Boston Celtics rookie Max Shulga knows he has his work cut out for him as he begins his NBA career.
And Celtics center Neemias Queta hammered home that point to the second-round pick.
Shulga and Queta were teammates in college for one season at Utah State. That built-in relationship allowed Queta to pass along some handy advice to the 6-foot-5 sharpshooting guard, who the Celtics drafted 57th overall.
"He said it's going to be hard, as a rookie especially," Shulga told reporters Tuesday, per MassLive's Souichi Terada. "There's going to be a transition period and just try to learn as much as I can from coaches, players on the team, the vets. Just be a sponge and learn about everything as much as I can."
It is expected that Shulga will be on a two-way contract with the Celtics, meaning he'll probably spend more time with the franchise's G League affiliate in Maine than in Boston.
The Celtics have to covet Shulga's terrific 3-point shooting ability he showcased over the course of his five seasons in college. Shulga, who spent three seasons with Utah State and two years with VCU, was a career 39.2% 3-point shooter in college and shot an outstanding 41.5% from deep on 5.6 attempts per game during his first season with the Rams.
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There are questions about Shulga's defensive capabilities at the NBA level, but his strong outside shooting could help the Celtics live with his deficiencies on the defensive end of the floor.
It remains to be seen how Shulga, who was born in Ukraine, handles the transition to the NBA. But he'll have the chance to make a good first impression during the Summer League.
"It's still surreal," Shulga said. "Still hasn't really settled in fully yet. It's a little weird still. But it's gonna take a couple weeks. When I walked in the facility it still felt a little bit like I'm going around and doing workouts and stuff like that. But it's an unbelievable feeling and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
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