The Boston Celtics' frontcourt has certainly made headlines. It started with the drafting of Chris Cenac Jr. (he made them look pretty smart last night), continued with the addition of Mitchell Robinson, and finally, to tie a bow on all of it, they re-signed Neemias Queta to a very team-friendly extension. That leaves one question: what about Luka Garza?
Garza became a fan favorite for the Celtics. After his signing more or less drew a "Yeah, whatever" reaction from the fanbase, he gradually made himself stand out more and more. Bringing in Robinson certainly will make many question what Garza's role will be on the team. The answer likely will be not much different from last season.
Garza held his own as Boston's backup big man last season. His floor-spacing rebounding, and work in the post earned him a lot of trust, even if the Nikola Vucevic trade muddied the waters a tad. One would think Robinson might be a problem.
But here's what everyone forgets about Robinson: much like Paul George, he too is an injury-prone player. He is coming off his healthiest season for New York, in which he played 60 games. Boston cannot rely on him to be available regularly. Their goal should be to make sure he's ready for the postseason.
And that is where Garza's role comes in handy.
Garza will allow Boston to conserve Robinson throughout the season
Because Garza held down the fort quite well, that played a substantial role in the season not being the gap year many thought it was going to be. That didn't exactly translate in the playoffs but it doesn't have because Robinson gives the Celtics that cushion.
Garza proved himself effective in the regular season, so there's no reason to think that he can't do that again this coming season. They may not count on him as much with Robinson on the team, but he proved after Vucevic's late-season injury that he can easily be re-inserted and pick up right where he left off.
Queta and Robinson will be Boston's one-two center combo for the next few years, but Garza is definitely a capable third big who will come in handy when they inevitably want to ensure Robinson's health as the postseason rolls around.
On the surface, one would think adding Robinson would make Garza less valuable to the Celtics, but knowing how fragile the former is, it's actually clearer to see that the latter is actually more valuable.
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