2020 NBA Draft: Who are the odds-on favorites to be Celtics on draft night?

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Can the Boston Celtics break out of their mid-first-round draft slump?

The Celtics have made a whopping 17 selections in the last four NBA Drafts and landed two franchise cornerstones in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Boston's other 15 selections all came outside the top 10, however, and there have been far more first-round bricks (Romeo Langford, Guerschon Yabusele, Ante Zizic, James Young. R.J. Hunter) than swishes (Terry Rozier?).

Celtics Talk Podcast: Jeff Goodman on Celtics’ biggest draft need, and the Gordon Hayward trade he’d make in a heartbeat | Listen & subscribe | Watch on YouTube

That may explain why the Celtics reportedly are trying to package their three first-rounders to trade up in the 2020 NBA Draft.

But if they keep the No. 14 pick, who might be on their radar? The sportsbooks can give us insight into where Danny Ainge and Co. may be leaning.

Here are the latest odds for who the Celtics will take with their first pick in this year's draft -- Provided by our partner PointsBet.

PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.

Aaron Nesmith, Vanderbilt (+550)

Patrick Williams, Florida State (+600)

Saddiq Bey, Villanova (+600)

Precious Achiuwa, Memphis (+800)

Kira Lewis, Alabama (+800)

RJ Hampton, New Zealand Breakers (+800)

Cole Anthony, North Carolina (+1000)

Tyrese Maxey, Tyrese Maxey (+1200)

Devin Vassell, Florida State (+2000)

Josh Green, Arizona (+2500)

Nesmith comes with some injury risk, as he missed half of his sophomore campaign at Vanderbilt due to a foot injury. But his excellent jump shot -- 51.2% from the field and 52.2% from 3-point range in 2019-20 -- could be an asset for a Celtics team that lacked quality bench scoring last season.

Nesmith among 'Prototypical Celtics' in 2020 NBA Draft

Oddsmakers apparently see the Celtics targeting a wing at No. 14, as Williams (6-foot-8, 225 pounds) and Bey (6-foot-8, 216 pounds) boast similar frames and skill sets as plus shooters and versatile defenders.

Boston may have a need for wing depth if Gordon Hayward declines his player option and becomes a free agent this offseason.

These odds may change between now and Nov. 18 if Danny Ainge is able to move up in the draft, but for now, all of these players are worth monitoring.

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