– “Maine Celtics” are progressing, and it seems that you also feel more comfortable on the court. Your NBA debut is still to come, but how are you feeling about your first year after the draft?
– It was a good experience, you can learn a lot. Ups and downs like any season. Individually and as a team. Good learning curve, valuable experience.
– I want to go back to the moment when you were chosen by the Celtics. what did you feel What went through your mind when you saw your name?
– I was in Dallas with the agency, going through pre-draft training. We had a draft party in Dallas.
I was with everyone from the agency, with Maxim Renault. He was also selected by the Sacramento Kings. He is a good friend. We did a pre-draft workout together, a few other guys: Jaxsen Moni of the G-League Golden State Warriors, and Nellie Joseph, who is now playing in France.
We all watched the draft. I didn’t know for sure if I would be chosen. If so, it’s probably in the 50-60 range. Several teams started calling. I didn’t know until five minutes before the pick that I was going to be picked by the Celtics. My agent Brad said – I was super excited.
It cannot be expressed in words, because it is a dream that you always strive for. But you never know for sure until it happens. It was a very unreal feeling. It took time to realize.
– You mentioned two teams that wanted to choose you for the Celtics…
– The Grizzlies called, they wanted to select me, but send me to play in Europe for a certain time. Several other teams, possibly the Bucks, were still calling.
– You trained with Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum. What did they advise?
– No, they didn’t advise directly, but I learn a lot by watching them, how they approach each day. They come to training, work on themselves, practice throws with coaches.
Their attention to detail is amazing every day. JB did repetitions of dribbling and shooting around the perimeter – repetition after repetition. I realized that it was necessary to reach their level.
– What about Joe Mazzulla? They talked about the “sound of a machine gun” at training…
– It was a real highlight of the training camp (laughs). We did one-on-ones, defending against each other, and the sounds of machine guns blared through the speakers.
Every day he was very demanding, did not allow anyone to relax, held everyone accountable. It doesn’t matter if you are 15th or first in the lineup, everyone is held to the same standard. He himself works in the hall, jumps up, pulls up with us.
He even discusses the rules with the referees, looking for ways to “manipulate” the game. He is incredibly competitive and demanding.
In the current G-League season, Shulga is averaging 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists in 33 minutes on the court.
Source: sport.ua