Atlantic Notes: Garza, Raptors, Ingram, Sixers

A star at the college level for Iowa, big man Luka Garza was a two-time first-team All-American and was named the AP’s Player of the Year as a senior in 2020/21. However, due to concerns about how his game would translate to the pros, he fell to No. 52 in the 2021 draft and had trouble cracking the Pistons’ and Timberwolves’ rotations during his first four years in the NBA.

Now 27 years old and in his fifth NBA season, Garza is averaging a career-high 15.6 minutes per game through 59 appearances for the 46-23 Celtics, contributing 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per night with a strong shooting line of .569/.436/.770. Speaking to Spencer Davies of RG.org, the veteran forward/center said he had to commit to learning new skills beyond the ones that helped him excel in the NCAA game.

“Every summer, I dedicate myself, and even during the season, to improving myself, especially in the seasons where I didn’t play as much,” Garza told Davies. “That’s my main focus: getting better. I think, especially in the NBA, you’ve got to be able to adapt and change your game or mold it to find a way to have an impact on great teams.

“So for me, that impact is a little different than it was in college. Not playing as much back to the basket, not having the ball in my hands every possession like I did. But I think I’ve found ways to be extremely effective through screening, through offensive rebounding, and through scoring when the ball is in my hands in different moments. Picking and popping, shooting, stretching the floor. Adding the slow step, other stuff into my game has really helped me. And so, yeah, I definitely developed, and I’m a lot better than I was back then.”

The Celtics made Garza a priority in free agency last summer when they traded away Kristaps Porzingis and lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet to rival suitors. He received a guaranteed two-year, minimum-salary contract, meaning he’ll be on a team-friendly $2.8MM cap hit next season before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency again in 2027.

We have more from around the Atlantic:

• While it might not happen right away, the expectation is that the Raptors, who are currently carrying 14 players on standard contracts, will sign a player to a 10-day deal to fill their 15th roster spot before making a rest-of-season commitment to anyone, reports Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
• In his first full season with the Raptors, forward Brandon Ingram has appeared in 66 games and counting, his highest single-season total since his rookie season in 2016/17. While there’s an element of luck involved in Ingram’s availability, he and the Raptors also put a lot of effort into keeping him healthy this year, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca details (Twitter links). “It took a lot of work, a lot of preparation, a lot of dedication from everybody,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “I am super grateful for the group of people we have that care so much, and for BI and the way he has handled the whole process.”
• Tony Jones of The Athletic explores best- and worst-case scenarios for the rest of the Sixers‘ season, noting that – while it’s a long shot – there’s still an outcome in play where they’re eliminated in the play-in tournament and then move into the top four of the draft on lottery night, keeping their protected first-round pick that would otherwise be sent to Oklahoma City.