Lately, the Celtics have tended to prioritize drafting gamers with long-term potential who’ve loads of room to develop.
This 12 months, after an agonizing loss within the Jap Convention Finals, it’s doable they’ll as a substitute look to handle a direct want. Gamers with excessive ceilings are attractive, however generally gamers with excessive flooring are the best way to go, notably so late within the draft.
Listed below are 5 prospects they need to contemplate taking with the thirty fifth total choose in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
Adama Sanogo, UConn ahead/middle
You may keep in mind Sanogo from his dominant NCAA Match run with UConn a couple of months in the past.
At 6-foot-8, 260 kilos, he makes up for his “lack” of conventional large man top with a powerful basis and practically 7-foot-3 wingspan. Sanogo, the tourney’s Most Excellent Participant, averaged 17.2 factors 7.7 rebounds this season and performed his greatest basketball when it mattered most.
He can are available in straight away and make his presence felt. Even when he averages 3 factors and three rebounds in 12 minutes, that’s useful. The Celtics actually wanted one other large throughout their playoff run (sure, even Cody Zeller would have helped), and Sanogo can fill that position nicely.
He performs extraordinarily onerous, runs the ground decently nicely for his measurement and is a superb staff man. Plus, he has a steadily enhancing exterior shot and is a sneaky good passer. He gained’t be a bust and is well worth the choose.
Dariq Whitehead, Duke guard/ahead
Whitehead is eighteen years outdated however is an NBA-ready participant from a expertise standpoint.
The 6-foot-7 guard/ahead has a novel mix of measurement, size and athleticism. He’s a man who can present on the spot vitality off the bench subsequent 12 months.
At Duke, whereas he had an honest season with 8.3 factors and a couple of.4 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per sport, he didn’t actually get to showcase his potential whereas coping with damage on a loaded roster. He was as soon as thought-about a doable top-five choose however had foot surgical procedure final August and by no means fairly hit his stride afterward.
Whitehead would slot in nicely as Jaylen Brown’s backup and would study from him (assuming Brown stays). He performs downhill, has an ideal first step and has an opportunity to grow to be an elite NBA finisher.
He has a excessive ceiling but in addition has a excessive flooring.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana ahead
Whereas it’s possible Jackson-Davis will go late within the first spherical, there’s an opportunity he’ll fall to early within the second. If he does, the Celtics shouldn’t hesitate to take him.
He’s an Indiana man, so Brad Stevens will like that. He additionally improved significantly with the Hoosiers, upping his scoring common from 13.5 as a freshman to twenty.9 as a senior.
The phrase that involves thoughts with Jackson-Davis is versatility. He averaged 10.8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2.9 blocks, 0.8 steals and shot 58.1 p.c from the sphere final 12 months. He does somewhat little bit of all the pieces, finishes nicely on the rim and has particular leaping capability.
He’s not an ideal shooter proper now, however he has the potential to grow to be a decent one. Even when he doesn’t sharpen his shot, he nonetheless ought to final. If he does, he might blossom into an ideal NBA participant.
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky ahead/middle
The knock on Tshiebwe, very like Sanogo, is that he’s “solely” 6-foot-9 or so.
Having stated that, he’s an impressive – actually excellent – rebounder. Tshiebwe carves out place like few others and relentlessly pursues the ball like his life is dependent upon it. He averaged a whopping 15.1 boards in 2021-22, when he was the Nationwide Participant Of The Yr, and 13.7 final season.
The Celtics want one other man who will dive on the ground, preserve performs alive and play with coronary heart. Tshiebwe may be that man. His put up strikes labored in faculty, however the subsequent step is growing quite a lot of strikes that may work within the NBA. He can get there.
Once more, this record isn’t essentially stuffed with guys who will common 20 factors per sport sometime. It’s designed to focus on gamers who can contribute straight away and make successful performs on a championship staff – suppose Christian Braun.
Emoni Bates, Jap Michigan guard/ahead
OK, only for enjoyable, right here’s one long-term undertaking.
Bates, a 6-foot-9 wing who was ranked No. 1 within the nation from sixth grade to his senior 12 months of highschool, was alleged to be the following large factor.
He had an up-and-down freshman 12 months at Memphis and was later sentenced to 18 months of probation after pleading responsible to a misdemeanor gun cost.
Bates, nonetheless 19, averaged 19.2 factors and 5.8 rebounds final 12 months with Jap Michigan. The expertise continues to be there, and he simply wants the proper staff to unlock it. The Celtics have a powerful sufficient tradition, and sufficient hardworking veterans, that Bates will not be a distraction off the court docket.
His on-court prowess is intriguing, as his size, athleticism and talent to glide from level A to level B make him a first-round expertise who will possible go within the second.
