VCU guard Max Shulga was the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year last season.
VCU guard Max Shulga was the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year last season.Nick Wass/Associated Press
Equipped with an additional second-round pick from their draft-day trade with theMagic, the Celtics used the 57th selection in the NBA Draft on Max Shulga out of VCU.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 206-pound shooting guard is 23 years old and originally hails from Kyiv, though he moved to Spain as a teenager.
Shulga played his first three years in college at Utah State before transferring to VCU for his final two seasons of eligibility. This past season, he averaged 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists and shot 38.7 percent from 3-point range.
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.
Coach Ryan Odom departed Utah State for the same job at VCU following the season, and Shulga followed his coach as a transfer.
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.
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.
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,” he told the Guardian in March. “And I’m just in the moment focused on what’s at hand and what I’m doing in that particular game. Basketball helped me to just stay focused. Anything that has been going on, basketball will be my getaway, my outlet.”
Matty Wasserman can be reached at matty.wasserman@globe.com. Follow him @Matty_Wasserman.