Based on who took the court on Friday night, Boston’s trip to Memphis should have been an easy win for the side in green. But despite the Grizzlies being without nine players due to injuries, they gave the sleepy Celtics everything they could handle, leading midway through the fourth quarter before the Cs pulled out a 117-112 victory.
For much of the game, the team was lacking energy, missing shots, and being careless with the ball, but they got a major spark off the bench that helped steady the ship in the form of Luka Garza, who put up 22 points and 7 rebounds on 9-12 shooting.
On a night when a lot of Celtics players didn’t have it, and they were in jeopardy of falling in embarrassing fashion to an organization that frankly, is not trying to win games right now, Garza stepped it up and gave Boston what they needed.
Garza becoming an offensive weapon
The 22 points were Garza’s highest output in a Celtics uniform, but this kind of play has become expected from the backup big man. His motor is absolutely relentless, and he has an incredible knack for pulling down rebounds, especially on the offensive end. He’s also a great screen-setter, which helps create space for whichever of Boston’s playmakers he’s working with.
And whether he rolls or pops out of those screens, he has become a threat from inside and outside. He only hit one three-pointer on Friday night, but that shot has become a very real part of his game this season. He’s hitting at 43.3% from deep on the season, and he’s letting them fly with confidence lately in a way that defenses are being made to respect.
But he’s much more than a deep threat, as his touch inside the paint is on point as well, and when teams help on drivers, Garza always seems to be in the perfect position for an easy catch and finish. Add the scoring package to the work he does on the offensive glass, and he’s turning into a real weapon for Boston.
Garza worthy of minutes, even with Vucevic healthy
The irony of it all is that Garza is likely only playing thanks to injury. The Celtics made a move at the trade deadline to add Nikola Vucevic, who almost immediately snatched the backup center role behind Neemias Queta, taking Garza completely out of the rotation.
Vooch showed promise and had some nice games, but he suffered a finger injury that has already knocked him out for several games, and Garza jumped right back into the spot without missing a beat.
Vucevic should be healthy soon, but at this point, it’s fair to wonder if the Celtics would be better off rolling with Garza. It’s certainly at least a discussion. Sure, Vooch can do things that no other big man on the Cs can do, but there were some nights where he looked invisible out there.Â
I don’t necessarily think Vooch should just get Wally Pipp’d, but I also don’t think he should just automatically take all of Garza’s minutes. Those backup center minutes are going to be very important in the playoffs, and the Celtics need to make sure they go with the best option, regardless of name or contract.
In a way, we saw this last year as Joe Mazzulla and the Cs were ultimately too slow to go away from a clearly hobbled Kristaps Porzingis, even though he was a shell of himself and getting badly outplayed by Luke Kornet. Boston can’t afford to make the same mistake again, and if that means putting a $20+ million former All-Star on ice, so be it.