One of the challenges for a player who signs a Two-Way NBA contract is the challenge of toggling between competing at the NBA level while getting the majority of minutes and one-on-one coaching help at the G-league level. For the Minnesota Timberwolves latest Two-Way contract signing, center Luka Garza, there is more to it than that.
Garza is not just a guy who showed up big for the Timberwolves in the short but sweet preseason, but he is looking forward to getting time with Iowa Wolves. Why? As he states in the video clip below, ‘Iowa is like my second home.’
ya, Luka Garza is it bro
— Key Sang (@Phantele_) October 17, 2022
"for a young big, there's no better environment, with the best offensive big in the league and the best defensive big in the league"@JonKrawczynski then asks a pretty general ? about fit and Luka dives straight into x's & o's. He gets it pic.twitter.com/V1JSy0k77l
The Iowa Wolves are also the Minnesota Timberwolves G-League affiliate. What difference does that make? Well, spending time with the Iowa Wolves for Garza will be like recharging the batteries, as he loves life in Des Moines, Iowa.
That’s a good thing.
Home sweet home
But there is a lot more to Garza’s career than trips home as well. The 6-foot-10 243-pound center will have the opportunity to work up close and personal at practice and in games alongside two of the best centers in the NBA today.
All-Star center Rudy Gobert is a case study on how to play elite defense in the NBA. Even though he is a part-time player, Garza will get plenty of opportunities to benefit from that mentorship all season.
That’s just part one.
Garza has already proven to be a big who can knock down three-pointers. So who can Garza learn from with that rare skillset? None other than All-Star center/power forward Karl-Anthony Towns. Where Gobert can teach defense, KAT can deliver tutelage on the entire offensive arsenal, even up to and including a solid three-point shot.
Garza spent one season with the Detroit Pistons, but despite becoming a fan favorite, the Pistons did not bring him back. Their loss, the Timberwolves win.
The Timberwolves are excited about Luka Garza this season, even warranting a Tweet from the team’s social media account with a bit of tongue-in-cheek flair. But no matter how enthusiastic the Timberwolves are about Luka Garza, this is a strategic long-term move for the Timberwolves roster that could pay off huge dividends later this year as the postseason play draws near, or when the team returns to compete in the 2023-24 NBA season.
As he talked to the media, Garza replied that he’s good with splitting time between the Iowa Wolves and the Minnesota Timberwolves because, as he put it: ‘Iowa is like my second home.’
That’s a very good thing because the Iowa Wolves will be his second team.