A Look Ahead to the Future: Consensus Draft Prospects for the Celtics

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; NBA commissioner David Stern speaks at the conclusion of the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

By now we’ve all had time to mourn, we’ve re-watched the 08 championship dvd 20 times and watched all of the youtube highlights of Paul Pierce but now it’s time to look ahead to the future. There are a lot of questions for the Celtics like whether or not next year will be the start of a rebuild or a continued march for Banner 18. A lot of these questions won’t be answered right away but for now we can look ahead to the draft and I’ve looked at a lot of mock drafts to see which new rookie will be wearing Green next year. Here are some profiles on two popular choices for the Celtics.

Apr 8, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Louisville Cardinals center Gorgui Dieng (10) dunks the ball during the first half of the championship game in the 2013 NCAA mens Final Four at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Gorgui Dieng Center Louisville:

Coming off of a National Championship win Dieng’s draft stock is sure to rise. He’s a long big with a 7’6 wingspan and an imposing presence at the rim averaging 2.5 blocks as a junior in his last season with the Cardinals. He’s been described as “an excellent team defender.” Such a trait would make him fit right in with the Celtics defensive minded culture. His offensive game could use some polishing but DraftExpress.com has described him as a very good Pick and Roll finisher. Dieng future as a competent NBA player looks very promising, his game isn’t exactly perfect but from what I’ve seen from the few college games is that he at least can serve a role right away better than the last big we picked from the Big East. The Celtics have needed a secondary rim defender for years and with the looming possibility of KG retiring it seems like Dieng could fit right in a very limited role.

Mar 9, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Archie Goodwin (10) celebrates after dunking the ball against the Florida Gators in the first half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Florida 61-57. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Archie Goodwin G Kentucky:

A 6’5 Freshman Shooting Guard, Goodwin is an interesting prospect among Draft Experts. Most have him pegged as an outstanding athlete with prototypical size and length for an NBA Guard.  In his one season at Kentucky he averaged 14.1 points on 44% shooting. He’s a less than stellar perimeter shooting(Kind of like the last guard Boston acquired from Kentucky). He’s been described as a excellent finisher around the rim and in transition. Scouts have been impressed with his upside on defense and overall upside as a player. His wingspan(6’10) is also comparable to a certain former Kentucky guard for it’s unusual length. A less than pressing need for the Celtics has been finding a secondary ball handler for when Rondo is not on the court, Goodwin could fill that need almost immediately coming off the bench. Still though even with all of his upside, he’s still a raw prospect who only played one season.

The Celtics probably won’t strike gold in this draft and find an immediate answer for all of their problems. It’s considered a weak draft but that doesn’t mean either of these players can’t help them in limited roles. Dieng could be a solid big in a rotation(coming off the bench of course) and Goodwin could be a very good backup 2 guard in a limited role. Each player has their deficiencies and each has their own upside but we should really temper our expectations for this draft as it’s mostly going to be used to get rotation players who can help in limited roles.

This piece was written with the help of DraftExpress.com and NBADraft.net

Follow me on Twitter @TreyAdell!