After Lonnie Walker IV was waived by the Celtics in October, he had a call to make: be a part of the Maine Celtics in hopes of in the end getting known as as much as Boston or go abroad and play within the EuroLeague.
It was a tough selection that he weighed closely.
“I used to be positively extremely occupied with going again to Maine, so far as with the Boston Celtics and, hopefully getting the chance again to come back again and play with the principle crew,” Walker IV advised reporters earlier than Thursday’s recreation between the Celtics and 76ers.
However after some consideration, he felt compelled to hitch the Zalgiris membership in Lithuania. The crew provided him an NBA buyout clause, which means that he might rejoin the NBA till Feb. 18. That flexibility, a very good dialog with organizational management, and the understanding that the EuroLeague was enormously aggressive, compelled him to take a leap of religion and head abroad.
“There’s nothing higher to indicate your skills within the second-best league on this planet,” he mentioned. “It was a second of simply betting on myself.”
In Zalgiris, Walker IV averaged 13.6 factors throughout 19 video games, taking pictures 45.2% from two and 33.1% from three. As Feb. 18 approached, it appeared more and more unlikely {that a} return to the NBA was coming this season. So, he saved his targeted on the Lithuanian membership, and opted to dam out the noise concerning potential NBA provides.
“I form of simply advised my agent, ‘Don’t inform me something if it’s not sure,’” he mentioned. “I actually was simply making an attempt to remain current, play for Zalgiris.”
However within the ultimate hours forward of his buyout deadline, his agent knowledgeable him that the Philadelphia 76ers had been making a proposal.
“I didn’t actually count on to come back right here on the final minute of my contract, however by the grace of God, I bought again right here,” he mentioned. “Now I’m simply making an attempt to make use of the chance to the perfect of my functionality.”
Walker IV struggled in his first couple of video games with the 76ers, making simply 3 of his first 17 shot makes an attempt. Forward of Thursday’s recreation between the Celtics and the 76ers, Philadelphia’s head coach Nick Nurse mentioned that his athleticism and shotmaking capability compelled the crew to provide him an opportunity.
“From what we’ve seen, we actually like him,” Nurse mentioned. “He hasn’t performed nice, by the numbers or his personal admission. However I form of see him popping out of that just a little bit. I feel he’ll discover his toes right here just a little bit and have some good video games.”
Requested Nick Nurse about what Lonnie Walker IV has delivered to the crew:
“I actually like him. He hasn’t performed nice by in all probability the numbers or his personal admission, however I form of see him popping out of that just a little bit.” pic.twitter.com/2Btl9YBiLc
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) March 6, 2025
Earlier than Thursday’s recreation, Walker made clear that his confidence hadn’t wavered regardless of a few robust early taking pictures performances.
“I bought to know that I’m human, too. I’m not going to right away adapt to issues,” Walker IV mentioned pregame. “I do know my potential, I do know what I can deliver to the desk. It’s all about simply discovering consistency each single day, simply making an attempt to be higher than what I used to be yesterday, and profiting from this chance, as of proper now.”
Positive sufficient, Walker IV had his greatest recreation of the season only a few hours later in opposition to the Celtics, scoring a season-high 17 factors on 6-13 taking pictures and tallying 3 assists in 28 minutes.
How Lonnie Walker IV benefited from his month with the Celtics
By now, Walker IV’s tenure with the Celtics is 5 months within the rearview. He celebrated each his birthday and Christmas alone in Lithuania and lived for almost half a yr in a rustic that was utterly international to him.
Earlier than he moved to Kaunas, Walker IV spent a month with the Celtics for coaching camp, an expertise that, upon reflection, he mentioned helped him turn into extra skilled. Walker IV shared that in Boston, he labored tougher than ever earlier than.
“I simply labored my tail off,” he mentioned. “I feel I took it to a complete different degree, so far as my psychological capabilities to understanding what I can do. I put myself in lots of uncomfortable conditions. They’ll let you know — I used to be first one there, normally the final one out. I used to be doing chilly water plunges, simply lots of issues that I don’t usually do… two-a-days, coming again at night time, getting photographs up, I actually simply labored my tail off as a lot as I might. And it positively confirmed how far more I’ve left to provide to the sport.”
A part of it was the surprising state of affairs Lonnie Walker IV discovered himself in; after six years within the NBA, three through which he averaged double-figures, his again was in opposition to the wall as he looked for an NBA contract.
Photograph by Brian Babineau/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs
However, the opposite facet of his elevated motivation was the aggressive atmosphere he out of the blue discovered himself immersed in.
“Once you’re part of a championship group and the way they strategy the sport, it offers you just a little extra motivation, inspiration,” Walker IV mentioned. “You need to be the perfect, and also you need to see how everyone seems to be continuing to be the perfect, and why they’re such an important crew.”
The 26-year-old mentioned that seeing Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum rigorous work ethic from the start of coaching camp compelled him to enhance his personal habits.
“I’m gonna shoot too, as a result of I see that they’re doing it night time in and night time out,” he mentioned, reflecting on his mindset at Celtics coaching camp. “Seeing Payton Pritchard do his factor, and Derrick White and all these nice people, it positively made me need to go so much tougher, as a result of I need to be in that place that they’re in. It positively instilled one thing so far as like — let my work ethic be the toughest working man on the crew as a lot as I can.”
