For the Celtics, the 2025 NBA Draft turned out to be a highly global event.
Following the selection of British big man Amari Williams at No. 46 and Spanish wing Hugo Gonzalez at No. 28 overall, Boston completed their draft class by selecting Ukrainian guard Max Shulga with the 57th choice.
Shulga spent five seasons playing collegiate basketball in the United States. He played alongside current Celtics big Neemias Queta at Utah State before moving on to VCU. Shooting from the perimeter is his strongest suit.
Over his two seasons at VCU, the 23-year-old made 40.2% of his 5.5 3-point attempts per game. This past season, he led his team to an Atlantic 10 Conference championship and was named the A-10 Player of the Year with an average of 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.
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However, Shulga’s height (6-foot-4) is not ideal, and by NBA standards, he is a below-average defender and athlete, which is why he was selected with the third-to-last pick in the draft. According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, the Celtics intend to sign him to a two-way contract that will enable him to alternate between Boston and Maine, their G League club.
Shulga is the 76th-best talent in this year’s class, according to ESPN. He was ranked higher by Yahoo Sports (47th) and The Athletic (59th), respectively.
The 32nd pick was traded to Orlando, who also gave up 2026 and 2027 second-round picks to complete the transaction, giving the Celtics the picks they used to acquire Williams and Shulga. After losing out on Rasheer Fleming (No. 31 to Phoenix), a forward for St. Joseph’s who ESPN’s Shams Charania stated was their top Round 2 target, Boston moved back.
