Luka Garza isn’t treating Mitchell Robinson’s arrival like a threat. He’s treating it like a luxury.
When the Celtics opened training camp, Garza was asked about Boston’s addition of Robinson, and he didn’t flinch. “I love his game.
He's one of those guys that you hate going against,” said Garza. “It's good to have him on this side.”
That’s a pretty healthy way to handle a move that could make life tougher for him. Robinson’s nearly $50 million deal doesn’t exactly scream open runway for minutes, especially on a Celtics roster that figures to lean much more heavily on its wings than on double-big looks. For Garza, the math is simple: the path to playing time just got steeper.
But that’s also the reality he’s already been living with, and he’s still standing in the same place he was a year ago - only with more proof that he belongs.
Garza, 27, put together a solid season for Boston, averaging 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds while taking 1.8 threes per game and hitting 43.3 percent of them, a career-best mark. He gave the Celtics useful minutes when called upon, producing second-chance chances, setting sturdy screens, and showing good timing as a roller, popper, or slip option.
From the outside, he doesn’t look flashy. Inside the game, he’s the kind of center coaches trust because he keeps working and keeps making himself useful.
Joe Mazzulla knows what he gets when Garza’s number is called. The six-foot-10 center brings energy, touch, and a willingness to do the dirty work every possession he’s on the floor. That mattered last season, and it still matters now.
After Boston’s Game 7 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Garza took some time alone in the locker room to reflect on what the year meant. He had come to Boston to prove himself on the NBA stage, and by the end of the season, he’d done exactly that. The chance to show he belongs changed the way his career looks going forward.
Now comes the harder part: holding onto that momentum in a tougher center rotation. The Celtics can’t get through 82 games leaning only on Neemias Queta and Robinson at the five, and Garza knows he has to stay ready.
Last season was validation. This one is about building on it.
He’s already been busy getting ready for his sixth year in the league. Garza was among the first to use the NBPA’s new 24/7 performance center in Los Angeles, part of the group’s PLYRS UNTD brand. There, he worked alongside players including Jaren Jackson Jr., Trae Young, and Chet Holmgren, sharpening his game against top-level competition.
He also got a chance this summer to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina, and he said his play at FIBA helped keep him fresh and “kept his mind in the right place.” It also gave him another chance to work on different parts of his game.
For Boston, that’s the payoff. Garza’s still here, still grinding, still looking like a player who can make his role count. And after the season he just had, he’s got a real chance to turn that into something even bigger.
In Other News...
Celtics Still Carry One Surprising 2026-27 Ceiling After Major Change
Stephen Nohs latest projection for Boston still leaves plenty of optimism on the table, even after a major roster change. He has the Celtics winning 54 games and claiming the No. 1 seed in the East in 2026-27, a forecast built around Jayson Tatum getting back to All-NBA form after injury and Boston finding useful production from Paul George and Mitchell Robinson.
For a team that just moved on from Jaylen Brown, that kind of ceiling says the framework in Boston is still viewed as strong enough to survive a jarring shakeup. The bigger question is whether the Celtics can keep the important pieces on the floor long enough for that upside to matter, because the outlook hinges just as much on health and availability as it does on talent. [Read more 🡒]
NBA Officiating Change Just Put An Ex-Celtics Star In Focus
The NBA is heading into the 2026-27 season with a fresh officiating focus, and it could have a familiar feel for Celtics fans. The league says it will pay closer attention to how offensive players use their off-arm, with referees instructed to crack down on illegal push-offs while still allowing legal contact that helps a scorer create space. Monty McCutchen, the NBAs senior vice president of referee development and training, used examples involving Jaylen Brown and Paul George to draw the line between what officials should and should not call.
The broader emphasis also reaches straight-line pathway plays and freedom of movement around screens, two areas that have been central to how offenses get organized and how defenders try to fight through traffic. For Boston, it is the kind of change that could matter on both ends, especially in a league where a few borderline whistles can shape how a wing scorer attacks and how much room a teams movement offense gets to operate. The real question now is how quickly players and officials adjust once the season actually starts. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Suddenly Hold A Pick Swap Fans May Start Obsessing Over
The Clippers latest injury wave has only added to the uncertainty around a franchise already trying to navigate a delayed rebuild, and that matters in Boston because the Celtics still control a 2028 first-round pick swap with Los Angeles. With Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Yanic Konan Neiderhauser and Jordan Miller all among the players sidelined, the long view around the Clippers has started to look even murkier, which is exactly the kind of backdrop that can turn a future asset from interesting into intriguing.
For Celtics fans, the appeal is obvious: a swap tied to a team dealing with both health issues and NBA sanctions suddenly feels less like a distant footnote and more like something worth tracking. The value of that 2028 pick will depend on how much the Clippers can stabilize over the next few seasons, but for now the picture points in one direction - and it is enough to keep Bostons front office inventory looking a little more useful than it did before this latest stretch of bad news. [Read more 🡒]