SHULGA: “Brown and Tatum? I learn a lot from watching them.”

Ukrainian guard of Boston Celtics Max ShulgaThe player, who currently plays for the Maine Celtics farm team, talked about his personal development and recalled how he was selected in the 2025 draft.

– The Maine Celtics are improving and it seems like you are becoming more confident on the court. Your NBA debut is still ahead of you, but how do you feel about your first year after the draft?

– It was a good experience, you can learn a lot. As in every season, there are ups and downs. Individually and as a team. Good learning curve, valuable experience.

– I want to go back to the moment when the Celtics drafted you. How did you feel? What went through your mind when you saw your name?

– I was in Dallas with the agency and doing pre-draft training. We had a draft party in Dallas.

I was with everyone in the agency, along with Maxim Renault. He was also drafted by the Sacramento Kings. He’s a good friend. We had a pre-draft workout with a few people: Jaxsen Mauney of the G-League Golden State Warriors and Nelly Joseph, who currently plays in France.

We all watched the draft. I wasn’t sure if I would be selected or not. If so, it’s probably in the 50-60 range. Many teams started searching. I didn’t know until five minutes before the draft when he told me the Celtics were drafting me. My manager Brad said: I was so excited.

Words cannot express this because it is a dream you always strive for. But you never really know until it happens. It was such a surreal feeling. It took time to realise.

– You mentioned two teams that wanted to draft you before the Celtics…

“The Grizzlies called and wanted to draft me, but sent me to play in Europe for a while. A lot of other teams, probably the Bucks, were still calling.”

– You worked with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. What did they recommend?

– No, they didn’t give direct advice, but by watching them, I learn how they approach it every day. They come to training, work on themselves, do shooting practice with coaches.

Their attention to detail is impressive every day. JB practiced dribbling and shooting all over the court, repeat after repetition. I realized that this was necessary to reach their level.

– What about Joe Mazzulla? They talked about the “machine gun sound” in training…

– It was one of the real standout moments of training camp (laughs). We did it one on one, defending against each other, and machine gun fire was coming out of the speakers.

He was very demanding every day, he left no one alone, he held everyone accountable. It doesn’t matter if you are 15th or first in the squad, everyone is at the same standard. He also works out in the gym and gets up with us.

He even discusses the rules with the referees and looks for ways to “manipulate” the game. Incredibly competitive and demanding.

Shulga is averaging 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists per 33 minutes on the court in the current G-League season.