Max Shulga fought to go from being outside of Utah State's rotation to the Atlantic-10 Player of the Year with Virginia Commonwealth University [VCU]. After his final collegiate campaign, the Boston Celtics selected him with the 57th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
He has appeared in six games with the parent club, mostly developing his game with the franchise's G League affiliate in Maine. Playing under first-year head coach Phil Pressey, Shulga has helped lead the club back to the playoffs for a fourth straight year.
In 26 regular-season tilts, the six-foot-four guard is averaging 15.7 points, 6.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. He's also knocking down 40 percent of the 6.2 shots he is hoisting from behind the arc.
Step 🔙 Shulga pic.twitter.com/KJ1xuhRFAa
— Maine Celtics (@MaineCeltics) March 22, 2026
While the Kyiv, Ukraine, native is providing impressive production, that doesn't mean his first professional campaign hasn't come with its ups and downs.
Max Shulga's rookie year journey
After Maine's 130-105 victory vs. the Canton Charge, clinching a playoff berth, the former VCU star spoke candidly about his experiences during his first professional season.
"It's been a grind of a season for sure," said Shulga, via CLNS Media. "A lot of ups and downs ... but ... a lot of learning. Getting more comfortable and in the system with the guys, getting comfortable, being on the court in the NBA setting, NBA rules and stuff like that, the pace of the game for sure."
As his head coach at Utah State and VCU, Ryan Odom, discussed with this author over the summer, must prove that he's a proficient shot-maker to carve out his place at basketball's highest level.
"I think shot making, certainly, he's going to have to prove that he's an elite shooter; an open shot guy," said Odom of the most important areas for Shulga to improve at to stick around in the NBA. "He's going to get open shots in the NBA because of the players, the level of the players that he's playing with. And a lot of times, the focus is on the main players, as it should be.
"He's got to defend his position like crazy and be able to switch and use his physical size to be able to hold his own. He's got to make multiple efforts. Like some of these guys out there, the hustle plays; he's got to be making those for his team and willing to give his body up.
"But initially, it's playmaking. He's got to be able to play in a point guard's role, but at the same time, fit in when he doesn't have the ball, and be able to play off well. He's done both in college. And so I think that should be a seamless transition for him. He's not somebody that had to dominate the ball all the time, but he's got to be good enough to be able to initiate offense at the NBA level when he's being pressured."
When asked after Tuesday's win against the Charge about areas he's building his game during his first season in the pros, Shulga, who the Celtics converted from a two-way deal to a multi-year standard contract earlier this month, mentioned some of the same areas that Odom cited.
"Individually, working on shooting, shooting 3s in the pocket [and] finding looks on the perimeter," conveyed Shulga. "And, overall, working on my game, either like in the paint, touch shots, floaters, learning to make, consistently, the reads of pick-and-roll and stuff like that," said Shulga. "So, yeah, it's been a lot of learning, for sure."