Luka Garza

[Frank Dux]

He’s unbelievably slow. i just don’t see it.

[Ice Trae]

He is a huge stiff on defense. Hard to see him getting any quality minutes in the NBA given the importance of having a big who can switch and play in several pick and roll coverages. Offensively he definitely has some skill but most of it is just bullying players down low in the post

[BostonCouchGM]

He is a huge stiff on defense. Hard to see him getting any quality minutes in the NBA given the importance of having a big who can switch and play in several pick and roll coverages. Offensively he definitely has some skill but most of it is just bullying players down low in the post

you'd think people would wise up after seeing similar "athletes" as Garza...like Vucevic, Jokic, Nurkic, Valenciunas, Sabonis, Zubac and Baynes succeed but nope. You can't teach shooting touch, BBIQ and savvy. Garza will space the floor on offense against good defensive bigs and punish teams that are too small, down low. Will he get roasted on switches? Yep. So don't the above players and they seemingly have no problem seeing minutes, getting touches and putting up numbers. I'm not suggesting he's dominant or doing it day 1. But if he gets with nutritionists, trainers and puts in the work, he WILL put up lottery pick production which will be a steal since idiot G.M.s likely won't take him until late 1st or even the 2nd.

[skones]

He is a huge stiff on defense. Hard to see him getting any quality minutes in the NBA given the importance of having a big who can switch and play in several pick and roll coverages. Offensively he definitely has some skill but most of it is just bullying players down low in the post

you'd think people would wise up after seeing similar "athletes" as Garza...like Vucevic, Jokic, Nurkic, Valenciunas, Sabonis, Zubac and Baynes succeed but nope. You can't teach shooting touch, BBIQ and savvy. Garza will space the floor on offense against good defensive bigs and punish teams that are too small, down low. Will he get roasted on switches? Yep. So don't the above players and they seemingly have no problem seeing minutes, getting touches and putting up numbers. I'm not suggesting he's dominant or doing it day 1. But if he gets with nutritionists, trainers and puts in the work, he WILL put up lottery pick production which will be a steal since idiot G.M.s likely won't take him until late 1st or even the 2nd.

Ah, got it. We're just listing white centers and calling them similar athletes now. Cute.

[birdlives_ma]

I think his future's in Europe, and I don't mean it as a bad thing. I think his style will translate perfectly to a game where big men who can produce so much inside are still valued (and unlike some of them, he can also shoot the 3 at a good clip).

Fully agree. He could probably find a roll as a minimum contract bench guy here, but he'll have Euroleague teams clamoring for him. He'll probably command 5-6 million over there, I hope he goes that route.

[skones]

The problem with Garza is that he goes into the middle of the body to create separation while short arming looks in the post. Everything seemingly comes below the rim. He's not going over the top, he's not using moves to create sustainable separation vs smaller players WITH his size advantage, and he doesn't have the feet, length, or verticality to be a problem on the defensive end. His sole plus skill at the NBA level right now is his jump shot. The problem is that everything else is too far behind for a 22 year old senior.

Take Sabonis for example. Watch footage of him scoring from Gonzaga. His hook was constantly held high, above the rim, and flipped in. You watch Garza, and everything is released FAR lower, and that's an issue at the next level.

[And1+2]

I'd take him as an early 2nd round gamble. With the right conditioning he could become more than serviceable. He's slow as hell, but seems like a good positional defender, which is hard to teach. Still won't stop him from getting killed on switches though.

We all know what he can do offensively..

[UcanUwill]

I think his future's in Europe, and I don't mean it as a bad thing. I think his style will translate perfectly to a game where big men who can produce so much inside are still valued (and unlike some of them, he can also shoot the 3 at a good clip).

Fully agree. He could probably find a roll as a minimum contract bench guy here, but he'll have Euroleague teams clamoring for him. He'll probably command 5-6 million over there, I hope he goes that route.

As a Euro, I find him super intriguing, but if what people say about him are true, no way such a bad pick and roll defender becomes star at high Euro level, I mean look at Greg Monroe.

[dc]

We all know what he can do offensively..

His offense probably won't translate that well to the NBA in non-garbage time minutes.

[HypeMode]

I told you guys that Luka is legit. He will be a productive NBA player once he gets away from Minnesota.

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[Klomp]

I told you guys that Luka is legit. He will be a productive NBA player once he gets away from Minnesota.

Considering Minnesota essentially saved his NBA career....

[jkvonny]

The Pacers will possibly have their Luka Garza soon ( Zach Edey...Purdue) Ha!

[chilluminati]

I told you guys that Luka is legit. He will be a productive NBA player once he gets away from Minnesota.

Considering Minnesota essentially saved his NBA career....

Nobody with his mpg can thrive in Detroit though, we're a developmental black hole. Being anywhere else helps his career.

I'm glad to see one of my hot takes are cooling down a bit. Luka can be dangerous in this league if used right.

[shrink]

Luka is one of those “does the most with what he’s got” players. Raised from birth in a basketball family, his parents used VCR tapes of the NBA’s greatest big men to teach him to replicate their moves. This allowed him to dominate in college (two Naismith Awards), and the G-League. However, his ceiling in the NBA is capped because of his lack of athleticism, and he’s probably has the biggest gap between GLeague and NBA player that you can get.

That said, I love the guy and will always root for him. He hustles his butt off every minute he’s on the floor. He gets a couple easy baskets because he sprints down the floor every single time, and defenders get tired of chasing him. His three point shot, crafted with relentless practice, is money. He was doing three-a-days last off-season to re-shape his body. I’ve heard his hard work in practice is an inspiration to other players, and even when he rides the bench, he is always the first player to his feet to congratulate a starter for a great play.

That’s the type of guy you want on your team, and I’m so happy to see he’ll be eligible for the playoffs!

[Klomp]

Reminder: He's teaching the kid new moves...

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Thirty seconds into this next clip, you see Luka doin' the move last night, when he scored 16 points in just 9 minutes.

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