Luka Garza’s first season in Boston gave the Celtics something they badly needed: a center who could actually punish teams from deep. He hit 43.3% of his threes, the best mark in the league among centers with at least 100 attempts. That kind of production matters for a Celtics frontcourt that also includes Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson, neither of whom are threats outside the paint.
Still, the numbers didn’t fully change the way opponents treated him. On Garza’s three-point attempts, the closest defender was nearly 8 feet away on average. In plain terms, defenses were willing to live with the shot and hardly treated him like a real perimeter problem.
That’s the next step for Garza. Making the shots was useful; forcing defenses to react is what would turn him into a true stretch-big. If opponents start flying out at him, getting a hand in his face and chasing him off the arc, that changes everything for him and for Boston’s offense.
Joe Mazzulla’s system leans heavily on spacing, and Garza’s shooting only matters so much if defenses are still happy to pack the paint. Last season, teams were content to stay home and let him fire away.
This season, the challenge is different. The scouting report is out, and Garza will have to deal with the adjustments that come with it.
That’s why his pick-and-pop game is such an important storyline heading into the year. If he keeps knocking down threes and makes teams treat him like a real stretch option, he becomes a major weapon for Boston. If last season wasn’t a one-off, the Celtics could have a center rotation with real versatility and another layer in an offense that already looks difficult to guard.
In Other News...
Celtics Have A Real Defensive Trade Debate Tied To The Clippers
The Celtics have spent enough time this season searching for ways to tighten up the back end that a name like Kris Dunn naturally lands in the conversation. Boston already knows what it is getting on defense if it looks toward the Clippers guard, and the appeal goes beyond stops and deflections. Dunn has also shown enough offensive growth to make him more than a one-dimensional specialist, which matters for a Celtics team trying to preserve spacing while adding toughness.
The fit is part of what makes the idea worth serious debate. Dunns contract could work into Bostons trade exception, and the price tag in the proposal is built around three future second-round picks, a relatively modest outlay for a player who could help in the short term. For the Clippers, the return is draft flexibility and a chance to move the money attached to Dunn, while Boston would have to decide how much it values another defensive guard against the cost of using assets on a deal that is still more concept than certainty. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Frontcourt Trade Talk Comes Down To One Huge Question
If Boston does end up exploring trades in the coming months, the frontcourt conversation could quickly center on Domantas Sabonis. His offensive touch and passing make him a natural fit for a Celtics group that has long valued skill, spacing and decision-making from its big men, and his style would seem to blend neatly with how Boston likes to play.
The bigger question is what Sacramento would actually want back, because a deal for Sabonis would likely force Boston to part with a significant player, with Paul George mentioned as a possible piece. Whether the Kings would even entertain that framework is another matter, and it is the kind of trade-talk hurdle that can keep a promising idea from ever getting off the ground. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Just Sent A Strong Message About Derrick Whites Future
Even with Derrick White going through a down shooting season, the Celtics continue to treat him as more than just another name on the roster. A Western Conference executive said Boston has made it clear it is not interested in trading him, which speaks to how much the guard still means to the organization beyond whatever his jumper is doing in the moment. Whites influence in the locker room and his standing with the front office have helped keep him firmly in the teams plans.
Brad Stevens has never been one to let sentiment override long-term thinking, though, and that keeps this from being a fully closed case. Boston has been willing to make hard roster calls when it believes the bigger picture demands it, so Whites status feels secure for now without being untouchable. For a team with real title expectations, that is exactly the kind of quiet tension that tends to linger around the margins. [Read more 🡒]