BOSTON — Last Thursday, when the Celtics returned from Houston after a two-game road trip, the Celtics’ coaching staff didn’t go home from the airport.
Instead, they headed straight to the Auerbach Center, where Nikola Vucevic, the team’s newest addition, awaited them.
Vucevic had been traded to Boston two days earlier, and immediately dove into watching film and acclimating to a brand-new team.
It was a lot of new faces and concepts to take in, but the 35-year-old’s transition was made easier by the presence of one assistant coach: Amile Jefferson.
In 2018, Jefferson and Vucevic were teammates on the Orlando Magic for two seasons. During that span, Jefferson was a young two-way player fresh out of Duke, and Vucevic was an All-Star. The two became good friends.
Eight years later, Jefferson is in his third year as an assistant coach on the Celtics, and Vucevic is the latest acquisition on a Celtics team that hopes to contend for a championship.
So, after a lengthy walk-through with all of the Celtics coaches on Thursday, Vucevic and Jefferson spent the evening together.
The next day, Vucevic was introduced as a Celtic for the very first time, and made his debut just hours later.
“When they came back, he and I went to dinner so I could ask him more questions, just about Celtics in general, how they like to do things, the expectations, things like that, the players, the coaching staff,” Vucevic said. “So I got a little better feel for everything. That helped me a lot.”
Vucevic appreciated that the coaches immediately prioritized getting him up to speed, not wasting a moment after they got back from Texas, and meeting with him right at the practice facility.
“As a player, that means a lot,” Vucevic said. “It shows they really care. They really want you to get involved. Because it’s not easy after a couple-day trip, everybody wants to go home, be with their families, but they came to make sure I can get up to speed as quick as possible. Everybody’s really trying to make my life much easier with the transition.”
Joe Mazzulla has already praised Vucevic for his on-court acclimation, and the progress is undeniable. The Celtics’ big man tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes in a blowout win against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night
But, the off-court acclimation matters too. And, Jefferson has played a critical role in that process.
“It was really helpful to have a familiar face and somebody I can talk to about other things, not just the X’s and O’s of the game and the coverages and all that,” Vucevic said.
“The relationship we had before as friends just kind of translated. It’s pretty easy: we have respect for each other.”
Now, Vucevic will enjoy a nearly week-long break that he hopes aids his transition to Boston. As he gets to know everyone else, he’s grateful to have a familiar face in his corner.
“That helped a lot, made me a little more comfortable,” Vucevic said. “But they’ve all been really helpful.”
