Boston Celtics Second Round Target: Kay Felder

He would be one of the smallest players in the NBA but he was one of the best scorers in college basketball last season

With five second round picks in the upcoming draft the Boston Celtics have the chance to take risks. A risk that may be worth taking is drafting the 5’9″ point guard out of Oakland, Kay Felder, because, if any team knows that an undersized point guard can make it in the NBA, it’s the Celtics.

The last thing that Boston needs is another undersized player, or another 5’9″ point guard, however, Felder is a different type of player. It’s easy to get caught up in his height but last week, at the Draft Combine, Felder proved that it’s not something teams should be too caught up in.

Him and Tyler Ulis measured in as the only players under six feet tall, however, Felder still managed to record a 44-inch vertical – the second highest in Draft Combine history. Maybe having that high of a vertical was surprising but his leaping ability is nothing new to people who followed him at Oakland.

He showed off his 44-inch vertical when he recorded seven blocks last season and dunked on much taller opponents. Also, Felder was able to grab 4.3 boards per game last season as a junior – fourth highest on Oakland.

Felder has said that he models his game off of Isaiah Thomas and Kemba Walker – both guards who are viewed as undersized. It shows as Felder finished fourth in the nation in points per game with 24.4. It may have been a little inflated due to a fast-paced Oakland offense, however, there’s no doubting his scoring ability.

Felder shot 44 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from behind the arc. He’s not afraid to take outside shots and, just like Thomas, finds creative ways to score when getting in the lane. He’s a player that will find ways to score and benefits from being in a high-tempo offense because Felder is the definition of a volume scorer.

He’s going to have to earn his minutes in the NBA but if he can provide a spark off the bench then he will see minutes as a rookie. In order to do so he’s going to need to become a more consistent outside shooter. He was an inconsistent shooter during his career at Oakland and won’t see as many shots in the NBA so taking smarter shots is a must.

It’s easy to forget that the Horizon Player of the Year is more than just a scorer. He just missed a double-double average last season when he averaged 9.3 assists per game – led the nation. No matter where you play it’s impressive if you rank top-five in the nation in both scoring and assists. It exemplifies how tough he was to stop and his underrated ability as a playmaker.

In fact, Felder started the season with five straight double-doubles and recorded at least 12 assists ten times, including a 16-assist game late in the season against Detroit.

Besides Felder’s height, the biggest question mark surrounding the small guard is his defense. Just like Isaiah Thomas, it’s not ideal to have him on defense late in the game but it’s hard to take a great scorer off the court. He’s a good defender – two steals per game – but his height will always cause him to be at a disadvantage.

He was able to play tough defense during the Draft Combine’s scrimmages, however, there will be games that teams torch him because he won’t be able to contest enough shots. it’s a downside that comes to drafting a 5’9″ guard and a reason he’s going to fall to the second round.

After the year that Isaiah Thomas put together this was the perfect draft for Kay Felder to come out of college. He saw improvement in every area of his game during his three seasons at Oakland and enters the draft as one of the more complete point guards. If he played at a power-5 school or was a little taller then he would be a first round pick.

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Felder may not have played at a major school but he still put up big numbers against some of the best teams in the nation. He recorded 37 points and nine assists against Michigan State, 30 points versus Virginia and 38 points, nine assists and six rebounds against Washington.

His incredible Draft Combine and highlight reel should lock him in as a second round pick, however, it’s never certain as teams like to draft international players they can stash for a couple of years. Either way, Felder should be able to latch onto a team, whether it be in the D-League or on a NBA roster.

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He’s a more developed playmaker than Isaiah Thomas was when he came out of school and is equal or a better scorer. Kay Felder could learn a lot from Isaiah Thomas and wouldn’t be pushed into a role where he’d fail right away. There may not be a more skilled player in the second round, so he’s more than worth the risk for the Celtics.

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