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Joe Mazzulla weighs in on the Celtics’ biggest roster decision
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Joe Mazzulla weighs in on the Celtics’ biggest roster decision

Most of the moves the Boston Celtics made, like the three players they waived Thursday to trim their preseason roster, were a given.

However, the decision about whether to keep Lonnie Walker IV doesn’t fit into that category.

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

He performed well in the preseason and fought for the 15th and final spot on Boston’s regular season roster. The Celtics have until Saturday to decide whether Walker has done enough to get that spot or if they could waive him, opening up the possibility for him to sign with another team if he doesn’t go to Boston’s G -League subsidiary changes. If the Celtics keep Walker on the active roster, his contract will become a standard minimum contract.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla liked what he saw in Walker’s time with him, but didn’t reveal how the team will handle the 25-year-old.

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“He had a great training camp,” Mazzulla told reporters on Friday, according to CLNS Media. “I liked his attitude. I liked his work ethic. I thought he really got used to our defensive system and I thought he really worked on studying the offensive system and figuring out how he fits into it. I thought he made the most of the time he had and that’s really all you could ask for.”

Mazzulla’s comments bode well for Walker, who practiced with the team on Friday and remained with the Celtics. He only played a few minutes in both games Boston played in Abu Dhabi against the Denver Nuggets, but made an impact in a 50-point win against the Philadelphia 76ers, posting nine points, seven assists, four in 25 minutes of play The bench collected rebounds and two steals.

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

Walker has undoubtedly shown that he is capable of contributing at the NBA level. But whether that happens for the Celtics remains to be seen.

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