The Celtics have their stretch big man. We can stop fantasizing about different guys who could be brought in to give Boston their five-out offense they had during the championship run. That guy is already on the team, and it’s Luka Garza. It started as a fun trend last season when Garza would knock down some threes, but he kept it up for the whole season- his first as a rotation player- and this year, he looks even better.
Nine games into the season, Garza is shooting a ridiculous 54.2% on three-pointers, and he’s taking almost three a game, despite playing only 13.2 minutes a night. When he’s open, which is often, he’s taking and making them with confidence. The shot looks smooth, and he has been letting it fly from everywhere on the court.
Perhaps he’s not going to keep up this torrid pace for the entire season, but keep in mind, he shot 43.3% from deep last season on 127 attempts. The sample size is getting too large to ignore, and it’s only getting better. He has worked hard on this and made himself a real threat, and the Celtics need to take advantage.
Neemias Queta has been great again this season and is thriving even more now that he’s back in the starting lineup, but Mitchell Robinson has been a disappointment. With Garza playing so well and giving the team a legitimate spacing threat from the center position, he needs to start seeing more minutes.
Boston Celtics can no longer ignore Luka Garza's impact
He was always an elite rebounder, a strong screen-setter, and a guy who had great touch around the rim. But now, he has added a reliable three-point shot and has come a long way on the defensive end, which is making him a high-impact role player. At a certain point, you can’t ignore the numbers and just have to face the reality that Garza is helping the Celtics win games when he’s on the court.
I know the team is deep and there are a lot of players who deserve more minutes, but Garza should be right at the top of that list. His per-36 numbers show a 20-and-10 guy with crazy efficiency. The Celtics are also +55 on the season when he plays, even though he’s only seen 119 minutes all season.
Every sign points to Garza being a real weapon, and the Celtics would be crazy not to unleash him more and find out exactly how much he can handle. I’m not saying he needs to play 30+ minutes and be a featured piece, but he has answered every question asked of him so far and has earned a much longer leash.
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