Luka Garza continues to be Timberwolves’ secret weapon in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – Luka Garza experienced a little déjà vu Thursday.

Whenever the Timberwolves have come to the Delta Center in Utah over the past three seasons, the team has needed Garza to contribute in a major way.

“Seems like something about this building, it feels like every time, it’s an opportunity for me to play,” Garza said.

Two seasons ago, the Wolves traded D’Angelo Russell and were dealing with injuries the same day they played Utah — and Garza scored 25 points off the bench in a Wolves win.

He contributed last season to two consecutive road wins in Utah when two of the big men in front of him, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, were out because of injury.

Then Thursday night, with the Wolves already down two rotation players in Donte DiVincenzo and Mike Conley, Garza stepped up when Julius Randle exited the game in the second quarter because of right groin soreness. He finished with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting in a 138-113 victory. It was a night typical of what the Wolves have come to expect from Garza over the years, that when they need him to step up, he’s ready.

“I know it’s tough to stay in this league,” Garza said. “Tough to find a way to establish yourself in this league. An easy way to do that is to just be ready, and I’ve seen examples of guys [doing that] in front of me.”

Specifically, Garza pointed to Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker two seasons ago as the best examples of this. He saw how Reid wasn’t playing much at the beginning of the season following the Rudy Gobert trade. But when Karl-Anthony Towns missed over 50 games because of a calf injury, Reid took advantage of his opportunity and has played major minutes since.

Then when Alexander-Walker came to the Wolves in the Russell trade, he wasn’t playing much, and he was at a precarious point in his career where he might have been out of the league the following season. But when he got more playing time with injuries to Reid and Jaden McDaniels late in the season, he played well and got a new contract.

“Those examples in front of me are inspiring and motivating,” Garza said. “I feel like I’m in that spot where I can do that as well for myself. I’ve made it my identity to always be ready when my name is called.”

The organization has always loved Garza’s professionalism and his work ethic. It’s why he has worked his way up from training camp invite, to edge-of-roster player, to a two-way contract and most recently, to a full NBA contract. Coach Chris Finch had plenty to say about Garza’s approach after Thursday’s win.

“He’s one of my most favorite players I’ve ever coached, for so many reasons,” Finch said. “He’s stayed always ready. Always in a great mood and been an unbelievable example for all the other young guys. Every time we put him in, he produces. Silly me, I probably should play him more, but with the number of bigs and the way we’ve had the roster constructed over the last couple of years, it’s not easy to do, but he’s always, always ready.”

Garza has stayed with the organization because he felt a good fit among him, Finch’s style of play and the culture Finch and the front office established.

“I feel like I fit perfectly into what [Finch] is trying to do,” Garza said. “He does a really good job of putting me in the right spots, and all my teammates have so much confidence in me. That’s the thing that keeps me going when I’m not playing … Mike, Ant, Donte are coming to talk to me, to stay ready, and I’m bought in to help this team in whatever way I can.”

Garza knows the depth chart ahead of him is clogged, and nights like Thursday usually only come because of injury. But when other teams may struggle under such circumstances, the Wolves won a pair of games in Phoenix and Utah thanks to their depth, with Garza, Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark all contributing in major ways to the past two wins. Staying ready is a mindset in the NBA. It’s something Garza learned his first season here, and it’s something he’s trying to show the younger players on the roster now.

“We’re not going to be negative on the end of the bench,” Garza said. “We’re going to support our guys the way these guys support us. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Saturday, 7 p.m., Target Center

TV, radio: FanDuel Sports North Extra, iHeart app

Game preview: The Wizards are the worst team in the NBA at 6-41 and have lost 16 in a row. … They rank 27th in the 30-team NBA in offense, dead last in defense. ... G Jordan Poole is the leading scorer at 20.7. … F Saddiq Bey (knee) has missed the entire season. ... C Malcolm Bagley (knee) is out; G Malcolm Brogdon (foot) and C Alex Sarr (ankle) are questionable. … The Wolves (27-21) have won a season-high five in a row and are six games over .500 for the first time since last season. … G Donte DiVincenzo (toe) and F Julius Randle (groin) are out; G Mike Conley (thumb) is questionable.