Luka Garza is giving it his all in a quest to make the NBA.
The two-time Sporting News Player of the Year in college, he averaged 24.1 points and 8.7 rebounds a game shooting 44% from 3 last season as a center for Iowa. However, he fell to the Pistons at 52nd in the NBA Draft because of concerns about his athleticism and how his game would translate to the NBA.
Garza showed up in Las Vegas down 26 pounds from the weight he played at for Iowa last season, but still with all the moves and craft that made him a college star. That appears to have been enough for the Pistons to give Garza a chance with a two-way contract this year, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Pistons rookie center Luka Garza will sign a two-way deal, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Garza, the No. 52 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, had a standout summer league for Detroit.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 16, 2021
The Pistons already had 15 guaranteed contracts on their roster, so slotting Garza as a two-way contract made sense.
He earned the spot with his play in Vegas. On Monday, Garza had 21 points and 15 rebounds in his Summer League finale and finished his time in Las Vegas averaging 15 points and 9.6 rebounds a game, shooting 52% overall and 40% from 3. This quote summed up how Garza approached Summer League and his shot at the NBA.
Garza: "I know every guy in the NBA can beat me in a 3/4 court sprint. I know that. But is everyone going to run that hard in the game? No, but I'm going to."
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) August 15, 2021
Garza has earned his chance, we will see what he does with it this season.