With the Celtics shorthanded, Drew Peterson gets a surprising opportunity for extended minutes
"I was a little caught off guard, but quickly adjusted and did everything I can," Peterson said.
Before last week, Drew Peterson had played less than 30 minutes of NBA basketball during his young career.
The 6-foot-9 two-way forward primarily plays with the Maine Celtics. He appeared in three games with Boston last year, averaging 7.6 minutes per contest.
So, even with Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Sam Hauser, and Jrue Holiday out, Peterson was somewhat surprised to hear the Celtics coaching staff call his name.
“Obviously every time I hear ‘Drew’ I assume it’s Jrue Holiday,” Peterson said, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “They were pointing at me, and obviously it’s my job around here to stay ready, and so got in and just did whatever I can to help the team. It felt good. … I was a little caught off guard, but quickly adjusted and did everything I can.”
Peterson has averaged 25.5 minutes per game over the last two contests – a loss to the Cavaliers and a win against the Heat. All but one of his shot attempts have been 3-pointers.
He’s shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc this season. Peterson’s ability to space the floor as an additional 3-point threat is a key reason why he’s out there.
At one point, former USC coach Andy Enfield used to call Peterson “Rew Peterson” because he played no defense. Eventually, Peterson improved at anticipating drives, and using his length to challenge shots. The coach began using the “D” in Peterson’s name again.
He’s still a work in progress on the defensive end, but Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has liked the effort he sees from the second-year forward. Peterson’s rebounding numbers are also up from 0.3 per game last year to 2.4 this year.
“Just thought he had some really good defensive possessions defending without fouling,” Mazzulla said after the loss to the Cavaliers. “He’s physical. He’s smart. He has a knack for the ball whether it’s offensive rebounding or moving without the basketball to get open.
“I think he works really hard so you try to find moments throughout the season where you can validate the work that the guys put in regardless of who it is.”
Peterson spent most of last season with the Miami Heat G-League affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce. Spoelstra said he enjoyed seeing Peterson get a shot at the next level, even if it happened to come with the rival Celtics.
“We liked him, too,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We make this agreement with the guys: We want to make it happen for them one way or another. They have big dreams. We want to be dream makers. We wish we could do everything with us, but that’s just not the reality. We want to develop guys as much as possible, and it ends up being sometimes a situation where it has to be somewhere else.”
“We only have three two-ways; we can’t call everybody up. But we’re thrilled when they do get an opportunity, even if it’s somewhere else, even if it happens to be Boston. Anywhere else, we’d probably be happier. But we want to make it happen one way or another.”
Mazzulla said he keeps his bench players on their toes so that they don’t switch up their approach. How they handle things daily, he said, matters regardless of whether they get in the game.
There are many unpredictable moments in the NBA, and staying prepared is important.
“I just feel like if you give a guy an idea if he’s going to or not going to, it changes his preparation on a daily basis,” Mazzulla said. “I want our guys to come to the arena every day thinking that their process is important towards winning.
“They have to be ready to go and they have to treat every single game as if they are going to impact winning. By not telling them, it allows them to treat every day as if it’s the most important day.”
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