BOSTON – Thousands of butterflies were fluttering around inside Tremont Waters’ stomach Monday night as he made his NBA debut for the Boston Celtics. He described his emotions as being “all over the place” when coach Brad Stevens called his name at the 9:05 mark of the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings, and it certainly showed as he air-balled his first career 3-point attempt just nine seconds later.
It didn’t take long, however, for those butterflies to tire out and come to rest, allowing Waters to settle down, focus and show the world what he’s made of. Suddenly, he was the one flying around inside TD Garden, putting on a display of flashy playmaking, fearless defense and all-around energy that helped to spark a shorthanded Celtics team to a 103-102 victory.
Waters, who is on a two-way contract with the Celtics and their G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, was called up from Portland, Maine Sunday morning to help fill the void of Kemba Walker, who suffered a sprained neck Friday night while playing in Denver. The 5-foot-10 ball handler was thrown directly into practice that afternoon and began contributing right away.
“He came in yesterday and we went over for him some of the offense, the defense and how we want to play,” backcourt mate Marcus Smart said of Waters after Monday night’s game. “He picked up on it quick. He came in and he’s a good true point guard, he was finding everybody, he was getting to his spots.”
That strong play translated into Monday night, as Waters tallied seven points, three assists, two blocked shots, and a steal during 20 minutes of action.
The most impressive number on his stat line, however, was the game-high plus-20 he logged in the plus/minus column. In other words, the Celtics outscored the Kings by one point per minute while Waters was on the floor, which was more than twice as good of a rate as any of his teammates had.
What helped Waters to accomplish that feat was the commanding presence he maintained whenever he was called upon to quarterback Boston’s offense.
“He just has control of the game,” Stevens explained. “You don't have to get too creative with any actions, you don't have to run complicated things. You just have to get in space, give him a step and let him run the right play. I think he'll play a lot better when it's not his first time coming out here, but we think he's really good.”
What allowed Waters to settle his nerves was the constant encouragement that he was receiving from his colleagues.
“The coaches said that my defensive intensity going in helped everyone else pick it up,” said Waters, who was last week's G League Player of the Week. “Just to be able to control the offense and do what I can do – pass the ball to Semi (Ojeleye) in the corner and to Enes (Kanter in the paint) – just to help guys get open shots.”
Waters even hit a couple of big shots of his own down the stretch, as he knocked down a 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter that gave Boston a five-point cushion, followed by an explosive driving layup a minute later.
“The guy’s not afraid, and he showed that,” Smart said. “He comes out shooting the ball, hit that really big 3 for us down the stretch and really controlled the game. We’re excited about Tremont and we’re happy to have him here."
The happiness is mutual, as Waters explained after the game.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” he said. “Kids dream of this moment, and to be able to be in this position, to go from the G League, obviously I’m working on my game, to come to the NBA level and to help the team actually get a win definitely feels good.
“But I’m not satisfied with it,” he added on an eager note. “I’ve just gotta keep working and everything else will definitely play itself out.”
Now that those butterflies have settled, things should only get easier for the first-year guard. So, get used to Waters flying around TD Garden in the games to come.
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