3 Ways Luka Garza Can Help The Boston Celtics Offense

Three ways in which Luka Garza can help the Boston Celtics on the offensive side of the floor.

Talent drain. That's been my buzzword of the summer. The Boston Celtics have lost multiple key contributors this summer, but nowhere has been depleted as much as the front court.

In Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and most likely, Al Horford, Joe Mazzulla has lost his starting big man rotation of the last two seasons. Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman still remain, however, neither is a proven starter or even a key rotation piece in the NBA. Of course, Chris Boucher has been added to that group, too, providing some veteran experience and shot-making ability.

And then there's Luka Garza...A 52nd pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, who has struggled to earn a legitimate role in the league, either with the Detroit Pistons or the Minnesota Timberwolves.

I often say that a prerequisite to NBA success is situation. A player needs to find themselves on the right team, at the right time, with the right coach. Unless you're a top-20 or top-30 player, the situation you find yourself in will dictate a lot about your career.

Don't believe me? Look at Aaron Nesmith and how his game flourished once he was traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2022. He landed in a situation where he could play a big role, work through his mistakes on the court, and he had a coach who trusted he would figure things out. That role wasn't available in Boston, not with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser and Grant Williams in the rotation.

Garza had a similar battle in recent years, with Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns (except for last season) and Naz Reid all in front of him on the depth chart. So, the hope is that now he's with a retooling Celtics team, he can flourish into a key member of Boston's rotation.

I'll be honest. I hadn't seen much of Garza since he entered the NBA. I don't keep up with the Pistons or the Timberwolves to the point where I would be watching their garbage time minutes, and I had rarely seen Garza on the floor. So, I wasn't sure what type of talent the Celtics were getting. For that reason, I've been keen to carve out a window of time to work my way through some of his game tape.

Over the last few days, I've consumed around 450 possessions from Garza, with the lion's share coming from this past season. I've been pleasantly surprised with what I found. Sure, there are areas for improvement, but if there weren't, he wouldn't have signed on such a team-friendly deal and probably wouldn't have been a free agent this summer. That's the point of retooling: you give guys like this a chance.

So, for today, I thought I would share three observations from what I've learned about Garza's offensive game so far and how they can help the Celtics next season. Key word being so far...Let's dive in.

1: Pick 'N' Possible

With Porzingis and (likely) Horford leaving the franchise this summer, Boston's floor spacing took a significant hit. Joe Mazzulla likes to run a five-out offense, meaning everyone on the floor is spaced around the three-point line. Without Porzingis and Horford, the Celtics didn't have a shooting threat at the center position, and Queta doesn't project to be a screener in the mold of Kornet.

However, it would appear that Garza could be the guy to solve that problem.

How many times have we seen this exact play from the Celtics in recent years? Garza sets a screen for Bones Hyland, flares after Hyland comes off the screen, and finds himself in space above the perimeter. Pass finds Garza, quick shooting mechanics and boom an easy three.

Different game, but exactly the same situation. Garza and Hyland are part of the Timberwolves garbage squad. Garza sets the screen, Hyland drags his dribble as he comes over, Garza flares to the top of the perimeter, and boom, another easy bucket.

This tells me that running Garza in a pick-and-pop is a repeatable action that can consistently get you good looks. Or at least until opposing defenses start respecting the shot and he has to learn when and how to manipulate defenses to get an open look.

Ok, this possession got me excited. Not because it was anything special, but because it shows Garza doesn't need to be directly above the break (the top of the perimeter, where he was for the last two clips) in order to be a three-point threat.

In this action, the Timberwolves run an "angle pick-and-roll" – A pick-and-roll that takes place in the slot, with the rest of the team spacing the floor on the perimeter – everything else unfolds as you would expect it to. However, rather than having Garza flare to the break, he flares into the slot, giving him a different shooting angle. Different shot, same result.

Shot versatility is important, especially in Mazzulla's system.

2: A Little Like Luke...

Despite being a non-shooting big man, Kornet figured out how to be an impactful member of Mazzulla's rotation. He mastered the art of screening. He figured out how to weaponize the short-roll, despite his limited shot attempts outside of the paint. And, he developed his playmaking out of dribble hand-offs, allowing himself to become somewhat of a hub in the halfcourt.

Furthermore, Kornet took pride in spacing the floor in the weakside slot, where he could use his size and potential lob threat to keep defenses honest due to the threat of his cutting, along with his screening.

Garza showed some flashes of potential upside in some of those areas last season, in spite of his limited playing time.

We've all seen Kornet operating in screening sets like this. Garza sets an initial flare screen for Rob Dillingham, who receives a pass from Hyland. Garza then flows into a second screen (veer action), this time for Hyland himself.

Kornet ran these double screening sets (veer) all the time. When he started rolling to the rim, you knew that if the ball touched his hands on the short-roll, it would quickly be redirected to a shooter elsewhere on the floor. Garza is different there; he has far more aggression when looking to score.

Back to the clip above.

Hyland's drive draws in two defenders: his own, and a stunt from the dropping big man who is helping off of Garza's role. By drawing two, Hyland has opened up a path for Garza, making the pass an easy choice. As soon as the rock hits Garza's hands, there's only one outcome as he gets the shot off with a soft touch for an easy bucket.

