Team: Boston Celtics · Center · Age 27 · Base role: two-minute third center with a 12-20 minute injury path
Projection card
| GP | MPG | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | .560 | .760 | 0.1 |
Nine-category: waiver stash and immediate deep stream if either center is out. Points: per-minute scoring makes him more useful in points formats than the base table suggests. Dynasty: stable reserve-center value, but age 27 and defensive limitations make a long-term starter breakout unlikely.
Why the line looks like this
Garza was productive in 2025-26: 8.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.8 combined steals/blocks in 16.2 minutes across 69 games, shooting 57.7% from the field and 43.3% from three. That stretch-big touch creates better category breadth than many third centers. It also came before Boston committed long term to both Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson.
The two-minute line is the healthy-roster competitive baseline and should not be read as a literal fixed nightly shift. Garza may record DNPs, then play 14 minutes when one center is unavailable. His per-appearance fantasy value in those games will be far above this seasonal role line.
Sources: Basketball Reference 2025-26 Celtics, NBA Queta re-signing, NBA Robinson signing.
Category shape
- Wins with minutes: efficient points, rebounds, a three-point wrinkle and acceptable FT% for a center.
- Neutral: low turnovers.
- Costs: limited rim protection and steals compared with fantasy center specialists.
- Build fit: points-league and scoring stream when a center sits; less attractive for blocks-only needs.
Floor, base, ceiling
- Floor: healthy Queta/Robinson tandem and Cenac development leave Garza almost entirely out of the rotation.
- Base: 35 appearances at two simultaneous minutes, mostly a reminder that he has no healthy-roster draft role.
- Ceiling: Robinson misses extended time and Garza gets 16-20 minutes: roughly 8-10 points, 4-5 rebounds and one three, viable in deep points leagues.
Risk and confidence
| Component | Confidence | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Roster | High | Standard-contract veteran depth |
| Minutes | Low | Two better-paid centers plus a first-round rookie |
| Rates | Medium-high | 69-game 2025-26 sample supports efficient scoring |
| Availability | High | Role is the constraint |
The primary reversal is a Robinson health setback. A Cenac leap is the negative reversal because Boston may prefer developmental minutes to Garza's higher short-term floor.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Iowa, four seasons (2017-21): 12.1/6.4 as a freshman, 13.1/4.5 as a sophomore, then 23.9 PPG/9.8 RPG as a junior and 24.1 PPG/8.7 RPG as a senior; consensus national player of the year in 2020-21, two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, two-time consensus first-team All-American, Iowa's all-time leading scorer. Draft: 2021, round 2, pick 52, Detroit Pistons.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 23 | DET | 32 | 12.2 | 5.8 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | .449 | .623 | 0.6 |
| 2022-23 | 24 | MIN | 28 | 8.7 | 6.5 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | .543 | .788 | 0.5 |
| 2023-24 | 25 | MIN | 25 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 | .480 | .720 | 0.2 |
| 2024-25 | 26 | MIN | 39 | 5.6 | 3.5 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | .495 | .686 | 0.3 |
| 2025-26 | 27 | BOS | 69 | 16.2 | 8.1 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | .577 | .769 | 0.7 |
| Career | — | — | 193 | 10.8 | 6.0 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | .529 | .728 | 0.5 |
Durability: No injury history of note; the low GP totals from 2021-25 were role-driven (end-of-bench DNPs in Detroit and Minnesota), not health-driven. When given a real role in 2025-26 he answered the bell 69 times.
Trajectory: The record shows a college megastar whose per-minute NBA scoring has always been real — every stop, he produces when he plays — but whose defense capped him at third-center status until Boston's 2025-26 rotation opened up. The 2025-26 season (8.1/4.1 with 43.3% from three in 16.2 minutes over 69 games) is his proof of concept. In 2026-27 he competes for the third-center spot behind Queta and Robinson; he becomes fantasy-relevant only if one of those two misses extended time and Boston chooses him over rookie development, at which point he is an immediate deep-league points/FG% stream.
Career sources: ESPN career stats, StatMuse season averages, Wikipedia
Open questions
- Does Boston carry four centers throughout the season?
- Is Garza or Cenac first into the rotation when one veteran center sits?
- Can Garza's 2025-26 three-point accuracy hold on enough volume to change lineup utility?