Both Josh Minott and Luka Garza were rostered by the Minnesota Timberwolves for each of the previous three seasons. The fans grew accustomed to seeing them mostly sitting on the bench, as neither found their way into the rotation full-time.
Now, the Timberwolves will see both of them on Saturday as both joined their opponent, the Celtics, this offseason. Both Minnott and Garza also have much larger roles with Boston this season.
Josh Minott spent time this season in the starting lineup
Let’s start with Minott. The recently turned 23-year-old was selected 45th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. The majority of his tenure with the Timberwolves consisted of just receiving garbage-time minutes. In three years, he appeared in 93 games, averaging just five minutes.
During the offseason, Minott agreed on a 2-year deal worth slightly less than $5 million (second year is a club option). It has been a wise investment for Boston to grab the 6-foot-8 forward on a minimum contract.
Minott started nine straight games at the end of October/beginning of November. While he has come off the bench in his last six outings, he’s still squarely in the rotation. This year, Minott is averaging 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists with .511/.417/.800 shooting splits.
Luka Garza is firmly in Boston's rotation
Named the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year for 2020-21, Garza was taken in the second round (52nd overall) by the Pistons. After spending his rookie year with Detroit, Garza joined the Timberwolves, where he’d spend his next three seasons. Altogether in those three years, the 6-foot-10 center saw action in 92 games, averaging only 6.3 minutes.
Much like Minott, Garza joined the Celtics this offseason on a two-year minimum deal (no club option in the second year). Also, much like Minott, the 26-year-old Garza is seeing a lot more time for Boston.
In his 16 outings, Garza is posting averages of 6.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 14.6 minutes. He has already reached double figures in scoring 5 times thus far on the season. Garza did so on 12 instances in his three years with Minnesota.
While the Timberwolves are matched up against two players they are quite familiar with, it’s also a big game for them to attempt to stop the bleeding. They have lost three straight and are looking to avoid their first four-game losing streak in about a year.
Minnesota is also attempting to win its first game against a winning team (Celtics have the same 10-8 record as the Timberwolves) as they are 0-7 against over-.500 teams.