Rising Boston Celtics wing Ron Harper Jr. secured himself his first real bag with the team this offseason after years of hard work through injury and a stacked Boston roster, and the victory of that earned security is something the New Jersey native does not take for granted. "It was great," said Harper Jr. "It was really rewarding, all the hard work that I put in behind the scenes these last couple of years, for it to be rewarded with a contract extension with a team that I really want to play for – it was nothing short of a dream come true."
"I'm really grateful and I'm really excited for the season," added the reserve Boston wing, who later alluded to how he had to remain vigilant for whenever he had a shot at getting on the court with the Celtics.
"It's tough mentally to stay ready," explained Harper Jr.
"Especially when you ... go from not playing to starting," he added, referring to his first career playoff start vs. the Philadelphia 76ers last spring. "But probably you've just got to lean on the people around you, and the people in the building, the people that have been in your shoes."
"That's something I've gotten real good at," added the Celtics wing, "talking to Neemi (Queta) about his experience, Sam (Hauser) about his experience playing (...)."
"Those are guys that didn't play much early in their career that have carved out roles for themselves, that have won championship with Boston. So just being able to gain advice from them, people that were in my shoes before, how they attacked it and (to) try to take what they give me and use it with my own (game)."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Ron Harper Jr. on first real contract with Boston Celtics, earning playing time
