Rumors indicate that Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge wants to move into the top ten of the draft. And that shouldn't be a surprise. After the top five picks there is still a handful of possibly very valuable players. After that group of players things become tricky. The Celtics could get a great fit at their current spot, no. 16, but they could also be left with no one that they really like, and that's when you often choose wrong.
And it's not like Ainge has a perfect record with later draft picks, even though he has had his home runs.
If the Celtics get the chance to trade up, they have two dire needs:
- A rim protecting big with some offensive upside.
- A scorer-playmaker wing with at least decent defense.
One of the picks in the top ten range that might be attainable through trade, without costing the Celtics too much, could be the Charlotte Hornets' pick at no. 9.
There will be changes of opinions right up until draft night, and players' stocks will rise and fall, but at that place in the draft there might be some very interesting players for the Celtics.
Point guard Cameron Payne has pushed his draft stock maybe even into the top eight, and this could leave the Celtics looking at players like Mario Hezonja (though unlikely), Justise Winslow, Devin Booker, Stanley Johnson or Myles Turner as the best player available. Maybe even Willie Cauley-Stein, though several teams in the top eight seem to have him high on their list. Each of these players looks like a great fit for Boston and has upside that could make them regular steals in the draft. And that's why Ainge should be so interested to move up into that range of the lottery.
Not enough roster space for four new players
Even if Ainge won't be able to trade up in the draft, there is no guarantee that he will keep pick no. 16. The Celtics have so many picks in this year's draft alone that - with the players already on contract in mind - he would have to draft-and-stash at least one player, if he uses all of his picks. So he might try to use a couple of picks to trade for a proven player or even for future picks, though he already has plenty to burn.
But let us assume that Boston keeps the pick. A player like Frank Kaminsky is a candidate for dropping out of the lottery, and even if he has limited upside, he should at least be one, who the Celtics considered, a lot.
Other players in that range are Sam Dekker, Bobby Portis, Trey Lyles, Kelly Oubre and Kevon Looney. Some of them will probably be gone before no. 16. But these players all seem to fit the Celtics at least to a degree, while it's hard to determine who is the best player available.
The Celtics might also reach a bit to take a player who has been projected to be picked later, like Justin Anderson, who has been quite impressive in his workouts.
Pick number 28 is probably too early to take a big risk
The Celtics' second pick – acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers when they hired then Celtics coach Doc Rivers – is at no. 28. This is still a guaranteed contract, so don't expect the Celtics to run a huge risk, like talented center Robert Upshaw, who has serious off-the-court red flags. They should still choose a player with a lot of upside, though, since they probably can't fulfill their immediate needs at this point in the draft.
And when it comes to exciting players with upside, this draft seems very, very deep. Boston has had 50 players or so visiting for workouts and have been represented at workouts at several other locations.
You have a player like Rashad Vaughn, who was projected to be taken in the second round, but whose workouts have brought him up in the top 30. He is a talented shooting guard, but struggled with his shot selecton for UNLV.
Chris McCullough might have the highest upside at this point in the draft. He tore his ACL in January, and was expected to return to Syracuse for his sophomore season. He is almost 6'10 with a 9'1 standing reach, a power forward with rim protection potential.
Anthony Brown is also someone the Celtics might take at 28, if he is available. He looks like the next ”three-and-D” wing player with potential to do more on offense not unlike Khris Middleton. But three point shooting and defense alone would still be enough to be a good fit in Boston. Brown already has a solid floor, so he is one of the safer picks.
Maybe take a flyer on Robert Upshaw at 33
Moving up to no. 33, a Philadelphia 1st round pick turned into two second round picks, this year and next. This is the time you make a gut check: Do you want to take a flyer on Robert Upshaw who is a tremendous talent or will you let him become someone else's headache. The Celtics might just be the right organization for him, but then again it might not.
There are several other big man projects, who could be stashed in Europe for a season or two while developing, who are projected to go in the early thirties.
A handful of Europeans are in that category: Guillermo Hernangomez (Spain), Arturas Gudaitis (Lithaunia), Nikola Milotunov (Serbia) and Mouhammadou Jaiteh (France), though Jaiteh has stated that he doesn't want to be stashed in Europe, but wants to come to the NBA right away. To be fair, that might also be best for his development.
Other big men, who might and might not pan out are Dakari Johnson and Cliff Alexander, who both were highly touted going out of high school, but failed to develop enough in college. They are still both under 20, though, and big men often develop a little slower than guards and wing players.
But at this point in the draft, it's anybody's guess, who will get picked. It might depend on who had a great interview and seems to fit the culture, that coach Brad Stevens is developing. You can't tell that from just the workouts, and Danny Ainge is known for his smoke screens and mirrors, that will keep us guessing right until his picks are made.
Time to pick a sleeper at 45
Boston's last pick is at no. 45. The aforementioned players are probably all gone at this point, but some very interesting shooting guards or combo guards are projected to go in the middle of the second round: J.P. Tokoto who might actually be better as a point guard, Michael Frazier, Pat Connaughton, Olivier Hanlan, Norman Powell, Joseph Young and Tyler Harvey.
GM Danny Ainge might feel a special connection to Connaughton, who is of the same rare breed as Ainge himself. The Notre Dame shooting guard was actually drafted in the fourth round in the MLB amateur draft and even played six games for Aberdeen IronBirds last summer. But just like Ainge left the Toronto Blue Jays to focus on his NBA career, Connaughton wants to pursue his chances of being a pro basketball player.
All of the above mentioned players are potential sleepers, and the Celtics doesn't lose much by taking a chance on them or any other player this late in the draft. They aren't expected to strike gold, but might get lucky. After all they have a leprechaun for a mascot.
