Lonnie Walker IV reveals how coaching camp with the Celtics formed him

After Lonnie Walker IV was waived by the Celtics in October, he had a choice to make: be part of the Maine Celtics in hopes of in the end getting known as as much as Boston or go abroad and play within the EuroLeague.

It was a tough selection that he weighed closely.

“I used to be positively extremely interested by going again to Maine, so far as with the Boston Celtics and, hopefully getting the chance again to return again and play with the primary staff,” Walker IV instructed reporters earlier than Thursday’s recreation between the Celtics and 76ers.

However after some consideration, he felt compelled to affix the Zalgiris membership in Lithuania. The staff provided him an NBA buyout clause, which means that he might rejoin the NBA till Feb. 18. That flexibility, dialog with organizational management, and the understanding that the EuroLeague was enormously aggressive, compelled him to take a leap of religion and head abroad.

“There’s nothing higher to point out your skills within the second-best league on this planet,” he mentioned. “It was a second of simply betting on myself.”

In Zalgiris, Walker IV averaged 13.6 factors throughout 19 video games, taking pictures 45.2% from two and 33.1% from three. As Feb. 18 approached, it appeared more and more unlikely {that a} return to the NBA was coming this season. So, he saved his centered on the Lithuanian membership, and opted to dam out the noise relating to potential NBA presents.

“I type of simply instructed my agent, ‘Don’t inform me something if it’s not sure,’” he mentioned. “I actually was simply making an attempt to remain current, play for Zalgiris.”

However within the remaining hours forward of his buyout deadline, his agent knowledgeable him that the Philadelphia 76ers had been making a proposal.

“I didn’t actually anticipate to return right here on the final minute of my contract, however by the grace of God, I obtained again right here,” he mentioned. “Now I’m simply making an attempt to make use of the chance to the most effective of my functionality.”

Walker IV struggled in his first couple of video games with the 76ers, making simply 3 of his first 17 shot makes an attempt. Forward of Thursday’s recreation between the Celtics and the 76ers, Philadelphia’s head coach Nick Nurse mentioned that his athleticism and shotmaking potential compelled the staff to present him an opportunity.

“From what we’ve seen, we actually like him,” Nurse mentioned. “He hasn’t performed nice, by the numbers or his personal admission. However I type of see him popping out of that just a little bit. I feel he’ll discover his toes right here just a little bit and have some good video games.”

Earlier than Thursday’s recreation, Walker made clear that his confidence hadn’t wavered regardless of a few powerful early taking pictures performances.

“I obtained to grasp that I’m human, too. I’m not going to instantly adapt to issues,” Walker IV mentioned pregame. “I do know my potential, I do know what I can convey to the desk. It’s all about simply discovering consistency each single day, simply making an attempt to be higher than what I used to be yesterday, and profiting from this chance, as of proper now.”

Certain sufficient, Walker IV had his greatest recreation of the season only a few hours later in opposition to the Celtics, scoring a season-high 17 factors on 6-13 taking pictures and tallying 3 assists in 28 minutes.

How Lonnie Walker IV benefited from his month with the Celtics

By now, Walker IV’s tenure with the Celtics is 5 months within the rearview. He celebrated each his birthday and Christmas alone in Lithuania and lived for almost half a yr in a rustic that was fully international to him.

Earlier than he moved to Kaunas, Walker IV spent a month with the Celtics for coaching camp, an expertise that, upon reflection, he mentioned helped him turn out to be extra skilled. Walker IV shared that in Boston, he labored tougher than ever earlier than.

“I simply labored my tail off,” he mentioned. “I feel I took it to a complete different degree, so far as my psychological capabilities to understanding what I can do. I put myself in a variety of uncomfortable conditions. They’ll inform you — I used to be first one there, often the final one out. I used to be doing chilly water plunges, simply a variety of issues that I don’t usually do… two-a-days, coming again at evening, getting photographs up, I actually simply labored my tail off as a lot as I might. And it positively confirmed how way more I’ve left to present to the sport.”

A part of it was the surprising state of affairs Lonnie Walker IV discovered himself in; after six years within the NBA, three through which he averaged double-figures, his again was in opposition to the wall as he looked for an NBA contract.

Photograph by Brian Babineau/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs

However, the opposite facet of his elevated motivation was the aggressive setting he abruptly discovered himself immersed in.

“Once you’re part of a championship group and the way they strategy the sport, it offers you just a little extra motivation, inspiration,” Walker IV mentioned. “You need to be the most effective, and also you need to see how everyone seems to be continuing to be the most effective, and why they’re such an awesome staff.”

The 26-year-old mentioned that seeing Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum rigorous work ethic from the start of coaching camp compelled him to enhance his personal habits.

“I’m gonna shoot too, as a result of I see that they’re doing it evening in and evening out,” he mentioned, reflecting on his mindset at Celtics coaching camp. “Seeing Payton Pritchard do his factor, and Derrick White and all these nice of us, it positively made me need to go quite a bit tougher, as a result of I need to be in that place that they’re in. It positively instilled one thing so far as like — let my work ethic be the toughest working man on the staff as a lot as I can.”