believes he has loads to supply to his new group in Boston. 

“I believe primary simply the ability that I’ve greater than something is enjoying onerous,” Garza mentioned. “I believe that helps me and makes up for lots of issues that I don’t have, however clearly by means of being within the league 4 years I’ve discovered much more and have a greater understanding, a greater IQ in angles and the various things that may assist me on the market, particularly on the defensive finish.

“Offensively, I do know that’s the facet that I’ve numerous confidence in that I can actually assist a group in some ways, simply create good offense, create good stream inside it and at all times have the ability to assist get photographs up there whether or not it’s for myself or my teammates, by means of screening, passing, no matter it’s, I simply really feel like that’s a power of mine that I’ve been in a position to present within the instances that I’ve had.”

 

Conor Ryan is a employees author overlaying the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Crimson Sox for Boston.com, a task he has held since 2023.