Mock Draft 8.0: Celtics add needed scoring, size in Round 1
The Boston Celtics season didn’t have the kind of storybook ending that so many of its green-and-white clad followers were hoping for.As the disappointment of coming up short of bringing home another title settles in, the focus soon shifts towards how to be better for next season, a season whose start - much like Boston’s place in the Eastern Conference hierarchy next season - remains uncertain.They’ll be good, but will they be good enough to be the last team standing? And as they enter the early stages of the offseason, what areas do they need to shore up the most?Boston has a multitude of players who have shown the ability to score the ball, but there’s a clear need for an instant-offense type of shooter. And as we saw to some degree against Toronto with Serge Ibaka and even more so with Miami’s Bam Adebayo, the need for a stronger, more versatile big man would be a significant addition to the team next season.The strength in this year’s draft for a team like the Celtics -- who won’t be picking near the top -- is that there’s such balance among the prospects that it’s not a stretch to think the player taken with say, the seventh overall pick, will be no better than the player selected 10 or 12 slots later.“You always want to pick as early as possible, to best ensure you get your guy,” an Eastern Conference executive told NBC Sports Boston. “But this is as good a draft as you’ll have, where picking in the lottery won’t really look or help you more than the talent you’ll get in the late-teens and early 20s.”That is great news for the Celtics who have three first-round picks, with the earliest selection coming at No. 14. Here’s a look at NBC Sports Boston’s latest Mock Draft.
6-7, 190 pounds
Summary: There isn’t another player in this draft that has been more scrutinized than LaMelo Ball. Regardless of the reality TV background and all the notoriety that comes with that, Ball is an absolute baller who provides the Timberpups with a much-needed shot of talent (defensive shortcomings are what they are) and superstar potential.
7-1, 247 pounds
Summary: It really does feel like the rich are about to get an unexpected tax break with the already-stacked Warriors, in position to address their greatest need — a mobile big man — in selecting Wiseman. While there may be questions about his motor, players with his size (a 7-footer with a 7-6 wingspan) and mobility rarely come together as a package deal.
6-9, 220 pounds
Summary: This is the point in the draft where things get interesting with the Hornets thinking long and hard about taking Toppin or Anthony Edwards of Georgia. With the NBA getting smaller and more skilled in the frontcourt, players with Toppin’s upside and versatility will only become more in demand.
6-9, 225 pounds
Summary: The Bulls go with one of the better foreign-born prospects in this year’s draft. Avdija’s playmaking skills for a 6-9 wing player give new Bulls coach Billy Donovan plenty of options on how to utilize him to create favorable matchups.
6-4, 235 pounds
Summary: Projected by some as the top overall pick, Edwards joins a Cavaliers team that could use a player with his strengths: scoring. And because of his 6-4 frame and 6-9 wingspan, Edwards can play all three backcourt positions if needed.
6-9, 245 pounds
Summary: While there will be comparisons to current Hawk John Collins, Okongwu gives the Hawks a more defensive-minded big whose size and length make him an ideal addition to an Atlanta Hawks team that, much like most of the NBA, are looking to have a high level of interchangeability within their roster both on the wing as well as in the frontcourt.
6-5, 175 pounds
Summary: At 6-5 with long arms, Haliburton provides Detroit with a versatile playmaker who thrives in getting teammates involved offensively, but has shown he too can get buckets. His shot mechanics may need to be tinkered with, the overall package he brings to the game makes him an ideal addition for Detroit at this point in the draft.
6-3, 190 pounds
Summary: The Anthony name as much as his game makes him a good fit here. His father Greg played for the Knicks and his strengths — a scorer known for being a strong leader — are qualities New York can’t have too much of these days.
6-5, 192 pounds
Summary: Can play both guard positions effectively, so he becomes a potential rotation player from Day One. The 6-5 lefty has good basketball smarts, can create his own shot. Figuring out the pace he needs to play within games is among the bigger challenges awaiting him as an NBA rookie.
6-6, 225 pounds
Summary: For a team that seems to have plenty of scorers, adding the best “glue-guy” in this draft would be a huge get for the Suns. The 6-6 Okoro will come into the NBA as an elite defender who can guard all five positions effectively. His offensive game needs work, but let’s keep it real: You’re not looking to him for buckets.
6-7, 195 pounds
Summary: There’s a lot to like about Vassell’s game, especially when you think about it and how it would fit in with the Spurs culture. He’s not an elite athlete but does a good job of running the floor and playing defense. Vassell can score well from a variety of points on the floor, giving San Antonio another versatile, two-way talent.
6-5, 185 pounds
Summary: Hampton was a potential target of Sacramento regardless but adding Hampton would certainly help soften the blow if the Kings were to lose Buddy Hield, who reportedly hasn’t exactly been embracing his time with the Kings. Hampton has a lithe frame, but has major upside as a scorer.
6-10, 225 pounds
Summary: Has a lot of building blocks you’ll find in the modern-day NBA big man who can defend, rebound and shoot from the perimeter. His long-range shooting numbers look good, although the sample size is small. His two-way potential makes him a solid pick at this point in the draft.
