For Luka Garza, life as a Boston Celtic already feels different from anything he’s experienced in his NBA career.
Part of that comes from the banners that hang above when he works out at the Auerbach Center. Garza’s previous team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, has yet to even reach an NBA Finals; the Celtics have won 18.
But more than tradition and mystique, what drew the 26-year-old center to Boston was something else Minnesota couldn’t offer: opportunity.
During his three seasons with the Wolves, Garza was buried on the depth chart behind a five-time All-Star (Karl-Anthony Towns), a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (Rudy Gobert) and one of the league’s top bench players (2024 Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid). He was an afterthought, seeing action in less than half of Minnesota’s games and averaging a mere 5.6 minutes per appearance.
Now, after signing a two-year, $5.5 million contract with Boston, Garza has a chance to contribute on a nightly basis — and potentially even compete for a starting job — in a [talent-starved Celtics frontcourt](https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/07/15/how-will-celtics-address-their-new-rosters-biggest-weakness/).
“I’m motivated every single offseason because my mindset is all about trying to maximize the talents that God gave me and become the best basketball player I can become,” Garza said last week after helping run a Jr. Celtics Academy clinic at The Track at New Balance. “But especially when you’re walking into a situation where it seems like there’s a lot of opportunity, that’s something that’s extremely exciting to me.
“I’ve always kind of been in different positions in different points in my career, so for me, this feels like a moment where not only the work (I’ve put in) this summer, but the work I’ve been doing my whole life, and especially since I got to the league, has prepared me for what’s to come. So I’m just extremely fortunate and ready to go.”
With Kristaps Porzingis in Atlanta, Luke Kornet in San Antonio and Al Horford not expected to return, the Celtics lost their top three big men this offseason, and none of their replacements have been starting-caliber NBA players to this point. A month out from training camp, Boston’s leading candidates to start at the five are incumbent Neemias Queta (who played in 62 games with six starts last season, his first as a full-time NBAer) and newcomer Garza.
Queta, a 7-foot traditional center who can block shots, work the offensive glass and finish at the rim, has the stronger NBA track record and experience in head coach Joe Mazzulla’s system, so he should have a leg up entering camp. But the 6-foot-10 Garza believes his skills as a shooter can be an asset for Boston’s offense, which must replace the productive perimeter shooting of Porzingis, Horford and injured superstar wing Jayson Tatum this season.
“For me, something I always want to lean into is the 3-point shooting side of it,” said Garza, who’s averaged 22.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per 36 minutes in his career. “I know I can shoot the ball. Especially the big position, I can shoot it with the best of them. I know that, I have a lot of confidence in that, and I think with the right opportunity and the ability to get out there and let it fly, I’m going to show that.”
That self-scouting report was accurate during Garza’s decorated collegiate career. The former Iowa standout shot 44.0% from three as a senior in 2020-21, when he won multiple national player of the year awards. Since turning pro, though, he’s been inconsistent at best as an outside shooter, making just 31.4% of his career 3-pointers (5.8 attempts per 36). He was below 29% in each of the last two seasons.
Some of Garza’s advanced metrics paint a more positive picture — Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens called him a “stats darling” who could have “unrealized upside” — but those shooting numbers will need to improve if he hopes to become a regular in Mazzulla’s overhauled rotation. And, more importantly, Garza will need to prove he can hold up on the defensive end, which has been the biggest issue for him as a professional.
In all three of his seasons with Minnesota, Garza ranked last on the team in defensive box plus/minus, per Basketball-Reference, which aims to measure a player’s overall impact. Opponents made 69.4% of their field-goal attempts against Garza from inside six feet last season, according to NBA player tracking, one of the highest marks of any NBA center and far worse than Porzingis (47.7%), Horford (59.5%), Kornet (50.5%) and Queta (56.0%). He’s blocked just 12 shots in his career, with six of those coming during his rookie year with Detroit.
Garza said he’s working hard to improve in those areas and has enjoyed his early interactions with the Celtics’ player development staff, whose list of recent success stories includes ex-G Leaguers Kornet, Queta and Sam Hauser.
“Every summer, there is a huge dedication to the defensive side of the ball and just maximizing what I can do on that side,” Garza said. “I know the better I can get there, the better it’s going to be for my career. So continuing to work on my hands, my ability to drop, read, and just be a high-IQ guy on that end … and then also, in different switch attacks and being able to guard guys and kind of do the best that I can, to read angles and read personnel to give me the advantage on that side of the ball.
“Those are all things that I work on, but especially since being here, the development staff here, you can tell is just extremely locked in and dialed in. It definitely resonates with me and what I want to be a part of, so it’s been a lot of fun so far.”
Xavier Tillman, Chris Boucher and second-round draft pick Amari Williams also will compete for minutes in the Celtics’ new-look frontcourt.
Tillman has brought value as a defender in the past but was glued to Boston’s bench for most of last season, primarily due to his 3-point struggles (team-worst 15.6%). Boucher, the [latest addition to Boston’s roster](https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/08/05/celtics-reportedly-trading-georges-niang-draft-picks-to-jazz-for-undrafted-rookie/), was a longtime backup in Toronto who can play multiple positions and is coming off one of his most efficient seasons. After officially signing a two-way contract over the weekend, Williams is likely to begin his rookie season on assignment with Maine.
Originally Published: August 18, 2025 at 9:29 AM EDT