The Boston Celtics' logic in acquiring Nikola Vucevic was sound last season. They wanted more frontcourt depth, they wanted to save the necessary money to get under the cap, and they knew Jayson Tatum's impending return meant Anfernee Simons' role was about to be reduced.
It didn't work out, but in all fairness, it wasn't entirely on Vucevic. Mid-season acquisitions need time to adjust. Vucevic wasn't awful, but he was far from the perfect fit. It got worse that he got hurt just as Jayson Tatum came back, which kept him from developing more familiarity with the team.
Boston didn't skip a beat when he missed a month, and a lot of that had to do with Luka Garza thriving in his role as backup. That was yet again on display when the Celtics played against Vucevic for the first time since he left them to return to the Magic.
Garza thrived in the best way he knows how: offensive rebounds and spotting up from distance. Putting up 12 points and six rebounds (two offensive) to go with two threes and a plus/minus of plus-11 is fantastic work from him, and making it better was Vucevic by comparison.
In seven minutes, he put up two points, four rebounds, and a plus/minus of minus five. It's fair to say that Boston was right not to bring him back, but also that Garza was clearly the better option.
Garza continues to prove how good of a fit he is
Vucevic had his good games in Boston, but they were few and far between. Garza's time in Boston did not start out great, to the point that Joe Mazzulla benched him for a time. However, once he got acclimated, it was all up from here, and outside of the postseason (where most of the Celtics were pretty bad), Garza continues to prove how dependable he is.
It's not that he's necessarily a better player than Vucevic is at his peak, but for what Boston has asked him to do, he has stepped up to the plate. It made sense that Mazzulla wanted to see what Vucevic could do if he had Garza's role, but as we've seen since, the former two-time All-Star was acquired perhaps a year too late.
No one should bash Vucevic because it's clear Boston got him when his career was on the downside. This was simply an experiment worth a try, and it didn't work. Luckily, it further shows that Garza is the right man for the job. He may not be an everyday player when the team is at full strength, but Boston got a surprise steady contributor in him.
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