When Luka Garza signed with the Celtics last season, he was a bit of an afterthought after not cracking the rotation for the Timberwolves. He signed on a minimum and was thought to be a deep piece of frontcourt depth behind guys like Neemias Queta, Chris Boucher, and Xavier Tillman.
But with different guys struggling and out of the lineup, Garza started getting opportunities, and he made the most of them. He gave Boston good minutes with a relentless motor, excellent rebounding, and surprisingly nice touch, even from the three-point line. It got to the point where he established himself as the backup to Queta, and the Celtics felt comfortable dumping Boucher and Tillman at the trade deadline.
Garza never should have lost his job to Vucevic
But despite his strong play, the Celtics didn’t fully believe in him and eventually handed the backup duties to Nikola Vucevic. Vooch never earned that job and was clearly not as good as Garza, but his contract and reputation seemed to be all that mattered, and Joe Mazzulla rode him to the bitter end, finally benching Vucevic in Game 7.
Now, this season, we’re seeing a similar dynamic play out this season, as the Celtics splurged on Mitchell Robinson in free agency, again relegating Garza to a fringe rotation player and third center. But yet again, Garza is very clearly outplaying the higher-paid player with better pedigree.
Robinson has been a complete disaster on both ends, while Garza continues to scrap and claw during his minutes, giving the Celtics exactly what they need. In seven games this season, Garza has played just 82 minutes, averaging 7 points and 3 rebounds, but shooting 47% from three.
Garza has been far better than Mitchell Robinson
Furthermore, no matter what you think of individual plus/minus as a stat, the numbers don’t lie. In his 82 minutes, the Celtics are +32 with Garza on the floor. Robinson has played 116 minutes, and the Celtics are -42 when he’s on the floor. At a certain point, you can no longer deny the numbers: Garza is simply the better option.
This may be hard to accept and may lead to awkwardness with Mitch, but he’s being badly outclassed. Garza has earned more time. Robinson may be paid more, but he has done nothing in Boston to earn his minutes, while Garza proves himself every single night. The Celtics aren’t running a charity organization, and eventually Mazzulla needs to face reality and play his best players.
They don’t have to give up on Mitch completely, but Garza deserves more minutes, and if these early-season trends continue, their roles should flip. Robinson has been brutal, and Garza has been very good.
That’s all that should matter. It would hurt to bench Mitch completely after signing him to a three-year, $47 million deal in the offseason, but this is competitive professional basketball. Mazzulla needs to do what’s best for the Celtics to maximize their chances of winning, and right now, that is inarguably playing Garza over Robinson.
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