Max Shulga, a Ryan Odom VCU alum, was taken in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft on Thursday night, ultimately landing with the Boston Celtics.
Shulga, 23, is the rare five-year guy to go in the draft, after a five-year college career that started at Utah State, where he only got 6.8 minutes per game of floor time as a true freshman in 2020-2021.
Odom took over as head coach at Utah State in 2021, and Shulga, in his second season playing under Odom, saw his minutes increase dramatically, to 31.1 per game, and the 6’5” guard averaged 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in the 2022-2023 season.
When Odom got the job at VCU, Shulga followed his coach to the A-10, averaging 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists as a senior in 2023-2024, and then a career-high 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a COVID-redshirt senior in 2024-2025.
Shulga was named the A-10 Player of the Year in 2025.
Credit to the kid for working his way from being a garbage-time guy at Utah State to, at the worst, it would seem, a two-way deal that will get him some time in the NBA next season.
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Chris Graham