So, while the outcome was different from what we've become accustomed to from Kornet, the setup and the willingness to operate as a mobile screener were the same.

Let's look at another example.

A little DHO (dribble hand-off) action on this play.

The clip starts with the Timberwolves running a split cut on the weakside. Donte DiVincenzo comes off the Garza screen and flows into a stagger action for Dillingham – who has passed the rock to Garza as the action has unfolded.

The idea here is that the split cut creates confusion among the Los Angeles Lakers' defense, and the stagger action either forces a switch or creates some separation between Dillingham and his defender.

Dillingham cuts off both screens and receives the hand-off from Garza, who then clocks his defender as he tries to navigate multiple screens, giving Dillingham the time and space to nail the mid-range jumper.

Get actions are common in the NBA. They're simple, too. You throw the ball to someone (usually a big one) and then go and get it back, which is precisely what occurred on the above clip.

Mazzulla used Kornet in similar situations last season, primarily when looking to get Brown, Tatum or Derrick White an opportunity to shoot off the bounce or pressure the defense on the drive.

3: Some Scoring Versatility

So far, both aspects of Garza's game that we've looked at have been in the context of how he can replace some of what the team lost when Kornet signed with the San Antonio Spurs.

However, in this section, we're looking at how he could bridge a gap left behind by Porzingis, at a lower level, of course.

In Porzingis, the Celtics had a genuine three-level scoring big. He could cook you from deep, attack at the nail or elbows, work out of the post or give you the business around the rim. Losing him to the Atlanta Hawks this summer (via trade) was a tough blow for the Celtics' offense.

While Garza is nowhere near the offensive talent that Porzingis is – and believe me, I'm not claiming that he is – the Iowa product has shown flashes of three-level scoring and the potential to sustain a versatile shot profile.

You know what I like about this play? Everything evolved out of a pick-and-pop action. You know what else I liked? Garza gave Kyle Filipowski the business.

Not only does Garza time his attack for when Filipowski has set both his feet on the closeout, he showcases some excellent footwork on the up-and-under move, some great ball control as he switches hands on the finish, and he does it all while controlling his pacing and tempo.

There's a level of confidence you need to pull this move off in an NBA game, especially when you're a deep bench player trying to earn additional minutes. In that situation, players usually stick to their remit and look to thrive in their role.

Garza took a different route. He was having fun with it and showing that he's more than just a standstill shooter or putback artist.

Here's another example of the scoring versatility Garza can bring to the table.

Same game, same matchup, similar result.

Once again, Garza waits for Filipowski to set his feet on defense. As soon as that happens, the 26-year-old looks to test the rookie's hip flexibility by forcing him to change directions. Once again, some good footwork has Filipowski in a blender, wondering how he's ended up in an episode of Dragon Ball Z where the Sayain is vanishing and reappearing on different parts of the floor.

Garza eventually ends the possession with a little hook shot, showing off a soft touch, and illustrating that he can finish from both sides of the floor, and just as important, that he can create opportunities for himself when given the space to attack.

Here's a clip of Garza's ability to obtain, control and command post positioning. His movement allows him to duck into position, his size keeps him where he wants to be, and his basketball IQ sees him making himself as big as possible to provide a solid target area for the pass.

The Timberwolves run a Gator Action (see Explore The Boston Celtics 'Gator Series' for a more in-depth breakdown) to create the passing angle that unlocks the scoring opportunity.

Here's another example of Garza working out of the post...

Who doesn't like a Dirk Nowitzki one-legged fadeaway out of the post? Maybe it's the Millennial in me, but I, for one, can't get enough of it. And for some reason, I always think of Lucas Scott, too – remember when he kept on Nathan's case about the value of the fadeaway despite Nathan thinking it was "weak"?

Did I just weave a One Tree Hill reference into some NBA analysis? Yes, yes, I did.

Unapologetically, too.

I digress.

The action itself is self-explanatory, but at least it shows that Garza can work on the low block just as easily as he can on the perimeter or in the mid-range with his hooks, push shots and floaters.

Final Thoughts

Garza has landed on a Celtics team that has a power vacuum in the front court. Tatum will likely miss most, if not all, of the season with injury and three key members of the 2024 championship-winning front court are no longer with the team.

Mazzulla will likely favor what Garza can bring to the floor, especially if he's open to spending some time at four as part of a double-big with Neemias Queta – in fact, there's a chance that's a go-to option by the end of the season.

Garza is miles away from being a complete or even polished player. Nevertheless, there's genuine upside to his offensive game, specifically in how he can help fill some of the voids that were created earlier this summer.

Of course, there are legitimate questions about Garza's defense and rebounding ability – and the goal is that we will look at those in another article later this week, after I've trawled through some additional film.

Still, the combination of Boston's offensive needs and Garza's skill set creates an intriguing opportunity. If he can provide even 15-20 minutes of competent basketball while spacing the floor and contributing at a relatively high level, that's a massive win for a minimum contract signing. Of course, the ideal situation is that he rapidly improves and makes Stevens look like a genius – again.

Our first taste of what Garza can bring to this version of the Celtics will come during preseason. That's what the roster battles begin. And that's when he can start making his case for a considerable role in the rotation.

Judging by what he has to offer, we should get used to seeing him on the court – right now, a sizeable role is his to lose – let's see if we feel the same way after diving into his defense, too.