BOSTON — When the Celtics signed Drew Peterson away from the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat’s G-League system, Joe Mazzulla pointed to his strong game for Miami against the Celtics in Summer League. He compared how the team developed Sam Hauser into a role, who also pivoted away from Miami to begin his career before joining Boston, to how they would progress with Peterson.
“We liked him,” Erik Spoelstra said on Monday. “We want to develop guys as much as possible, and it ends up being 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 with someone else. Even if it happens to be with Boston. Anywhere else, we’d probably be happier.”
Peterson’s first major professional opportunity happened on Sunday, nearly one year after the Celtics secured him on a two-way deal. He flew from Toronto, where Maine played the Raptors’ G-League affiliate, and joined the Celtics for an expected DNP-CD. Two days later, with Derrick White hurt, Jaylen Brown a late scratch due to illness and Boston’s spacing lacking against Cleveland, Mazzulla called on Drew. Peterson thought he called Jrue Holiday.
The move, calling on arguably the least well-known of Boston’s 17 roster players for a full second quarter stint, boosted the Celtics, who cut two points off the Cavs’ lead with their second unit. Peterson shot 2-of-5 from three, mostly appeared in the right positions on both ends and more importantly played aggressive and forced Cleveland to guard him. He returned on Monday and converted 2-of-5 from deep again, grabbing seven rebounds and staring down his former Heat teammates at one point.
The Celtics didn’t draft Peterson, leaving him behind Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh and even Anton Watson in recognizability to begin this year. During the Finals, in Dallas, his locker was a chair sitting in front of a wall with his name taped above it. The Maine numbers and even his Summer League stats from July don’t jump off the page — only up to 33.3% from 25% 3PT. Mazzulla, nonetheless, saw tape and heard intel from Maine head coach Tyler Lashbrook that led him to try Peterson against two opponents with length and interior defensive presences.
“Whether you watch a game or the edits that they have, or just conversations, you’re able to trust that there’s carry-over, there’s continuity and that gives people an opportunity to step right in,” Mazzulla said.
“ … to me, one, he plays with a level of confidence. Two, I always like guys that are better defenders than people think. We said that with Sam … he can think the game in real time, so he can understand what teams are trying to do on both ends of the floor and he can adjust to that really quickly, and he can make shots. Tonight, everyone will look at the 2-for-5, but he had seven rebounds. So he has the ability to impact the game in different ways.”
Scheierman would’ve made sense as the next wing up, especially after showing off some stellar scoring in his Maine stint to begin the year. The shift to NBA defense and terminology have been an adjustment months into his first year with the team, and while his skill-set might eventually surpass Peterson’s, Mazzulla obviously felt better about Peterson’s familiarity playing in the Celtics’ system over the past year. That showed in Peterson’s readiness to play on Sunday. Scheierman, in 10 minutes on Monday, shot 0-for-3.
Several players over the last season, whether after returning to the rotation, earning a spot start or making their effective NBA debut in consequential minutes noted that Mazzulla didn’t warn them. Walsh, after a strong preseason, didn’t know whether he’d return to Maine or stay in Boston, and predicted he wouldn’t learn his role until later. Peterson, like others before him, didn’t know he would play in the last two games. He credited Boston and Maine’s staff for preparing him anyway.
It’s moments and nights like these reinforcing everything happening at the loaded top of the roster. And it’s leaving little room for error for the field. That a two-way signing could log center minutes alongside a G-League developmental center. That a G-League wing project could step in for Hauser, who sat out for personal reasons, while the team’s third guard scored 20 points for the third straight game has allowed the Celtics to maintain regular season consistency, sustain injuries and play different lineups — even into the playoffs.
Mazzulla explained how his philosophy of not giving players like Peterson a heads-up, and how they’ve still been in position to succeed when called upon — after winning again with four rotation players out.
“I just feel like if you give an idea if he’s going to or not going to (play),” he said. “It changes his preparation on a daily basis. I want our guys to come to the arena every day thinking that their process is important toward winning. They have to be ready to go and they have to treat every single game as if they’re going to impact winning. So by not telling them, it allows them to treat every single day as if it’s the most important day … there’s a lot of unpredictability over the course of the season … if you’re only ready to go because you know you’re gonna play, that doesn’t really help your process.”
