03-07-2025
Five things to know about Celtics center Luka Garza
There is optimism about the 6-foot-10-inch center's offensive potential. There are also concerns about his defensive abilities.
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
