Five things to know about Celtics center Luka Garza
Here are five things to know about Garza.
He's a former National College Player of the Year
Garza won the 2021 Lute Olson award, which is given to the most outstanding player in men's college basketball. (Celtics guard
He's also a two-time winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award, which goes to the nation's top center, as well as a two-time Big Ten player of the year.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
He averaged 24.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks while shooting 55 percent from the field during his senior season.
Advertisement
He was the MVP of the 2023 G-League Next Up game
In 2023, the NBA added a G-League showcase game to All-Star weekend.
Garza was named MVP of the inaugural G-League Next Up game after he scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Neemias Queta had 22 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, but his team lost.
Fans voted Garza as the captain of his team.
'I think I did solid,'
Advertisement
He's joining a thin Celtics frontcourt
With Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet gone and free-agent Al Horford pondering his future, the Celtics' frontcourt depth isn't as strong as it was last year.
Garza and Queta are currently the top two centers on the roster, with Xavier Tillman and rookie Amari Williams rounding out the group.
There's plenty of time for the Celtics to make roster moves, but for now, the resources are scarce at the center position.
He's skilled on offense and questionable defensively
Garza gets the bulk of his points in the paint, but he has also shown flashes of being a capable 3-point shooter.
He shot 44 percent from deep during his senior season at Iowa, and 44 percent during his most recent six-game stint in the G-League. His NBA career 3-point percentage is 31 percent with much fewer attempts.
Garza has shown that he can score off of pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops. He can hit floaters and has a range of low-post moves, having
He has not shown that he can defend well enough at the NBA level to stay on the floor. Quickness, mobility, and rim protection are not his strong suits. He
Lefty Driesell's son coached him in high school
Garza played high school basketball at Maret School in Washington D.C. where he was coached by Chuck Driesell, the son of
The elder Driesell resigned from his longtime position at Maryland in 1986 after the death of Len Bias, but returned to coaching in 1988 and stayed in the profession until 2003. Lefty Driesell (786 victories) is 15th on the all-time wins list among men's college basketball coaches.
Advertisement
The younger Driesell still coaches at the Maret School, where he has been for a decade.
Garza won the 2017 D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year award while at Maret.
Khari Thompson can be reached at
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nets gained a prized asset in their trade with the Nuggets, per NBA GM
The Brooklyn Nets pulled off one of the biggest moves of the 2025 NBA offseason when they traded forward Cam Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for forward Michael Porter Jr. While it is debatable amongst Brooklyn fans which player is better for this stage of the rebuild, some of the talk around the league is pertaining to the first-round pick the Nets received. "That was a prized asset they gave up," ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst reported in a conversation with a source described as an NBA general manager. The duo wrote this within an article addressing various storylines around the NBA with free-agency having been active for almost one week, especially with players like Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James who seem to have less-than-ideal futures. Advertisement "Teams have been eyeing that one to see if they'd actually use it," Bontemps and Windhorst continued. To recap the trade between the Nets and Nuggets, Brooklyn traded Johnson to Denver in exchange for Porter Jr. and a first-round pick from the Nuggets that will convey in 2032, seven years from the writing of this piece which can be better described as an eternity in the NBA. Essentially, Brooklyn achieved one of its main goals this offseason when it came to using some of their salary cap to acquire players from teams looking to shed payroll in exchange for said players and something extra. In the case of Porter, whose numbers are similar to Johnson in many regards, the Nuggets needed to do something to lower their luxury tax penalties while improving the team around perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokic. The Nets basically took on Porter, thereby increasing their salary cap by $17 million as the difference between what he and Johnson will be earning next season, for the chance at getting a draft pick that is clearly held in high regard around the Association. By the time the 2032 NBA Draft comes around, Jokic will be 37 years old while Jamal Murray will be 35 years old. That pick gives Brooklyn more choices than most teams. This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets gained a prized asset in their trade with the Nuggets, per NBA GM
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Today in Sports - Jorge Masvidal sets UFC record with a KO of Ben Askren 5 seconds into their bout
July 6 1887 — Lottie Dod of Britain, 15, becomes the youngest woman to win the women's singles championship at Wimbledon, defeating Blanch Bingley 6-2, 6-0. 1933 — The first major league All-Star game is played at Comiskey Park, Chicago. The American League beats the National League 4-2 on Babe Ruth's two-run homer. 1957 — Althea Gibson becomes the first black to win a title at the All England Lawn Tennis Club by beating Darlene Hard 6-3, 6-2 in the women's singles title match. 1968 — Billie Jean King wins her third consecutive women's singles title at Wimbledon by beating Australia's Judy Tegart 9-7, 7-5. 1975 — Ruffian, an undefeated filly, and Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure compete in a match race. Ruffian, racing on the lead, sustains a severe leg injury and is pulled up by jockey Jacinto Vasquez. She is humanely destroyed the following day. 1994 — Leroy Burrell breaks the world record in the 100 meters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Burrell's time of 9.85 seconds betters Carl Lewis' 9.86 clocking set in the 1991 World Championships. 1996 — Steffi Graf beats Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-3, 7-5 in the Wimbledon final for the German star's 20th Grand Slam title and 100th tournament victory. 