Phil Pressey idolized Paul Pierce, eager to learn from Rajon Rondo

Earlier this week Gethin Coolbaugh of Boston Sports Today shared a number of quotes from an interview with Phil Pressey.  Among the topics of conversation were Pressey's excitement to be a Celtic, his admiration for Paul Pierce, and his desire to improve his game with the help of Rajon Rondo.

On signing with the C's:

"Growing up watching them when I was younger, of course my dad coached there. Paul Pierce is one of my like all-time favorites ... it's a surreal feeling. My first impression was I was just excited. I never thought that Boston would be a team that I would be playing for. ... Like I said, I grew up watching them and my dad coached for them. I just [didn't think] that would be possible. Everything happened the way it did and I'm grateful to be on the team. Yeah, I'm really disappointed [to not be get the chance to play with Pierce]. Like I said, I grew up watching him. Everything happens for a reason, and I'm glad that we have the team that we do now and we're able to go forward in the right direction."

And regarding working on his game:

"When I went up there [in Boston] with the other rookies, he [Rondo] wasn't there. He was somewhere in rehab. But I've been texting him and talking to him and just trying to pick his brain. But once I go back and he's back in town, I'll have time to sit down and talk to him and really get to know him because he's one of the best point guards out there and I'm trying to learn from him. 

[I'm just working on] a lot of conditioning to get my condition right because it's a different type of game and just continue to hone in on a lot of my skills. Just shooting, finishing with contact and just [continuing] to get better in every aspect. I'm always trying to improve all parts of my game, but since I was young I've always worked on my floater and continue to work on my mid-range game, and just getting stronger. A lot of my strengths [are] making players better, playmaking. I don't think that's going to go anywhere -- I really can't work on that. I try to just keep studying the game and that's one of the biggest things I'm still trying to do, just watch a lot of film."

RELATED: Paul Pressey talks about his son Phil's future in the NBA


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