Libertyville’s Peterson takes victory tour to Hoffman Estates
Drew Peterson has done an extraordinary amount of winning in the past year.
Proud owner of an NBA championship ring, Peterson reached the G-League finals in his first professional season. The Libertyville native averaged 20.7 points and 8.7 rebounds for the Maine Celtics in the finals, but they dropped the three-game series to Oklahoma City.
No worries. Immediately after the G-League championship ended, the 6-foot-9 forward joined the NBA Celtics for their playoff run. As a two-way player, Peterson couldn't suit up for the games, but he practiced, traveled, sat on or near the bench and ultimately celebrated just like every other player in green.
“The night of (the clincher) was pretty crazy,” Peterson said. “It didn't really set in until the parade. When we were on those duck boats and got out there and saw the amount of people out there to support, it was just surreal. It capped off a crazy year.”
Peterson was back in town Saturday as the Maine Celtics took on the Windy City Bulls in Hoffman Estates. He was able to get back to Libertyville on Friday night, then welcome family and friends to the game.
But as a two-way player, which means he can play for both the NBA and G-League teams, the schedule is always uncertain. He's spent the past couple weeks with the NBA Celtics and didn't find out until late in the week that he'd make the trip to the Chicago suburbs.
“I know it's hard, I put a lot of pressure on (friends and family), but it's great to be able to be here,” Peterson said before the game against Windy City. “I'm going to have a decent amount of people here, which is cool.”
Peterson produced 19 points and 7 rebounds as the Maine Celtics beat Windy City 102-98 in overtime. Peterson was fouled on a 3-point attempt and hit all three free throws to hit the target score and end the game.
He made one appearance at Now Arena early last season, when he played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat affiliate. The Skyforce was set to make a return visit to Hoffman Estates about two weeks later, but literally the day before the game, Peterson signed a two-way deal with the Celtics.
“I originally had a bunch of people planning to come that night,” he said. “And I had to tell them, 'Sorry, I just got promoted.'”
This has been an incredible journey, hitting every corner of the country. Peterson was captain of the Daily Herald's Lake County All-Area team for Libertyville in 2018. He didn't get offers from the high-major conferences and spent his first two years of college at Rice. He then transferred to USC, where he teamed up with future Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, got an extra year due to the pandemic, but went undrafted in 2023.
He hasn't stopped improving. The next step, maybe the most elusive, is becoming a full-time NBA player. Already, he's gone from playing in three games for the Boston Celtics as a rookie to 14 this season.
“It's just a chip on my shoulder,” Peterson said. “The thing I always look back on and try to tell people is it's not always the best thing to be told you're a Top-100 kid and you've kind of got everything given to you in a way. You start with a big high ranking and it's going to be easy to get to the next step.”
Last year, Peterson admitted feeling like an outsider at times, sharing a locker room with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the rest of the Celtics. After the playoff run and training camp, he’s feeling more at home in Boston and certainly put the work in to earn his spot.
“I've had a chip on my shoulder ever since not getting the offers I wanted out of high school,” he added. “Even after leaving Rice, it took a while to get USC and after USC, I was undrafted. So every step of the way, I feel like it's been a climb, but I think it's really helped shape who I am and the work ethic I need and what it takes to be able to keep climbing. So I've been very fortunate to be in that spot.”