Perhaps the most surprising recent storyline as the Boston Celtics flip the calendar to 2026: The Luka Garza resurgence.
There was a point in mid-December where it felt like Garza might stay glued to the Boston bench. The team had struggled so mightily in his floor time through the first 15 games of the season that, even with rebounding woes and a lack of pure size, the Celtics elected to simply go small when Neemias Queta wasn’t on the court. Garza logged just 27 total minutes while piling up seven DNPs over an 11-game stretch.
But on Dec. 20 in Toronto, Joe Mazzulla went back to Garza. And the 27-year-old big man was ready for his opportunity.
Garza is averaging 10.7 points and 5.8 rebounds over 22 minutes per game in his last six games while Boston has posted a 5-1 record in that span. Garza is shooting 55.6 percent beyond the 3-point arc, and 72 percent inside of it, all while making good things happen with a heavy helping of hustle and grit.
Now it feels like Mazzulla is struggling to take Garza off the court. The Celtics’ best basketball in this stretch has often featured Garza alongside an energy-gushing bench unit.
A few numbers that jump off the page:
GARZILLA: A net rating monster
The Celtics are outscoring opponents by a team-best 29.2 points per 100 possessions during Garza’s 132 minutes of floor time in his last six games. What’s more, Boston is being outscored by 5.1 points per 100 possessions in his 156 minutes on the bench, giving him a ridiculous net rating differential of plus-34.3 in that span.
Boston is putting up wild offensive numbers with Garza on the floor over the last six games with a 127.7 offensive rating. That number drops to 113.1 without him. Boston’s defensive rating is a stingy 98.5 with Garza on the floor and spikes to 118.2 without him.
It’s a rather surprising turnaround considering the Celtics had a minus-6.2 net rating over Garza’s first 15 appearances before he faded from the rotation.
Lean, mean screening machine
Since Garza reentered the rotation on Dec. 20, no one in the NBA has been credited with more screen assists than the 6-foot-10 big man. Garza’s 28 screen assists over the past six games have led to 67 points.
That number doesn’t even begin to explain his screening impact. Garza spends many offensive possessions looking like an offensive lineman trying to pancake opposing defenders. Teammates sprint off his screens, creating space that either leads to clean looks or forces opposing defenses to send help as a Boston player heads to the basket with a head of steam.
On Thursday night in Sacramento, Garza was credited with seven screen assists leading to 19 points. That was more screen assists and screen points than the Kings generated as a team (six assists leading to 13 points).
We can’t help but wonder what Jayson Tatum is thinking watching Garza’s screening ways. Tatum has thrived in the past with screen-setting big men like Daniel Theis and Luke Kornet. That could be an intriguing combo whenever Tatum is back on the court.
He’s a hustler, baby
Screen assists aren’t the only hustle stat that Garza is piling up. On Thursday night against the Kings, he also totaled a team-high four deflections, his activity routinely disrupting passing lanes.
Garza’s signature move, though, has become his flailing arms when he hits the turbo button while zooming up and down the court. Whether hustling to get back on defense, or breaking out in transition on offense, Garza always seems to be at full throttle.
The NBA’s tracking data suggests Garza’s average speed is 4.7 miles per hour over the last six games. That’s far and away the top speed on the team (next closest: Sam Hauser, 4.53).
There are still areas for Garza to improve. He has obvious defensive limitations and his defensive rebound rate is among the worst at his position. For the season, Garza has 61 offensive rebounds but only 40 on the defensive end. Over the past six games, he’s grabbed 23 offensive rebounds but only 12 on the defensive side.
But you can’t quibble with the effort. Garza sometimes sacrifices defensive boards while trying to simply put a body on an opposing big. He was credited with six of Boston’s nine box outs in Thursday’s win in Sacramento, including five of Boston’s six on the defensive end.
The Celtics have repeatedly pledged a desire to be the hardest playing team. Garza embodies that. He makes up for his limitations with a full-throttle nature. His finishing around the basket has improved since rejoining the rotation and a 74.2 percent effective field goal percentage in that span is among the best at his position.
As the Celtics try to get more consistency from other bench pieces, Garza is showing that good things can happen if you simply put an emphasis on playing hard.
