ORLANDO — When Luka Garza began high school, he was so unathletic that coaches plainly told his father, Frank, that basketball wasn’t going to work out for his son.
“His whole life, coaches were telling me, ‘Hey, Frank, don’t waste your time – Luka’s tripping on the foul line as a ninth grader,” Frank told CelticsBlog on Monday morning.
Luka, after all, was a 6’7 freshman who couldn’t dunk. He couldn’t move as well laterally, or jump as high, as other kids with similar aspirations.
But, he knew from
a very young age that a basketball player was what he aspired to be.
If you know Luka Garza’s story, you already know that he’s achieved basketball success that few will ever sniff. In 2021, the 6’10 center was named college basketball’s National Player of the Year. At Iowa, he was a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, and he ultimately finished his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer.
Still, few projected that Garza could succeed in the NBA; despite an illustrious college career, he was a late second-round pick, drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 52nd pick. And, for the past four years, Garza has largely been buried on the bench, first in Detroit, and for the past three years, with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Frank jokingly shoulders the blame for his son’s lack of athleticism. His wife, Šejla Muftić, played professional basketball in Bosnia, and, according to her husband, Šejla is the athlete in the family.
“She has the athleticism – I have none,” said Frank, who played college basketball at Idaho, but maintains that his career came in spite of his athleticism. “The seasons move faster than I did on the basketball court.”
But is it possible to make it in the NBA as a naturally unathletic center?
The early years of Garza’s career didn’t immediately answer that question. In his rookie season in Detroit, he appeared in just 32 games. And, in the subsequent three years in Minnesota, he played sparingly, racking up DNPs and typically only appearing in garbage time.
Then, as free agency neared just a few months ago, the Garzas received a call from Brad Stevens that felt like a breakthrough moment.
The Boston Celtics were interested in signing Luka.
Frank could hardly believe it. Months later, sitting in his hotel room in Orlando, he joked that he nearly passed out when he heard the news.
“You know when you fall down, and you have to kind of come out of being unconscious?” he said, seemingly searching for the appropriate words to describe his awe.
“The Celtics weren’t even on our radar.”
Stevens’ call wasn’t an accident. While Garza hardly played under Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch last season, there were some covert signs he could blossom into an impactful player, if given the opportunity.
It is well-known around the league that Garza has an indefatigable work ethic – meticulously working on his body, his shooting, and on becoming the best defender and rebounder he could be. Since college, Garza has reduced his body fat from 15% to 6%, and his body weight from 270 pounds to 245.
Every offseason, he trains with his father. Frank chuckled at the notion of regular people seeing the wild drills the father-son duo partake in: “They would think we’re out of our minds.”
And, according to Noah Basketball, a data service NBA teams use that tracks how many shots players take – and make – at practices and shootarounds, Garza attempted more practice shots last year than any player in the NBA. (Only two NBA teams – one of them being the Celtics – don’t utilize that service).
“The person who shot the most shots in practice, and after practice, in all of the NBA was Luka Garza – a little bit over 42,000 shots,” Frank said, his voice teeming with pride. “And the person who was next closest to him was about 12,000 shots away. So here’s a guy in Minneapolis who’s not getting any time, and is practicing three or four times more than any other player.”
While Frank is correct that Garza hardly played – he laced up for less than 210 minutes last season – advanced analytics nonetheless indicated he was a high-impact player when he was on the floor. For example, he drew more charges per possession than any player in the league.
“These are the things that the most excellent organizations pay attention to,” Frank said. “It’s the details that make the big thing work – and that’s what the Celtics are all about.”
Last year, per 36 minutes, Luka averaged 22 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Before training camp, Brad Stevens described him as a “stats darling” that the Celtics felt had untapped potential.
“We’ve always liked Luka Garza from afar,” said the Celtics general manager.
Frank didn’t know that Stevens had long been eyeing his son.
But when he found out that was the case, it all made sense.
“I just had to believe someone was paying attention,” Frank said. “And of course, it was Brad Stevens.”
The early days with the Celtics have been a dream come true
Considering the reality that Luka Garza did not establish himself as a proven rotation player in his early years in the NBA, the prospect of any NBA teams reaching out was not something the Garza family took for granted.
But the fact that it was the Boston Celtics calling made it that much more special.
Garza, after all, was raised as a fan of the Celtics, having grown up in a household where regular TV consumption was barred. He devoured books about basketball history and watched cassettes of old Celtics games, becoming intimately familiar with Bill Russell’s best moments.
