The Boston Celtics didn’t dust their hands off after welcoming a few new prospects on draft night. Team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens kept his eyes peeled in search of feasible avenues to bolster the reigning champion roster’s depth before Opening Night on Oct. 22, and signed guard Lonnie Walker IV as a result.
Walker, a four-year veteran, agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics, guaranteeing a shot at securing a roster spot in training camp, which starts Sept. 24. Standing at 6-foot-4, Walker provides a potential off-the-bench spark as a career 35.6% 3-point shooter with an ability to handle the ball and get to the rim. He’s most notably known for his 15-point performance for the Los Angeles Lakers during the Western Conference finals last season against the Golden State Warriors, doing so in 27 minutes.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla acknowledged Walker’s potential to contribute, which alone won’t secure him a spot on Boston’s bench.
“He’s been around the league for a long time, he’s played in a lot of games,” Mazzulla told Steve Ascburner of NBA.com. “So he’s got experience, he’s (got) the ability to score and he can impact the game on the defensive end. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who you are — we just want guys to come in and work hard, pay attention to the details. Be your best self and fill the best role you can for the team.”
The Celtics parted ways with Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk, opening the door for Walker’s upgraded skill set to make its presence felt before Boston’s 18th title banner is hung in the rafters and the team officially embarks on its chase for a repeat. Then again, that spot, as Mazzulla indicated, won’t be handed out. It’ll have to be earned. Walker averaged 9.7 points last season for the Brooklyn Nets, shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc which exceeded the league average of 36.6%.
Walker is less than two weeks away from starting his pursuit to win Mazzulla over and leave a strong impression in training camp.
