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Pruitt Looks To Make Leap in Second Year

Couper Moorhead
Celtics.com Correspondent
July 2, 2008

WALTHAM - Confidence and trust.

That's all Gabe Pruitt is trying to earn this summer. Unlike last summer, when he joined the Celtics as a No. 32 pick out of the University of Southern California, he's got plenty of confidence in himself.

Now, starting with Boston's free agent camp that runs today through Saturday, he'll try to show he deserves a share of the minutes behind an entrenched Rajon Rondo -- minutes that Eddie House and Sam Cassell dominated last season.

"I feel like this is a big summer for me," Pruitt said. "It's an opportunity for me to come in and get some minutes."

Pruitt got some in 2008, scoring 2.1 points in 6.3 minutes per game, but some meaningful minutes would be a massive upgrade and an accomplishment. Pruitt did not touch the floor once during the playoffs.

Gabe Prutt says that this will be a big summer for him as he tries to make a leap in his second year.
Peter Stringer/Celtics.com

Though much of the camp's first day was spent getting the free agents acclimated to the offensive scheme, which allowed Pruitt to show off some of the veteran tricks he's picked up, it was still a couple hours of 'so far so good'.

"He clearly looks very polished," said assistant coach Armond Hill, who's leading the mini-camp in Doc Rivers' absence.

Though noting that it was early, the Celtics' Executive Director of Basketball Operations and General Manager Danny Ainge shared the vote of confidence.

"Gabe looked good today," Ainge said. "His body looks better than it did a year ago, he's more confident in his game and his shot. He's improved."

Enough so that Ainge passed on drafting a point guard last Thursday, notably Kansas' Mario Chalmers, who was available at No. 30. The non-move made perfect sense for a team that had already seen the drastic improvements of their other young point guard. Though he's less than four months older than Pruitt, Rajon Rondo (his field-goal percentage jumped from .418 to .492 this year) has set the perfect example.

"Rondo made a huge step from year one to year two," Pruitt said. "I do use Rondo as my guidance along the way."

With a couple relaxing weeks spent with family in Los Angeles behind him, he's not worried about celebrating the championship at this point.

"Celebrating comes later...I have a lot to work on," Pruitt said.