BOSTON — When Max Shulga was in Boston for a predraft workout, it ended up being the perfect opportunity to catch up with an old friend. Shulga played with Neemias Queta at Utah State as part of the 2020-21 season. So, with Shulga already in town, the two went to dinner to catch up.
Shulga and Queta will see a lot more of each other this upcoming season. Shulga was taken 57th overall by the Celtics in the 2025 draft as he’ll team up with Queta once again. Shulga is expected to be on a two-way contract, though that’s still not finalized. Still, it’s a pleasant, unexpected perk for the Ukrainian guard.
“He said it’s going to be hard, as a rookie especially,” Shulga said of Queta’s advice. “There’s going to be a transition period and just try to learn as much as I can from coaches, players on the team, the vets. Just be a sponge and learn about everything as much as I can.”
Shulga was introduced alongside the other two Boston draft picks in Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams on Tuesday at the Huntington Avenue YMCA in Boston. The three took part in a community event with the Celtics as they played with the youth for roughly an hour.
Shulga played a total of five seasons in college, three at Utah State before finishing out his final two years at VCU. He’s shown to be a stellar 3-point shooter, knocking down a career 39.2% of his looks from beyond the arc. It remains to be seen if he can hold up defensively in the pros, but he’ll start to get those reps with Summer League practices starting up in the coming days.
While Shulga played collegiately stateside, he’s well-traveled. He started playing basketball as a kid partially because his dad was a referee, so the game was always on the television. He picked it up and moved to Spain to continue learning the game. That eventually brought him to the U.S. to get drafted by the Celtics. But now, the hard work begins as he looks to stick in the best basketball league in the world.
“It’s still surreal,” Shulga said. “Still hasn’t really settled in fully yet. It’s a little weird still. But it’s gonna take a couple weeks. When I walked in the facility it still felt a little bit like I’m going around and doing workouts and stuff like that. But it’s an unbelievable feeling and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
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