Joe Mazzulla Weighs In On Biggest Roster Decision Celtics Face

Most of the moves the Boston Celtics made, like the three players they waived Thursday, to trim their roster down during the preseason were no-brainers.

The decision on whether to keep Lonnie Walker IV around doesn’t fit into that category, though.

Walker, who has six seasons of NBA experience under his belt and averaged double digits in scoring in half of those seasons, was a surprise signing by the Celtics in late August when they landed the 6-foot-4 guard on an Exhibit 10 deal.

He showed well during the preseason, making his case for the 15th and final spot on Boston’s regular-season roster. The Celtics have until Saturday to decide if Walker did enough to get that spot, or they could waive him, opening up the potential for him to sign with another team if he doesn’t join Boston’s G League affiliate. If the Celtics keep Walker on the active roster, his deal will turn into a standard minimum contract.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla liked what he saw out of Walker during his time around him, but didn’t let on to how the team will proceed with the 25-year-old.

“He had a great training camp,” Mazzulla told reporters Friday, per CLNS Media. “I liked his attitude. I liked his work ethic. I thought he really got acclimated to our defensive system, and I thought he really worked to study the offensive system and how he fit into that. I thought he took advantage of the time that he had and that’s really all you can ask for.”

Mazzulla’s comments bode well for Walker, who practiced with the team Friday, sticking around with the Celtics. He only logged a couple of minutes in both games Boston played in Abu Dhabi against the Denver Nuggets but made an impact in a 50-point beatdown of the Philadelphia 76ers by accumulating nine points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes off the bench.

Walker had his best scoring game against the Toronto Raptors when he poured in 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting. He did not play in Boston’s preseason finale.

Walker certainly showed he’s capable of contributing at the NBA level. But whether that comes with the Celtics remains to be seen.