Speaking on Wednesday afternoon at his basketball camp in Iowa, Boston Celtics big man Luka Garza had high praise for his head coach Joe Mazzulla, saying that "he's one of those coaches that you want to run through a brick wall for.."
Mazzulla was alongisde Garza for the camp, which is consistent with how Mazzulla has spent his offseason: visiting his players in their various locations around the world.
While Mazzulla isn't the first coach to forge a deeper connection with his players, this is that little something extra that helps set him apart and helps his players respect him even more.
We've seen Mazzulla in Portugal with Neemias Queta and at Creighton with Baylor Scheierman this offseason, for example.
About GarzaA former standout at Iowa, Garza is a five-year veteran of the Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves and Celtics. He's averaged 6.0 ppg for his career to go along with 2.7 rebounds. He was more productive last year with Boston, scoring 8.1 ppg in 69 games played. He also grabbed 4.1 rebounds and shot an exceptional 57.7 percent from the floor. He also shot 43 percent from three-point range.
He's got one more year under contract with the Celtics before reaching free agency in 2027-28. It's unclear exactly what his role will look like this season, considering the Celtics gave Queta a new deal, signed Mitchell Robinson in free agency and drafted big man Chris Cenac Jr. in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Things will come into clearer focus during the NBA preseason, which begins in early October.
Boston Celtics forward Luka Garza (52) looks to pass the ball against Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Harris (11) in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Benny Sieu-Imagn ImagesAs for MazzullaThe 38-year-old Rhode Island native has cemented himself as one of the most accomplished coaches in the league already. In four years at the helm of the Celtics, Mazzulla has been to the playoffs four times, winning the championship in 2023-24.
He's navigated the complexities of the NBA quite well so far, including taking over for Ime Udoka under complex terms after the 2021-22 season, the trading away of a franchise stalwart like Marcus Smart, and the injury situation with Jayson Tatum. He'll get to show his chops again this season as the C's work to move past the trade of Jaylen Brown, which has certainly been unpopular with fans and gives the Celtics plenty of questions moving forward.
Up next for the CelticsNBA training camp begins in September, so the group has about one more month of the offseason before getting back to work.
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