The Celtics officially signed a rookie player on Thursday who coach Joe Mazzulla hopes can follow a similar trajectory as a current player on Boston’s roster.

The C’s signed Drew Peterson to a two-way contract. He’s an athletic wing who played five college seasons – two at Rice before transferring for three at Southern California – before signing as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Miami Heat. He was a standout for the Heat’s summer league team, which included a 13-point performance against the Celtics that caught Boston’s eye.

The 6-foot-8 Peterson – who was a two-time All-Pac 12 selection at USC – played in 13 games for G-League Sioux Falls, where he averaged 15.2 points per game, shot 40.7 percent from 3-point range and dished out 4.2 assists per game before he signed with the Celtics.

Mazzulla thinks Peterson can take a similar path to a player like Sam Hauser, who was also undrafted in 2021 before developing in the G-League and now becoming a key player in the Celtics’ rotation in his third season.

“Just his ability to shoot, ability to think,” Mazzulla said of what he likes about Peterson.. “You take a look at Sam and what he’s done. The more times you can put your guys into a specific role of what they can become over time, and you see it work into fruition, it’s kind of a formula that you have and can develop.”

The Celtics had room to sign Peterson to a two-way contract after they waived two-way big man Nathan Knight earlier this week.

Leaning on Sam

One of the first items on Mazzulla’s to-do list after last season was replenishing his coaching staff. His coaching bench was shorthanded after assistant Damon Stoudamire’s midseason departure, and several other coaches left the staff. Mazzulla, entering his second season, targeted some experience to help him and added veteran coaches Charles Lee and Sam Cassell.

The restructuring has gone well so far. Cassell, in particular, has been a great fit because he has several perspectives between his playing and coaching career that help him relate with everyone on the roster.

“One of the gifts of having a guy like him and a gift in this league is experience,” Mazzulla said. “He’s able to touch every seat on the bench. He’s been around some of the best coaches. He’s been a starting point guard. He’s been a role player. He’s been a third-string guy that gets in towards the end. So he’s literally seen everything you can possibly go through in the NBA, coaching and playing. So I think he’s more of a sounding board. One of his best gifts is, as much as he talks, he does like to listen as well. And one of his greatest gifts is listening to everybody and bringing that perspective. So he does a little bit of everything.”

Proud coach

Mazzulla was an assistant with the Celtics in 2019 when the team added Max Strus to their summer league team. He directly worked with the forward as he signed a two-way contract with the C’s before ultimately being waived early that season.

Strus became a thorn in Boston’s side as he signed with the Heat and competed against him in multiple Eastern Conference Finals. He signed with the Cavaliers this season, and scored 17 points against the Celtics on Tuesday. But Mazzulla still holds fond memories of Strus from when he coached him, which included a visit for a softball game at Fenway Park back in 2019.

I loved him. He was awesome. We played softball at Fenway once and I’ve never seen a guy hit it as far as he did, he crushed it,” Mazzulla recalled before Thursday’s rematch against Strus and the Cavs. “It was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen.”

Four years later, he’s proud of how Strus responded from being waived to carving out a role in the NBA.

“He just always got there early and just the intensity that he brought to every single workout, you could tell he was going to make it regardless of the situation that he was in just because of the mindset that he brought, and so really happy for him, really proud of him, and he just continues to work so I’m glad I had a chance to coach him,” Mazzulla said.

Tip-ins

Jaylen Brown was listed as questionable by the Celtics for Thursday’s rematch due to a left ankle sprain he suffered in Tuesday’s win, but was cleared to play. Kristaps Porzingis was downgraded to probable on Thursday due to calf strain tightness but was ultimately cleared, too. Luke Kornet missed Thursday’s game due to left adductor tightness. …

The NBA handed Warriors forward Draymond Green an indefinite suspension on Wednesday after an unsportsmanlike act he committed against the Suns’ Jusuf Nurkić on Tuesday, which means he will likely miss next Tuesday’s matchup against the Celtics in Golden State.