Celtics' face harsh Luka Garza reality as major date approaches

Dec. 15 is considered the unofficial start of the NBA's trade season. It's the date when players who signed new contracts in the offseason suddenly become trade-eligible. The exception is if it hasn't been three months since they agreed to their deal.

For the Boston Celtics, three players are about to become trade-eligible. Josh Minott, presumably, isn't going anywhere. The versatile 23-year-old wing has proven to be one of the league's shrewdest offseason signings.

However, the start of Luka Garza's tenure with his new team has likely not gone as he hoped. The same goes for Chris Boucher, the third member of Boston's triumvirate, who will have his trade restriction lifted Dec. 15.

Keeping the focus on Garza, he has seen his role shrink. He has not appeared in four of the Celtics' last eight games. In three of the games he got into, the six-foot-10 center logged fewer than 8:15. That includes a 5:07 stint against his former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Even when Neemias Queta missed the matchup against the Detroit Pistons the day before Thanksgiving, among Boston's traditional options at center, the individual who received the most playing time was Amari Williams. The rookie is on a two-way deal, and the franchise had just called him up from their G League affiliate in Maine in the aftermath of Queta's ankle sprain.

What that signals is the fragility of Garza's roster spot with the Celtics. They don't need to move him to acquire an intriguing option at center like Day'Ron Sharpe, who they tried to sign over the summer. The same is true for pursuing an upgrade, such as Ivica Zubac. However, a move that meets either description could include Garza getting rerouted.

Whether the latter is still with Boston when February's trade deadline passes feels like a coin flip to this author.

Luka Garza: A Model of heart and hustle

Don't dismiss the veteran center's ability to contribute to the Celtics. His work ethic is exemplary, and he pours everything into every possession he's on the floor.

Garza is a player defined by his hustle and resiliency. In college, he had a 10-pound cyst removed from his abdomen. As he shared on View from the Rafters, a Celtics in-house podcast, if he had gotten hit in that area and it ruptured, he would have died on the spot.

Garza went from wondering if basketball was about to get ripped away from him to winning multiple National Player of the Year honors while starring for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Shortly after signing him, Brad Stevens told Hardwood Houdini that the 26-year-old is a "stats darling." And when the Washington, D.C. native has his name called, he is making an impact in several areas.

The four-year veteran is spacing the floor and knocking down 44 percent of the 1.3 threes he's hoisting. He is also an excellent screener, paving a path for teammates to step into open shots or attack downhill. Plus, he has good timing, releasing quickly to go from productive picks to becoming an available outlet.

And then there's Garza's gift for grabbing offensive rebounds. He is snagging two per contest in his 19 appearances. It's an infusion of energy and second-chance opportunities that help the Celtics win on the margins and keep him on the floor.

"Offensive rebounding is all about effort. I think it's just crashing enough, putting yourself in good positions enough," Garza told Hardwood Houdini after he grabbed five offensive rebounds and produced 14 points in Boston's 131-95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

"I try to grab as many of them as I can when I'm on the floor, but that's something I've always had kind of a knack for, and I think that goes along with the playing hard, is trying to put yourself in that position every time."

That night, Joe Mazzulla told Hardwood Houdini, "He has a special gift to be able to play just harder than everybody else on the floor."

That's why fans should resist the urge to act dismissively towards Garza's tenure in green. As this author has repeatedly stated about players up and down this roster, give him grace and show patience.

Perhaps his Celtics tenure will not extend past the trade deadline. However, it's also possible that a player who has consistently persevered and hasn't received much playing time at any stop in the NBA improves while acclimating to a new team.

It's still early in his time in Boston, but Garza could grow into a consistent, positive contributor who provides passable defense. Just because the start of his Celtics stint has gone one way, it doesn't mean that it can't change. He has plenty of teammates whose evolution illustrates that point.