The Timberwolves have had quite an impressive performance in the preseason, and Wednesday’s game wasn’t different. But if there’s a player who surprised everyone at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night, then it’s the Timberwolves’ backup center, Luka Garza.
If you are an Iowa Hawkeyes fan it wouldn’t surprise you at all, as Garza is known to be the best Hawkeyes basketball player of all time, blowing the competition away.
The Lakers starters played three quarters against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But by the time they decided to sit their starters, the Timberwolves brought their secret, deadly stuff off the bench.
Luka Garza came in, and in no time, the Timberwolves were leading by seven points. They extended their lead to 14 points with less than seven minutes remaining in the game, but the Lakers narrowed it down to 5. The Lakers lost their second straight game against the Timberwolves.
But who is this secret player who gave the relentless Lakers a hard time and made sure the Timberwolves preserved their fourth win in the preseason?
Timberwolves are signing Luka Garza to a two-way deal #LukaGarza https://t.co/0m4e3S3XUz
— TalkBasket (@TalkBasket) October 15, 2022
Garza’s 12 minutes on the court
Luka Garza came in the fourth quarter and played only 12 minutes, but he stood out more than anyone else.
In only 12 minutes, Garza shot 3-pointers, more than anyone else on the Lakers roster. Besides, apart from LeBron’s 25, Naz Reid’s 22, and Anthony David’s 19 points, he scored more than any other player during the game as he had equal points with D’Angelo Russell.
Garza showed why the Minnesota Timberwolves signed him. He stepped up in a big way when they needed someone to help them disappoint the Lakers for the second time in two consecutive games.
He had four rebounds, 15 points, and one steal. Furthermore, out of four, he buried three from beyond the arc and shot five from the floor. Into the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves had 31 points, and Garza contributed more than half to ensure they remained undefeated in the preseason.
All told, Garza is an instrumental player in the Timberwolves’ roster, and he adds a lot of energy to their bench. While the Lakers bench contributed only 42 points, the Timberwolves bench had 56, and Garza contributed more than a quarter of those.
With this kind of performance, the Timberwolves will have a rough roster decision. He’s putting in a more-than-expected performance, and it will be very difficult to cut him.
LUKA SAYS NO 🚫 pic.twitter.com/mnR8obS4Kg
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 10, 2022
The Timberwolves signed Luka Garza in August
The Timberwolves signed the Hawkeyes’ all-time leading scorer about a month ago. He agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal and has been competing in the roster sport throughout training camp.
According to the contract, if he doesn’t make the cut, he’s going to play in the G league. And even if he doesn’t make it to the 15-man roster, he’ll receive a bonus worth $50k if he stays for at least 60 days with the Timberwolves. But it’s going to be very difficult to avoid him because he has already exceeded expectations.
The Timberwolves already have 12 players on guaranteed contracts, with Nathan Knight, Austin Rivers, and Jaylen Noel as the frontrunners to fill out the squad.
Gaza, a two-time consensus all-American, was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft with the No 52 overall pick. He played 32 games for the team last season and averaged 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds. He also played with the Motor City Cruise and averaged 20.6 points on 51.8 percent shooting and 9.5 rebounds per game. Motor City Cruise is the Pistons’ G league affiliate.
Luka was named unanimous 2020-21 National Player after averaging 24.1 points, 1.7 assists, 8.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 31.6 minutes per game in 31 games during his final year. He and Joe Wieskamp made history after becoming the only third Hawkeyes basketball pair to be drafted together in 2021 — and the first since 1998 during Ricky Davis and Ryan Bowen’s selection.
https://twitter.com/deeblackmma2/status/1580420628888158208?s=20&t=SWI5lUyAkyz1EAjmuUwV0Q
The Timberwolves are one of the Teams to watch this season
The 2022-2023 regular season is kicking off in less than a week, and teams are already set to start the season on a high note. And one of the teams to watch, which could turn out to be the most exciting this season, is the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Last season, they made the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 season, and they went 46-36. Led by D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony, and Anthony Edwards, they entered the playoffs as the seventh seed in the western conference after beating the Los Angeles Clippers.
With All-star center Rudy Gobert on their roster, the Timberwolves could surprise the NBA this season. The French national and former Utah Jazz player is one of the most experienced players on their roster and even in the NBA. He has also established himself as an elite defensive center, and he’s going to add a lot of energy to the Timberwolves roster.
After just 12 minutes of play, Lakers fans are left asking themselves who the heck is Minnesota Timberwolves Luka Garza? #RaisedbyWolves #Lakers #Timberwolves #MINvsLAL #LukaGarza
(via @milroyigglesfan) https://t.co/IpheyDHor1— Dunking With Wolves (@DunkingWolvesFS) October 13, 2022
Credits On Featured Image: Alexander Jonesi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
