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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston Celtics draft Max Shulga with No. 57 overall pick
The Celtics wrapped up their 2025 NBA Draft by selecting Max Shulga with the No. 57 overall pick. The C's traded down earlier in the draft, which is how they ended up with one of the final picks in the second round. Shulga, 23, started his career at Utah State before playing his final two seasons at VCU. Shulga was born in Ukraine before coming stateside with a stop in Spain in between. This past season, he averaged 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and and 4.0 assists in 35 games for VCU. Advertisement Shulga also shot 39.2% on 3-pointers throughout his five years in college. Shulga is 6-foot-5 as he brings some size at the guard position. He helped lead VCU to the NCAA Tournament last season and a No. 11 seed in the Big Dance. The Celtics originally started Thursday with the No. 32 overall pick, but they elected to trade down. They moved the 32nd pick for the 46th pick, where they took big man Amari Williams, and the 57th overall pick, along with getting second-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Boston has already had an active offseason with two big trades ahead of the draft, moving Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Trail Blazers. They also drafted Real Madrid wing Hugo Gonzalez with the 28th pick, their lone first-round selection. More moves could be on the horizon for the Celtics this offseason as they look to shed payroll moving forward. The roster remains fluid at this point for the C's as they've stayed flexible, which Boston president Brad Stevens stressed after his news availability Wednesday. More Celtics content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
How experts graded Celtics using No. 57 pick to draft Max Shulga
The Celtics used their third and final pick of the 2025 NBA Draft on Max Shulga at No. 57 on Thursday night. Boston originally had the No. 32 pick, but traded it to the Orlando Magic for pick No. 46 — which the Celtics used to draft Amari Williams — No. 57 and two other second-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Advertisement Shulga was named first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference in his first season at VCU after transferring from Utah State. He averaged 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and and 4.0 assists in 35 games for VCU this past season. In five collegiate seasons, the 6-foot-5.5 guard shot 39.2% from 3-point range. Here's how those around the NBA felt about the pick, as well as what national media graded it. CBS Sports I love this swing for the Boston Celtics. Shulga is one of the best pure shooters in the draft who fell because of some obvious deficiencies as a defender with real limitations athletically. I'm not sure he has the physical tools to stick, but his shooting is so elite it's worth finding out. Advertisement Grade: B Bleacher Report Shulga isn't quite a shooting specialist, but that's where he'll make his biggest impact. He's an off-ball sharpshooter in almost every situation, whether he's scrambling around a screen, taking a dribble handoff or simply spotting up. He has enough functional handles to get around his defender, too, especially if they're worried about his long-ball. He isn't a creative passer, but he's a capable one. He needs to shoot well enough to be put into that specialist tier, though, because that's the closest thing he has to an elite skill. And it tends to be more really good than great. His dribbling, distributing and defensive activity aren't enough to get him a rotational role. His outside shot will have to do that. Advertisement That's especially true now that he's made his way to the Boston Celtics, who emphasize the three more than any team in the league. Grade: C- Yahoo Sports Shulga is a poised, versatile shooter with a passing feel. But he's a jack of all trades with no great strengths and a below-average athlete with no clear NBA position. Boston's positionless style could end up being a good thing for him since he'll largely be asked to stroke 3s. Grade: B- Sporting News Shulga is going to spend plenty of time in Maine next year as he's likely on a two-way contract. 2025-26 will be a year for his development in the G League. Advertisement Grade: C+ The Athletic Sam Vecenie: Shulga is one of those players who I want to love. He's a shooter with a long track record of making shots. He can also do so off movement. He's a way tougher defender than he gets credit for. He guards well at the point of attack and has no issues getting into someone's space. I just wish that he was a bit bigger. The pathway here for him to make in the NBA is pretty narrow, although it certainly exists. It's quite similar to someone like Sam Merrill, who has become an exceptionally valuable rotation player in Cleveland and will get paid this summer. The issue there, though, is that Merrill is genuinely one of the best shooters on Earth while also being able to hold his own on defense, whereas Shulga is merely a good shooter. To stick in the NBA, Shulga will probably need to hit that level as a shooter given that he's not quite strong enough on the ball to legitimately play with it in his hands in the NBA. He's a clear second-rounder to me, but one I would have interest in drafting in the mid-second round. More Celtics content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Scouting new Boston Celtics guard Max Shulga: ‘He's just a winner'
The Celtics selected VCU guard Max Shulga with the No. 57 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, putting the finishing touches on what's been a busy few days. The C's originally started the night with the No. 32 pick, but traded down, netting them three more second-round picks, including the 46th overall pick in Amari Williams. Shulga, 23, will have his opportunity to stick in the league as one of the last picks in the 2025 draft. He was measured at 6-foot-4 without shoes at the NBA Draft combine as he also has a 6-foot-6 wingspan. Celtics vice president Mike Zarren gave his scouting report on the newest Boston guard Thursday after the conclusion of the draft. Advertisement 'Max is a tough guy who can handle and shoot and elite toughness,' Zarren said. 'He's been all over the world. He moved to Spain when he was 13, I think, to play basketball. ... But he's just a winner. Was the A-10 player of the year. I think they won 18 of their last 20 games or something like that, was the A-10 player of the year.' Zarren pointed out that Shulga already knows a member of the Celtics roster in Neemias Queta. They were teammates at Utah State during the 2020-21 season. Back then, that was Queta's final year in college while it was Shulga's first. Zarren said they were able to reconnect when Shulga was in Boston for a predraft workout. Now, they're teammates again. Shulga averaged 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals in 35 games for VCU last season. He helped lead the Rams to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed, though they lost to BYU in the first round. Notably, he shot 39.2% on 3-pointers during his five-year college career as the Celtics hope that shooting translates to the next level. Zarren said it's likely that both Shulga and Williams end up on two-way contracts with the Celtics, but that's still not official at this point. They'll both likely be on the Summer League roster in Las Vegas, which takes place from July 10-20. First-round pick Hugo Gonzalez is set to be in Boston next week coming from Spain, Zarren said, though it's unclear yet if the wing will play in Summer League. Advertisement Regardless, the Celtics are undergoing an offseason of change. They added three new faces through the draft, though that comes after trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis earlier in the week. More moves are likely on the horizon as the front office continues to tweak the roster for the salary cap. But for the three new rookies, they'll have an opportunity to stick in the pros with the winningest franchise in NBA history. 'We've been watching both of these guys for a long time,' Zarren said. 'They had long college careers and have been very, very successful players everywhere they've been. So we'll see how they do at the next level, but they're just really, really successful, winning college players.' More Celtics content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
What does new Boston Celtics two way guard Max Shulga bring to the team?
