It’s safe to say Tremont Waters was a little bit starstruck when Kemba Walker arrived at the Boston Celtics’ practice facility Sunday.
Waters, drafted in the second round (51st overall) by Boston last month, grew up in New Haven, Conn., and therefore is very familiar with Walker’s three-year run at the University of Connecticut, which culminated with a national championship in 2011.
“I was able to talk to him. I actually have a picture of when he was at UConn and I was a fan. I’m not going to lie, I was definitely a fan,” Waters said Tuesday after a summer league practice, according to MassLive.com. “I was cheesing from ear to ear. And just knowing that I’m able to learn from him now, obviously (after) watching him growing up, it’s a blessing. And I’m all in and ready to learn.”
Waters and Walker obviously are at very different points in their respective basketball careers. Waters, who spent his college career at LSU, is just 21 years old and fighting for an NBA roster spot this summer, while Walker, a three-time All-Star, is an established veteran now expected to become the face of the Celtics’ return to prominence after agreeing to a four-year, $141 million max contract at the onset of free agency.
But Waters (5-foot-11), like Walker (6-foot-1), is small by NBA standards and certainly could benefit from working alongside one of the best point guards on the planet — so long as the rookie is able to contain his excitement long enough to absorb the information.
