For newly-signed Celtics two-way player Drew Peterson, it’s all still surreal

In a CelticsBlog exclusive, Drew Peterson revealed which NBA player he models his game after, what memorabilia he got after scoring his first NBA points, and what his life has looked like since signing a two-way contract with the Celtics. 

With just over a minute left in the Celtics’ blowout win against the Clippers last week, Drew Peterson squared up for his trademark three-pointer.

Swish.

The Celtics bench went wild in celebration for their newest teammate.

The shot marked Drew’s first points for Boston – and, notably, his first points as an NBA player.

“It was surreal,” Peterson told me, taking a rare moment to reflect on his monumental milestone. He hasn’t had much time to process how quickly his NBA career has evolved over the past two weeks, which he repeatedly described as a whirlwind.

The 6’9 forward fresh out of USC signed a two-way contract with the Celtics on December 14th after spending the summer with the Miami Heat. In the last fourteen days since putting pen to paper, he’s bounced all around the country, playing in basketball games in Maine, California, and Oklahoma.

Yesterday, Peterson was named Player of the Game in a 117-111 Maine Celtics victory over the Oklahoma City Blue. He finished the game with a well-rounded stat line that has become quite customary for the do-it-all forward: 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Just a few hours after the game, I sat down with Drew to learn more about what the past few weeks have looked like, and how he — a small town, academically-focused guy from the suburbs of Chicago — managed to make the NBA.

Drew Peterson’s dad always told him he could one day be an NBA player

For most of his life, however, Drew didn’t think it was in the cards.

“It’s not really a typically sought after profession where I grew up,” he said. “My dad is in business, he does consulting. That’s the path we were raised into – academics.”

He started casually playing basketball in the third grade, and steadily improved.

Through his progress, his dad was always in his ear, encouraging him to keep going, telling him the NBA was within reach.

“I thought he was just kind of giving me positivity, trying to manifest stuff,” Peterson said. “But thankfully, I don’t call him crazy anymore. It was really good that he pushed me so hard.”

Peterson hit a growth spurt in high school, and as his game quickly evolved. He realized that playing in college was a real possibility. As a high school senior, he averaged 26 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game, and was ultimately named Lake County Player of the Year.

But, despite his athletic success, academics still came first.

Peterson considered attending an Ivy League, but ultimately landed at Rice University, an elite research university in Houston where he studied business. He spent two years there and excelled on the court, so much so that he opted to transfer to a higher-competition school. He spent his next three years at the University of Southern California, where he helped the Trojans make three successive March Madness runs, highlighted by an appearance in the Elite Eight in 2021.

During his senior year at USC, Peterson averaged 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, and was selected to the First Team All Pac-12 for the second consecutive season.

He graduated in the spring and went undrafted as a 23-year-old NBA prospect. He had completed two pre-draft workouts with the Celtics, he told me, and while Boston ultimately selected Jordan Walsh with the 38th overall pick, the workouts gave him an opportunity to make an impression on the front office.

Peterson played on the Miami Heat Summer League team and shot a team-high 47% from three in Las Vegas. In August, he signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Miami, and spent preseason and training camp with the organization. But in mid-October, he was ultimately waived.

Peterson got another opportunity with a rival franchise

He was playing for Sioux Falls — the Heat’s South Dakota-based G-League affiliate — when he heard rumblings that the Celtics were considering offering him a two-way contract.

“I’d heard there was interest, but I kind of kept my head down and let my agent deal with that,” Peterson said. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up. My job was to take care of business out on the court in the Midwest.”

And take care of business he did. In thirteen games with Sioux Falls, Peterson averaged 15.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, all while shooting a scorching 52.8% from the field and 40.1% from three.

Then, after practice on December 13th, he got the highly-anticipated call from his agent: the Boston Celtics were offering him a two-way contract.

“We felt it was a great fit,” Peterson said. “We were very comfortable. We trusted their [Boston’s] plan and everything made sense for us. We definitely jumped at the opportunity.”

He flew to Boston that night, sat on the bench for a home game against the Cavaliers the very next day, and then joined the Maine Celtics for two G-League games later that week. From there, he was off to the G-League showcase in Orlando, before flying to Los Angeles to meet his new teammates for the final two games of their California road trip.

Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack /NBAE via Getty Images

The transition from the Heat to the Celtics has not been too difficult. “Just kind of adjusting to the terminology, the guys on the roster, the kind of schemes they do, the tempo, all that stuff,” Peterson said. “It’s a little bit of a work in progress with all the plays.”

And the transition from college to the pros? Despite the undeniable jump in athleticism and physicality, Peterson said his game has adapted well.

“The amount of space on the court compared to college — it’s night and day,” he said. “There’s just a lot more room to work with. You’re able to find angles and stuff like that. It’s a faster tempo. Obviously, games are a lot more high scoring. It’s been a great adjustment.”

The Celtics’ staff and players have embraced the rookie

Peterson said the coaching staff and teammates – both in Boston and in Maine – have gone out of their way to help him acclimate to the new environments he’s now a part of.

He named Al Horford and Payton Pritchard as the two guys who have stood out most in their concerted effort to welcome him, include him in conversations, and make him feel at home.

“Just great guys,” Peterson said. “They’re looping me into conversations and everything. It’s kind of a feel-out process, but the guys have all been very welcoming and helping me with the transition.”

He looks forward to learning from the Celtics veterans as the season progresses. He’ll likely spend a lot of time in Maine with guys like Jordan Walsh and JD Davison.

“Just seeing how they handle their business, they’re all very professional,” he said. “It really seems like a close-knit group of guys. I’m excited to continue to meet them and get used to the culture around there.”

What can we expect from Peterson on the court?

As a two-way player, Peterson will be eligible to play in up to 50 games with the Celtics, but will not be on the postseason roster unless his contract is converted to a full-time deal later down the line.

That doesn’t mean we won’t see him, though. Neemias Queta, another Celtics two-way player, has broken into the rotation in recent weeks.

Peterson, a stretch-4 that views himself a ‘connector’, is someone who positively impacts the game in many ways, elevates his teammates, and does a little bit of everything.

“I try to have an all-around game – shoot, dribble, pass, rebound, defend,” Peterson said. “I do whatever the team would need me to do depending on the role, depending on the guys on the court.”

Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images

Who does he model his game after?

It’s not a perfect comparison, but Drew said his on-court inspiration is his now-teammate Derrick White. Of note, he’s not the first person this year who’s said he’s working to emulate White’s game; the Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell made headlines when he said in preseason that he wanted to be like D-White.

“I really admire Derrick White’s game,” Peterson told me. “Just his ability to impact the game in so many different ways. He’s just an all-around guy, a little bit of a bigger guard that can handle the ball so well.”

In a pregame presser soon after Peterson’s signing, Joe Mazzulla compared the forward’s game to another current Celtic: Sam Hauser. Mazzulla said Peterson’s play stood out in Summer League, particularly when he squared off against the Celtics.

“Just his ability to shoot, his ability to think,” Mazzulla said. “You take a look at Sam and what he’s done, the more times you can plug in guys into a specific role of what they can become over time, and you see it work into fruition, it’s kind of a formula that you have and you just look to develop that.”

So, did Peterson get to keep the game ball?

On Saturday in LA, a lifetime of hard work culminated in a single basket — his first NBA points.

And, in case you missed it, first career points are a big deal. On the very same day that Drew signed with Boston, the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers engaged in a heated postgame debacle over which team would keep the game ball: the Bucks, because Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a franchise-record 64 points, or the Pacers, whose rookie, Oscar Tshiebwe, scored his first career point.

After that story — which included Giannis sprinting through the tunnel and several fiery interviews — captured national headlines, Drew Peterson opted not to get embroiled in any game ball drama.

“I didn’t go grab anything,” Peterson said, laughing. “I was not going to handle that. But, I got the official stat sheet, so that’s pretty cool.”

And along with the stat sheet, he has the memory of his first NBA basket and the accompanying visual of his new teammates rising to their feet in celebration.

Hopefully, it’s the first of many baskets in green. In the meantime, the adventure continues for Drew — first with another G-League game in Oklahoma City tomorrow, and then back in Maine, where he’ll play in a New Years Eve game at the Portland Expo Building.

“It’s really been a crazy two weeks,” Peterson said. “I haven’t had time to think, being on the road all this time. But I’m just so excited.”

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