The Celtics have shocked a lot of people so far this season, making a push to be one of the East's top teams.
They've done it all without superstar Jayson Tatum, with Jaylen Brown leading the way in an MVP-level season.
Brown has been great, but he isn't the only reason why the Celtics have exceeded expectations, with certain role players stepping up in big ways to this point.
What Celtics role player did Caitlin Clark give kudos to?
Celtics insider Marc D'Amico posted on X, "Luka Garza is the stretch big no one knew existed before this season. He's now shooting exactly 50% from 3-point range this season."
Clark went on to respond to the tweet, saying, "I knew."
It seems a little random at first to see someone as big as Clark tweeting about Garza saying she expected this recent output, but a more obvious reason why she tweeted after you think about it.
MORE: Celtics use hilarious NBA 2K data method to prepare for Raptors game
Both Garza and Clark played at Iowa in college, with their time there overlapping in the 2020-21 season.
Clark was just a freshman that year, and Garza was a senior, notably winning player of the year in the NCAA in his final year in college that season.
Garza has had a noticeable increase in minutes and productivity in his last 11 games played compared to his first 19 games this season:
| Timeframe | Games Played | Record | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | 3P% (3PM/3PA) | +- |
| Oct. 22 - Dec. 5 | 19 | 11-8 | 13.1 | 6.1 | 3.5 | 44.0% (11/25) | -2.6 |
| Dec. 20 - Jan. 11 | 11 | 8-3 | 21.8 | 10.1 | 5.7 | 62.5% (10/16) | +9.2 |
Garza's ability to rise to the occasion recently, when he was given a bigger role, has helped the Celtics rise in the standings, and might be something the team will rely on to maintain this rate of winning in the next couple of months.
More NBA articles:
- NBA analyst suggests Celtics reunite with fan-favorite center at upcoming trade deadline
- Celtics' Jaylen Brown makes substantial jump on latest NBA MVP ladder
- Rockets make a decision on Ja Morant ahead of NBA Trade Deadline
- Raptors' aggressively pursued former 30 PPG all-star before last trade deadline
- Why Knicks fans will have to root for New York villain Trae Young on the Wizards
- Trading for Ja Morant may be impossible for one key reason