Wednesday marked the first day for the 2024 Boston Celtics training camp. It did not, however, mark the first day of on-court work for Lonnie Walker IV, who Boston signed to an Exhibit 10 contract (training camp deal) last month.
Since signing the dotted line, Walker has spent plenty of time sharpening his skills at the Auerbach Center in hopes of making the Celtics’ final roster. He’s posted several photos and clips to social media of himself at the practice facility.
“Obviously, my free agency hasn’t gone as planned and whatnot,” Walker told reporters Wednesday. “So, Brad Stevens, he’s given me an opportunity with the E10 to kind of prove myself and show my capabilities offensively, defensively, off the court, [and] being a great teammate. So, I’m just really excited and grateful to be here, and I’m just going to work to the best of my capabilities.”
He added that he’s open to spending some time with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G-League affiliate, which Stevens had mentioned to him as a possibility.
The 25-year-old’s first official practice with the team made an impression on him right away.
“It was a clear viewpoint as to why you guys are the 2024 world champions,” Walker explained. “The competitiveness, the effort, the intensity. This is one of my favorite training camps [that] I’ve been to. So, I’m really happy to be here and just be around such great talent.”
While it’s only just begun, Lonnie Walker IV calls the Celtics’ training camp “one of my favorite training camps I’ve been to.” pic.twitter.com/hkaThvaSiw
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) September 25, 2024
Walker joins the Cs after appearing in 58 games with the Brooklyn Nets last season, where he played an average of 17.4 minutes per outing. He averaged 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 42.3% from the field and 38.4% from long range.
As he works to earn a permanent spot with the reigning champs, the swingman has hopes of showing his prowess on the defensive side of the ball. The way Boston’s team operates, he’s going to have to do so in order to find a spot in the rotation. If you go down the list of rotation players from last season’s title run, each and every one of them is at least average on the defensive end.
Joe Mazzulla on Lonnie Walker:
“He’s patient. He understands the position he is in… He’s asked a lot of questions because he wants to understand it. He’s willing to do whatever he has to do to be the best at what we need.”
Walker’s professionalism really stood out to me today. pic.twitter.com/VzhXP83KwB
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) September 25, 2024
For now, he’s enjoyed getting to know head coach Joe Mazzulla, who he calls “one of the most interesting guys” he’s ever met.
“You don’t know where your conversation might take you. He kind of reminds me of my head coach back in high school,” Walker revealed. “Like I said yesterday, one of our first conversations— I love boxing, so I was like, ‘did you see the Canelo fight?’ He was like, ‘I don’t watch pillow fights.’ I was like, ‘Okay. Alright. There we are. That makes more complete sense.’”
Walker and the rest of the Cs will be at training camp all week as they prepare for their October 3 preseason-opener against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi.