1997 — Pete Sampras wins the fourth Wimbledon title and 10th Grand Slam title of his career, easily defeating Frenchmen Cedric Pioline 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. 1998 — Twenty-year-old Se Ri Pak becomes the youngest U.S. Women's Open champion after hitting an 18-foot birdie on the 20th extra hole to beat amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn in the longest Women's Open in history. 2000 — Venus Williams beats her younger sister Serena 6-2, 7-6 (3) to reach the Wimbledon final. Their singles match is the first between sisters in a Grand Slam semifinal. 2003 — Martina Navratilova claims her 20th all-time Wimbledon title as she and Leander Paes beat Andy Ram & Anastassia Rodionova 6-3, 6-3 in the mixed doubles final. 2008 — Rafael Nadal ends Roger Federer's bid to become the first man since the 1880s to win a sixth consecutive championship at the All England Club. Two points from victory, the No. 1-ranked Federer succumbs to No. 2 Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 in a 4-hour, 48-minute test of wills that's the longest men's final in Wimbledon history — and quite possibly the greatest. 2013 — Twin brothers Mike and Bob Bryan capture their fourth straight major with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo at Wimbledon. The Americans become the first men's team in Open-era tennis to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time. 2013 — Jimmie Johnson becomes the first driver in 31 years to sweep Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona 500 winner is the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982, and the fifth overall, to win both races in a season at Daytona. 2014 — Novak Djokovic wins his second Wimbledon title and denies Roger Federer his record eighth by holding off the Swiss star in five sets. Djokovic wastes a 5-2 lead in the fourth set but holds on for a 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4 victory. 2014 — Florida teen Kaylin Whitney breaks the world junior record by running the 200 meters in 22.49 seconds at the U.S. junior national track and field championships in Eugene, Ore. The 16-year-old Whitney broke the world 17-and-under mark of 22.58 set by Marion Jones in 1992. 2015 — Floyd Mayweather Jr. is stripped of his WBO welterweight boxing title after failing to pay $200k sanctioning fee and vacate his 2 junior middleweight titles. 2016 — Roger Federer's bid for a record eighth Wimbledon title remains alive after he comes from two sets down and saves three match points before overcoming Marin Cilic in five sets, advancing to the semifinals at the All England Club for the 11th time. It's the 10th time in Federer's career he erases a two-set deficit to win in five sets. This is also his 80th match win at Wimbledon, equaling Jimmy Connors' record. 2019 — Jorge Masvidal sets a UFC record with a KO of Ben Askren five seconds into their bout in Las Vegas. 2019 — LA Clippers acquire 2 NBA megastars in one day; Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard from Toronto in free agency, and Paul George from OKC for an unprecedented trade bounty of players and picks. 2020 — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes agrees to the largest contract for an athlete in sports history, inking a 12-year deal that could end up being worth US$503 million. _____
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Knicks Insider Urges Damian Lillard Consideration
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The New York Knicks made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. They were not far away from being NBA champions, but came up short against the Indiana Pacers. Following the loss in six games in that series, the Knicks made the decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau. To replace him, New York recently made the decision to hire Mike Brown. He's a good pickup and a coach that will bring a different philosophy to the franchise. So far this offseason, the Knicks have made a couple of new additions. They have signed scoring guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Guerschon Yabusele. Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks warms up before Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on April 27, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks warms up before Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on April 27, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo byWhile both of those moves are quality depth additions, New York could still use another piece or two. How about a superstar guard like Damian Lillard? Read more: Lakers Fans Buzzing After Damian Lillard's Latest Post Lillard has hit the open free agency market after being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks following their move to sign Myles Turner. He is still recovering from the torn Achilles that he suffered in the first round of the playoffs against the Pacers, but there is optimism that he could return around the All-Star break. Taking a flier on Lillard could make a ton of sense for the Knicks. New York insider Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News has urged the team to consider the option. He thinks it could be a match made in heaven. "The Knicks could sign Lillard, who will continue to collect checks from the Milwaukee Bucks after they waived him from the roster and stretched the balance of his contract over five years, and help a Top-75 player return from a ruptured Achilles," Winfield wrote. "Worst-case scenario: Lillard recovers, misses the entire season, then becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026. Best-case? Lillard returns to action after the mid-February All-Star break, and the Knicks pull off the heist of a century, picking up one of the best scoring guards in league history on an injury discount." Read more: Warriors' Pursuit of Al Horford Receives Major Update During the 2024-25 NBA season before a blood clot issue ended his regular season early, Lillard played in 58 games. He averaged 24.9 points per game to go along with 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals. Lillard also shot 44.8 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from three-point distance. There would not be much risk in offering him a one or two-year deal. He could be the missing piece that powers New York to being a championship caliber team. Expect to hear more about Lillard in the near future. The Knicks might be a potential destination for him. For more on the New York Knicks and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