Frank, who has long doubled as Luka’s father and full-time basketball trainer, ingrained in his son Celtics lore and tradition, as well as more recent concepts, like Ubuntu, a notion of interconnected that the 2008 Celtics championship team embraced (Then-Celtics head coach Doc Rivers preached “I am because we are” en route to the franchise’s 17th championship).
“You can’t talk about basketball and not mention the Celtics,” said Frank, who refered to the Celtics as the ‘Cathedral of Excellence’ multiple times in our conversation. “He grew up on it.”
Shortly after Luka signed a two-year deal with the Celtics, his father visited the Auerbach Center. Right away, Brad Stevens came downstairs to introduce himself, eager to learn about Frank’s approach and relationship with his son.
“It was very touching,” Frank said, seemingly still in awe of how intentionally everyone in the organization interacted with him, as well as with one another. “Everyone, from the first minute there, just how they treat each other as well as people just coming in – it’s just elite.”
So far, Garza is averaging 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and an assist, while shooting 52.5% from the field in 13.4 minutes per night. He’s had two 16-point games, and is playing a larger role than at any point during his NBA career.
Frank feels his son is a part of something uniquely special
He followed the Celtics long before his son signed with the organization in July, through years of championship contention and glory. But, there’s something he observes is special about this year’s group – the roster is inundated with players fighting for their NBA careers.
Alongside Garza is Josh Minott, his former Timberwolves teammate, who has been thrust into the starting lineup since the fourth game of the season.
“I love Josh,” Frank said.
Jordan Walsh, the 21-year-old Celtic buried on the bench for the past two years, is finally breaking through as a rotation player, sinking the dagger three on Sunday night.
“These are high-character athletes, professional athletes, men – and that’s what Brad and Joe put together,” Frank said. “And you see it in the intangibles.”
“This is what’s magical about the Celtics this year.”
On Sunday, Garza tallied what was perhaps the best game of his NBA career – 16 points on 7-8 shooting, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He was on the court for the majority of the Celtics’ fourth quarter, tallying 8 points on 4-4 shooting and 5 rebounds in the final period – both team-highs.
His father – who attends nearly every game in the 82-game season – was thrilled to be in attendance.
Afterwards, Luka admitted the game ranked among his best as an NBA player.
“For me to be out there at the end, closing the game – I haven’t had too many opportunities to do that in my career,” Luka said. “To be able to be out there in those moments, and win a game like that, it was definitely a lot of fun.”
The most impressive part of Garza’s performance Sunday was his four offensive rebounds. As it currently stands, he has the best offensive rebounding percentage on the Celtics (12.3%).
“Offensive rebounds, he can just go crazy,” Frank said. “Because it’s a different kind of thing, where it’s based on attitude and desire – just like playing defense – as opposed to your ability to jump.”
Frank gushed the job that Joe Mazzulla and the coaching staff have done in prioritizing each and every player’s development behind the scenes. Since the summer, Luka has been enthusiastically relaying to his father just how intense and intentional practice has been. Mazzulla has assigned the team mandatory books to read, and taken the time to get to know every player on the roster on a profound level.
“He’s coaching every man on that team,” Frank said. “Every man is getting better, every practice. And it’s him and his staff – it’s the entire staff. It’s a village – and that is why I call it the Cathedral of Excellence.”
All of it – the training rigor, the intentional coaching, the way everyone is treated – is different than what Luka experienced in previous stops in Detroit and Minnesota, his father said.
“And those are great organizations, don’t get me wrong.”
Frank also pointed out how purely joyful Celtics players were for one another in Sunday’s win over the Magic. Neemias Queta and Luka Garza are battling for center minutes, but you’d never know that by watching their body language when the other succeeds.
“I think it’s magical, I think it’s unique, and I think it’s infectious,” Frank said. “It’s only gonna get stronger. I mean, look at the bench last night. Look at the bench last night – I don’t care who it is, Queta is the first guy up when Luka scores. And, same thing with Luka.”
Luka has echoed his father’s sentiments at numerous moments this season.
“These guys are all really welcoming and nice people. Different places in the league, some guys aren’t as welcoming,” Luka said. “But here, it’s been really awesome.”
Frank said he’s heard the criticisms of Luka’s play, and he embraces them. Luka has been counted out as long as he’s played basketball, after all.
The proud father guarantees Luka will always be among the hardest-playing players. He’s just been awaiting his opportunity – a chance that Brad Stevens granted him just a few months ago.
“I have always believed, Noa, that somewhere, someone is paying attention to what my son has been doing his whole life.”
This year, that opportunity awaits him — and for the franchise he grew up cherishing.
