When the Detroit Pistons selected Luka Garza with the 52nd pick in the NBA Draft, a lot of people rolled their eyes.
Picks this late in the draft rarely make rosters, much less rotations and Garza had plenty of doubters as a prospect coming in.
I admit that I was one of them, even putting Luka Garza on my list of draft prospects to avoid. I don’t watch a ton of college basketball, so what I’d seen of Garza showed a skilled big who was probably a step or two too slow to play in the NBA.
Garza had an offensive bag, but didn’t look athletic enough to stay in front of NBA bigs, so I figured he’d be put on the long list of great college players who didn’t work out in the NBA.
What I didn’t factor in was Garza’s work ethic behind the scenes, as he has put in the hours, and is now the frontrunner to claim the Detroit Pistons final roster spot.
How did Garza go from a guy who was a longshot to make the team to a guy who could be in the rotation next season? He put in the work.
Detroit Pistons: Luka Garza is Goin’ to Work
The Goin’ to Work era still ranks as a favorite among Pistons’ fans, who appreciate the guys who pack their lunchpail and get it done.
Garza is proving himself to be one of those guys. Not only has he slimmed down considerably since college, but looks stronger and more athletic, a testament to the time he’s been putting in at the gym.
His dad Frank is his biggest fan and promotor on social media and has posted some videos recently with highlights of Luka’s three practices a day:
https://twitter.com/frankgarza57/status/1438652670672310273
I try not to get too excited about workout videos, as all players generally look amazing in them, but you don’t have to look too hard to see that Luka Garza doesn’t look like the same guy who played at Iowa.
He is noticeably slimmer, faster and stronger, things that were all knocks against him coming out of college. We knew he had an offensive bag, but was he athletic enough to play in the NBA? So far the returns are positive.
Garza was a standout in Summer League and is now trying to work his way into the Pistons’ rotation as a stretch-5 and third center.
Given how far he has come, I wouldn’t bet against him, as Garza is ready prove that every team that passed on him made a big mistake.