Luka Garza's lessons from past experiences are fueling his success with Celtics

Luka Garza was one of the greatest college basketball players of his generation. Even among those who went on to play professionally, the former Iowa Hawkeye's collegiate career reached a rarified air of dominance. His accolades included earning AP Player of the Year and winning the John Wooden Award, which recognizes the top NCAA basketball player in the nation for both men and women.

However, due to concerns about his mobility and how he would hold up on defense, Garza had to wait until the 52nd out of 60 selections in the 2021 NBA Draft to hear his name called.

After his rookie year, the team that gave Garza his opportunity, the Detroit Pistons, decided to move on. Just like that, he was out of the league, fighting to get back in.

The Washington, D.C. native had his prayers answered by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"I was in a tough part of my career," said Garza when speaking with the media before the Boston Celtics suffered a 102-92 loss to his former team, via CLNS Media. "I just got cut by Detroit, so I really didn't know what my future held."

Minnesota signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract. These are one-year, fully non-guaranteed deals. It's common for players who arrive at an NBA training camp on such an agreement not to earn a roster spot, at least not on a standard contract with the parent club.

However, as he has throughout his life, Garza persevered. He earned a spot with the Timberwolves and parlayed his opportunity into a three-year tenure. His time in the "Twin Cities" was crucial to his ability to star in his role in Boston.

Luka Garza's transformation with the Timberwolves

A part of what made the six-foot-10 center's ability to stick around in Minnesota so impressive is that it was difficult for him to get playing time. He was stuck behind the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, and Julius Randle.

"All credit to the [Celtics] organization; Coach Mazzulla and his staff, figuring out how to best employ Luka," said Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch before Sunday's matchup at TD Garden. "He is a good player. We knew that from our time with him here. We just didn't have quite the pathway to play him with all the bigs that we had. But he certainly helped us over the years. He was an unbelievable professional and a great person. I'm happy for his success."

As Garza transformed his body, what his former head coach and the Timberwolves' organization saw firsthand was the passion and positivity he adds to the work environment. The 27-year-old pours his all into everything he does. That energy is infectious. It made it even more desirable to keep the former collegiate superstar around.

"Well, the first thing that I'll give Luka a ton of credit for, when he came to us, is that he has completely transformed his body," said Finch. "He lost all of his baby fat. He committed to the weight room. He became an incredible ambassador, if you will, an example for our young players, the guys who didn't play heavy minutes, or young players. He was kind of the leader of that pack. His positivity was off the charts. He set such an example of working. Just a tireless worker in the gym all the time, and just always supportive and positive."

Garza's work to shed his baby fat was essential to his becoming a more viable option off the bench. So was a summer spent in Minnesota, which paved the way for him to showcase the impact he can have as a scorer, screener, and on the offensive glass.

"I think the key summer was the summer that Naz [Reid], Jaden [McDaniels], and Luka all worked out. They spent the summer in Minnesota and worked out every day, and then they'd go out to dinner at night, and that was really a breakout season for Jaden and Naz. And it was, in some ways, for Luka, too. He played spot minutes for us that year. But there were times where he would come in and win us a quarter, almost all by himself. So that was what I remember most."

Going from being a collegiate star to barely getting an opportunity in the NBA can wreak havoc on an individual's psyche. It takes tremendous mental fortitude to persevere through that. For Garza, those summer workouts helped him recapture his swagger.

"Working with them every day, I just felt like I was improving at a high level, especially going against Naz, him testing me on both ends, just with his versatility," voiced Garza. "Also, seeing the way that they work and approach the game, it just helped me a lot. And I think throughout the course [of] that summer and preseason, I was able to really gain a lot of my confidence back that I lost from my rookie season. And I think that just really set me up for the rest of my career."

Luka Garza's blueprint

Over the summer, Garza shared a lesson he took from Minnesota as he prepared to capitalize on his opportunity with the Celtics. In Boston, he could change his career trajectory and carve out his place in the NBA. He could make the same leap he saw from two Timberwolves teammates he grew close with.

"When Naz was with me when I first got there, and we'd just done the Rudy trade, the first couple of games of the year, he was sitting right next to me, getting DNP's [did not play], and obviously everyone knows what happened after that, and that'll never happen to him again," said Garza in mid-August.

"That's my goal, is to put myself in that position. And the same thing with Nickeil [Alexander-Walker]. When he got to us, who knows what his future was in the league? But he took advantage of opportunities that were there. And [he] actually just got paid this summer. So I've seen the blueprint, and I've been around so many amazing guys, coaches, staff, all of that. So, it's kind of just using all those examples, and to fuel me and to learn from."

While Garza and Reid no longer share a locker room, the two friends continue to check in with each other. As Reid watches his former teammate ascend, the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year is seeing Garza follow the same blueprint that helped him earn that hardware and a five-year, $125 million deal to stay in Minnesota.

"Oh, he's fully taken advantage of it," said Reid after the Timberwolves' win at TD Garden, their first victory in Boston since 2005. "When you get a chance, whether it's four minutes, five minutes, 12 minutes, 20 minutes, making a huge impact in those minutes. Obviously, throughout your career, the minutes will increase, and so forth and so on. But, making the best of your opportunity, that's something I've really talked to him about."

Garza's ability to do so has led to him consistently capitalizing when Joe Mazzulla calls his number. His ability to do so after Nikola Vucevic fractured his right ring finger, thrusting the fifth-year veteran back into the rotation, is a prime example.

He's averaging 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.9 minutes. Garza is also knocking down 43 percent of the 1.8 threes he's hoisting. His 2.3 offensive rebounds and 2.4 screen assists per contest are second on the Celtics behind starting center Neemias Queta. The latter logs about 10 minutes more per matchup.

It hasn't been easy, being on the outside of the rotation at times and watching Boston acquire a two-time All-Star at his position at the trade deadline. However, lessons learned in his past stops have helped him fight through and continue to thrive with the opportunities he's receiving now.

"I try not to spend too much time in the past, but I always take a second at different points in the season, and just kind of appreciate where I'm at in general," expressed Garza. "I think all the things that I've gone through this year, the reason I've been able to get through them, were because of those experiences in Minnesota. So it's definitely important to look back on those moments and use them to kind of help you in the future."