6-6, 215 pounds
Summary: Seeing how close they were to landing Tyler Herro a year ago, Nesmith gives Boston a much-needed shot-maker whose presence should help loosen up the offense for Boston. If not for an injury that sidelined him most of this past college basketball season, Nesmith was likely going to be a top-five or top-10 pick.
6-9, 234 pounds
Summary: Keeping with the longstanding tradition of the Magic under the watchful eye of veteran GM John Hammond, Orlando adds another long-armed, versatile frontcourt player in Achiuwa. His offensive game remains very raw, but the energy that he plays with along with strong defensive instincts makes him a safe pick at this point in the draft.
6-8, 216 pounds
Summary: While much of the focus surrounding Bey centers around his shooting, he showed tremendous potential to be a solid two-way player in the NBA. At 6-8, Bey has good size to play small forward in the NBA. And with his shooting touch, playing with Dame Lillard and C.J. McCollum should afford him opportunities to showcase his range early on.
6-8, 225 pounds
Summary: Every year there’s a player who gets drafted lower than they probably should. This year, that’s likely to be Williams if as expected he is selected outside of the lottery (top-14). He’s a combo forward who can defend multiple positions with an under-rated perimeter game. There will be a number of teams that’ll regret passing him by on draft night.
6-4, 195 pounds
Summary: The talent on this Dallas Mavericks team is unquestioned, but they could use a little more grit and grind to add to the mix. In comes Ramsey, an uber-aggressive talent at both ends of the floor who would provide the Mavericks some quality production sooner rather than later.
6-3, 165 pounds
Summary: Athletic playmaker with a nice shooting touch. Won’t play a ton early on, but his skills combined with the lessons he’ll be learning from Kyrie Irving makes this one of those selections that’ll look better down the road than it does on draft night.
6-2, 160 pounds
Summary: With Goran Dragic’s uncertain future with the Heat, it’s hard to imagine them not taking a guard at this point in the draft. With Terry, Miami takes a Steph Curry-like clone with deep, deep-ball range and — like Curry — he too comes into the NBA undersized.
6-3, 190 pounds
Summary: This might feel like a bit of a reach, but the Sixers have to come out of this draft with a point guard — not a combo guard, but an actual floor-leading playmaker who can organize an offense, a glaring hole in their lineup when Ben Simmons was out during the Sixers’ first-round series against Boston which ended with a Celtics sweep.
6-10, 201 pounds
Summary: A quality addition to a roster that could use a little more juice in the frontcourt, especially if Jerami Grant, now one of the top free agent targets during this offseason, doesn’t come to terms on a new deal with Denver. McDaniels has a strong face-up game, moves well with or without the ball and has the kind of size that creates a mismatch problem for most defenses.
6-6, 215 pounds
Summary: Has been below the national media radar most of this past college basketball season, but those who are paid to know about him — NBA scouts and executives — know who he is. He was one of the most efficient scorers in all of college basketball last season, a deadly catch-and-shoot player whose shot-making whose shot-making makes him a low-risk, high-reward pick at this point in the draft.
7-0, 195 pounds
Summary: Solid addition at this point in the draft for the Bucks. Pokusevski is a 7-footer with above-average playmaking skills that will provide some semblance of diversity to a Bucks roster that became very predictable as the season progressed.
6-5, 180 pounds
Summary: The Thunder will continue to bolster its depth on the perimeter, adding one of the best international prospects in this year’s draft. Maledon is a combo guard who won’t wow you with his athleticism, but he’s a smart, heady player who is in his element in the pick-and-roll, a staple of every NBA team’s offense.
6-9, 250 pounds
Summary: The goal at this point is to draft-and-stash, but there’s a sense that passing on Stewart to select an international prospect may come back and haunt Boston akin to when the Celtics bypassed Jimmy Butler in 2011 for JaJuan Johnson.
6-7, 215 pounds
Summary: Considered undersized as a prototypical NBA power forward, but has a knack for filling up the stat sheet in several categories — the kind of player the Knicks desperately need plenty of going forward. If he can develop a more consistent perimeter shot, New York winds up with one of the bigger steals in this year’s draft.
6-6, 210 pounds
Summary: A highly regarded prospect coming out of high school, Green’s impact for the Wildcats wasn’t as great as expected. That doesn’t take away from him being one of the better athletes in this draft whose strength at the next level lies in his ability to defend at an elite level. He doesn’t fit in neatly with the Lakers, but a player with his upside is worth selecting at this stage of the draft process.
6-3, 200 pounds
Summary: More was expected from Maxey during his lone season with the Wildcats. But in that time, he showed more than enough to warrant a spot in the first round of this year’s NBA draft.
6-7, 185 pounds
Summary: This will be a draft-and-stash pick for Boston. In Bolmaro, Boston gets a player who is at his best finishing at the rim off dribble-drive attacks to the paint. And at 6-7, he gives Boston a solid rebounder from the wing position who can initiate the offense on his own which puts the Celtics on the attack against an opposing defense that doesn’t get a chance to get set up or organized.
