Boston Celtics: Player of the Week — Tremont Waters
Tremont Waters continues to show the Boston Celtics they didn’t make a mistake by drafting him.
The Boston Celtics used their second pick in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft to select Tremont Waters 51st overall out of LSU.
Before joining LSU, Waters had many offers from very big schools with great basketball programs that any high school senior/ incoming college freshman would dream of having. The point guard was sent offers from Duke, Georgetown, UCONN, Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, and Yale.
In two seasons at LSU, Tremont Waters averaged 15.6 points and 5.9 assists per game. He would earn a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team in 2018, and earn SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2019.
After being drafted by the Boston Celtics, Waters needed to prove he is worthy of being a productive NBA player. During the Summer League Waters would go on to average 11.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 2 steals per game.
The stellar performance from Waters in the Summer League earned him a two-way contract with the Celtics. The contract allows him to play for the Celtics’ G-League affiliate team, the Maine Red Claws, and can be recalled to play for the Celtics for a total of 45-games throughout the season.
The point of the G-League is to give NBA teams time to develop their players in hopes of becoming the player they drafted them to be. Over the years for the C’s, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams have all played for the Red Claws.
After the first month of ball hit the books for the G-League, Tremont Waters earned G-League Player of the Month honors. Waters averaged 22.3 points, 7.7 assists, 1.7 steals, per game in November, along with an impressive 45% from behind the arc.
https://twitter.com/nbagleague/status/1201614544629641218
The 21-year-old has been recalled by the Celtics this season and played for the first time at the TD Garden against the Sacramento Kings. Waters played 20 minutes off the bench and provided 7 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds in the victory.
Out of the four rookies drafted by the team in 2019, Waters is looking to be the more consistent and well-rounded of the bunch. It’s a testament to how hard Waters has worked to get to this point in his career, but also to his development with the Red Claws preparing him for the NBA.
As the rookie is still developing and progressing towards the player he wants to be, his overall game is very reminiscent of Marcus Smart; but with a better shot. Just like Smart, Waters is a hound on defense and looks to make plays for his teammates at all times.
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As Tremont Waters is from West Haven, Connecticut, he’s sort of a local or “hometown” type of guy to the Boston Celtics, which makes his story even more intriguing. I believe the 5-11 guard has all the makings of being a true role player for Boston in his future.