Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens wants to see rookie forward Anton Watson shoot more jump shots this summer.
“I want him to come in here with the mindset that he’s gonna let it fly like he’s never let it fly before,” Stevens said during his post-draft press conference. “I think he’s a better shooter than he sometimes thinks he is.”
Watson told reporters Monday he found Stevens’s message to be encouraging.
“Obviously hearing that from Brad, that’s a good man to hear it from,” Watson said. “Let it go, let it fly. I feel like I’ve got a good shot. I’ve just got to be more confident with it.”
The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward is capable of guarding multiple positions, and grabbed 7.1 rebounds per game at Gonzaga last year.
Watson’s defensive prowess stood out to Celtics assistant and Summer League coach DJ MacLeay, but like Stevens, MacLeay is encouraging Watson to explore how good his outside shooting can become.
“The first thing that sticks out when you watch him is how well he does on the ball defensively,” MacLeay said. “He’s a special defender. He’s strong, like he really, really moves, so I think that’s something that has really been impressive. I do think, one thing for him, he is a better shooter than maybe he’s shown and we’re just really trying to encourage that.”
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Watson has shown steady improvement with his outside shooting stroke, going from 11 percent beyond the arc during his freshman season to 41.2 percent last season as a fifth-year senior.
“I think it’s just confidence, taking it more in games,” Watson said. “I shoot a lot in practice and get a lot of reps up, but shooting more in games is going to help me.”
There wasn’t quite enough volume (1.5 attempts per game) to prove that he can shoot consistently at that clip, so the Celtics are excited to see what he can do.
“Shooting is obviously a big piece, you know, kind of like that Al Horford role,” Watson said. “He’s a great shooter. I think learning from his going to be huge for me, actually all the veterans on this team.”
Khari Thompson can be reached at khari.thompson@globe.com.