Luka Garza knew at an early age what was going to allow him to stand out on a basketball court. He was never going to win with athleticism. He couldn't just rely on his height either, especially not when he first started playing.
"I identified early on that I wasn't the most athletic guy, so I had to find a way to get an edge," conveyed Garza after the Boston Celtics throttled a shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies' opponent, 131-95. "So, every time I step on a basketball court, that's my mindset, is to play harder than the guy in front of me."
When you watch him play, that effort is what's most noticeable. It's not a hollow statement to say that he pours everything he has into every possession. It's a skill, and it is a skill, that propelled him to multiple National Player of the Year honors and an NBA career that has now reached five years.
"He has a special gift to be able to play just harder than everybody else on the floor," Joe Mazzulla told Hardwood Houdini after Boston improved to 6-7, bouncing back after a two-point loss in Philadelphia the night before.
Self-awareness was one-half of the former Iowa Hawkeyes star figuring out what it took for him to maximize his abilities on a basketball court. The other 50 percent, he attributes to his parents.
His dad, Frank, played collegiately for the University of Idaho. His mother, Šejla Muftić, was a professional player in Europe. They passed along the work ethic it took to reach those levels to their son.
"The way I was raised, my parents, that was the ideals that they put into me, playing sports in general, I have a big sports family," Garza said about their role in instilling the drive that allows him to stand out as the hardest-playing individual on the floor consistently.
Luka Garza's effort is helping the Celtics win on the margins
That Garza gives his all on the basketball court comes through in everything he does when he gets his opportunities, including how hard he runs the floor.
Another way that it manifests itself is with his impact on the offensive glass. In Wednesday's win on the TD Garden parquet, the six-foot-10 center grabbed a game-high five offensive rebounds. That helped the hosts generate a 34-12 advantage in second-chance points.
"He's got to keep that up for us," Mazzulla emphasized to Hardwood Houdini post-game. "And then, he has a way to get, I think he got one over two, three people there. So, he has the ability to kind of do that for us. And he's been good. So, [he] just has to keep playing inspired basketball."
After Joe Mazzulla told me Luka Garza “has a special gift to be able to play just harder than everybody else on the floor,” I asked Garza about the effort that goes into his impact on the offensive glass and how that speaks to what he brings to the floor.
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"Offensive rebounding is all about effort. I think it's just crashing enough, putting yourself in good positions enough," Garza told Hardwood Houdini after his impact on the glass helped him register 14 points, the most off Boston's bench, and seven rebounds.
"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."
His ability to help the Celtics win on the margins by extending possessions is crucial to the team's success and his playing time. He came to Boston for an opportunity he didn't get with the Minnesota Timberwolves. If Garza maximizes his chance, his effort, the skill he has always hung his hat on, will be at the root of why he elevated his standing in the league.