Detroit Pistons: Best and worst-case scenarios for Luka Garza

Detroit Pistons: Worst-case scenario for Luka Garza

Workout videos, Twitter hype and Summer League are great but in the end, Garza has to prove he can do it against elite competition when the games are real.

I have no doubt that Garza can dominate many first and second-year NBA players, as he is very skilled and has a high basketball I.Q., which will be enough some nights.

But what about when he has to go against the best players? NBA teams target any weakness and if they discover that the scouts were right and Garza doesn’t have the quickness or athleticism to defend in the NBA, we will know it quickly.

The worst-case scenario is that Garza can’t defend and that teams just target him in the pick-and-roll over and over again, negating any positives he brings on offense.

Garza has gotten a fair amount of hype relative to his draft position, so he’s going to have a big bullseye on his chest when he comes into the games. Think of Luke Kennard, another very skilled offensive player who often can’t get run because of his defense.

Luckily Garza has a high motor and good work ethic, which will hopefully be enough to overcome any perceived athletic shortcomings. He’ll get tested early and often but if he can prove himself, teams will back off.

I predict Garza will be closer to his best-case scenario than his worst, and that the Detroit Pistons will have another gem that they found later in the draft.