Luka Garza is becoming the player Timberwolves fans could only have dreamed of

Over the summer, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a seemingly minor move to decline Luka Garza's team option. Ultimately, this paved the way for him to sign with the Boston Celtics. Frankly, not much was thought of this move, despite the Celtics' need for a center.

Garza had only more than 10 minutes once, that was on a 23-win Detroit Pistons team as a rookie, for just 32 games. The Iowa product played three seasons with the Wolves, averaging 6.3 minutes and 4.5 points. While Garza's offensive talent was always clear, his defense held him back.

Nevertheless, Garza is thriving with the Celtics and has carved out a legit rotational role. Wolves fans always hoped that Garza could find a role in the rotation; now he has just with a different team. Ironically, Josh Minott is in a similar situation with the Celtics.

In Boston, Garza is averaging 13.9 minutes, 6.2 points, and 3.9 rebounds. Ok, I'll admit these numbers don't look that impressive, but man, has Garza been impactful and crucially, he is playing the best defense of his career. Let's dive into Garza's play and how he flipped the script on his career.

Garza has found a role with the Celtics

Heading into the season, it was clear that the Celtics would give Garza some level of opportunity, given their uncertain center rotation. However, it wasn't guaranteed that Garza would lock up a spot in the rotation. Neemias Queta was a shoo-in for minutes, while Garza was competing with Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman for playing time. So far, though, Garza has been Joe Mazzulla's most trusted backup center behind Queta.

While Garza missed one game due to an injury early in the season, he has played minutes in every other game. The same can't be said for Boucher and Tillman, who are out of the rotation. Undoubtedly, Sunday's game against the Orlando Magic was a statement performance for Garza. He recorded 16 points, eight rebounds, and three assists this game, including eight points and six minutes in the fourth quarter en route to a four-point Celtics win.

Garza has found a role due to his hustle, screening, and scoring prowess. This skill set has also made Garza a fan favorite among Celtics faithful. His activity on the glass has been especially effective for a Celtics team that desperately needs rebounding. Impressively, Garza ranks in the 92nd percentile as a pick-and-roll man, and he posts the fourth-highest roll man frequency.

Garza is playing the best defense of his career

Defense has always been Garza's main flaw, so how he has been performing on that end, you might wonder. Pretty good actually!

Listen, I'm not saying he's Rudy Gobert or anything, but Garza is clearly playing the best defense of his career and has been serviceable on that end of the floor. Garza's overall defensive field goal percentage of 47.1 percent and DFG of 55.8 percent, less than six feet from the hoop, are both career bests. Notably, the league average DFG less than six feet from the basket is 60 percent, and before this season, Garza had never held opponents to below 66.7 percent.

Per Databallr, Garza is also averaging 2.2 blocks and 4 deflections per 100 possessions. His 2.2 blocks per 100 possessions are a career high by a significant amount. Garza is still far from an elite defender, but he's shown that he can be a serviceable drop-coverage style rim protector. To me (and I'm sure many Wolves fans), this is the most surprising part of Garza's season.

Ultimately, Garza's season could truly change the trajectory of his career. As he's on a two-year contract, Garza has seemingly found a home in Boston. Even though he no longer plays in Minnesota, Wolves fans should be delighted to see Garza flourishing.