What does new Boston Celtics two way guard Max Shulga bring to the team? Picked up by Boston at No. 56 overall in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft after the Celtics elected to trade back from the No. 32 overall pick they started the night selecting from. A 23-year-old, 6-foot-5.5 combo guard weighing in at 206 lbs. who played for Virginia Commonwealth University last season, Shulga is a native of Kyiv, Ukraine who rebounds well for his position, can move the rock, attack the cup, and hit an outside shot at a good degree of efficiency. He logged 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 38.7% from beyond the arc, 43.5% from the floor overall, and 78.3% from the free throw line. Advertisement The man behind the "Tomasz Kordylewski (Timi)" YouTube channel put together a clip of his best plays with VCU at the NCAA level last season. Check it out below! This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: What does new Celtics two way guard Max Shulga bring to the team?
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Five things to know about Celtics' second-round draft pick Max Shulga
Here are five things to know about the Celtics final draft selection: He followed his coach from Utah State to VCU, where he ascended Shulga was a role player over his first two seasons at Utah State before breaking out in his third year: he increased his points per game average from 4.4 as a sophomore to 11.9 as a junior, and his 3-point attempts climbed from 1.3 per game to 4.3. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Coach Ryan Odom departed Utah State for the same job at VCU following the season, and Shulga followed his coach as a transfer. Advertisement Shulga continued his upward trajectory his first year at VCU, averaging 14 points per game and shooting 41.5 percent from beyond the arc to earn first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors. Then, after returning as a fifth-year senior, he won the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award and led VCU to the NCAA Tournament. Shooting is his biggest strength Shulga is a high-volume, high-efficiency shooter, and lauded by most analysts as one of the top catch-and-shoot players in the draft class. Advertisement Across his two seasons at VCU, Shulga knocked down 40.2 percent of his 3-pointers on nearly 400 attempts, and averaged more than five attempts per game. His shooting was particularly effective off the catch, drilling 43.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes last season. He also showcased his NBA range in nailing 40 percent of his 3-pointers from beyond 25 feet. He is well-rounded but without other clear strengths Shulga is more than just a shooter on the offensive end, converting 56.3 percent of his attempts at the rim and drawing 5.4 free throw attempts per game this past season. He also averaged 4.0 assists to 1.7 turnovers. Yahoo's Kevin O'Connor writes that 'he is more of a secondary ball-handler, but has a solid handle with some wiggle,' while also noting that 'he lacks burst off the dribble, which limits his ceiling as a shot creator.' On the defensive end, he guards well at the point of attack and has shown toughness, but analysts worry about his lack of size and lateral quickness holding up against NBA competition. He moved to Spain at age 13 to further his basketball development Shulga grew up in Kviv, and learned the game from his older family members — his father refereed FIBA basketball games and his uncle played professionally in Europe. He moved to Spain at age 13 to attend the Basketball School of Excellence in Torrelodones, a Madrid suburb, and became a top youth player in the Spanish junior leagues. Shulga emerged on the radar of US college coaches following his performances with the Ukrainian junior national team, which he continued to compete for after moving to Spain. In the B Division of the Under-18 European Championships, he averaged 13 points and seven rebounds while shooting 53 percent from three. Advertisement VCU fans waived Ukrainian flags in support on senior night With his immediate family members still residing in Kyiv during a prolonged time of unrest in Ukraine following Russia's 2022 invasion, the VCU basketball program and wider community worked to show solidarity for Shulga. On senior night in March, hundreds of VCU fans waved Ukrainian flags when Shulga was introduced, with the fanbase dubbing it 'Moment for Max.' Shulga has been open in numerous media interviews about the challenges of balancing his basketball career with the ongoing conflict back home. 'When I'm on the court, playing in the game, everything kind of just goes away,' Matty Wasserman can be reached at
