Boston Celtics Draft Profile: Deyonta Davis
The Boston Celtics may have multiple chances to pick Deyonta Davis and if he manages to fall to one of their later first round draft picks then his potential is too much to pass up on. With the absence of any great prospect in the Celtics’ front court (outside of Jordan Mickey, who is yet to get a real chance in the NBA) the Celtics do not have any player that can match the high end potential of Davis.
With all the uncertainty in their front court and the lack of significant prospects in that area, Davis can grow into a true difference maker for the Celtics. The Celtics made defense a priority and that is what allowed them to be so successful last year. Davis may not have the shot blocking potential of Jordan Mickey, but he can force defenses to think twice before going into the paint.
Davis is incredibly active and always ensures that any shot at the rim will be contested. The Celtics gave up far too many easy baskets at the rim and even before he develops physically, Davis can be their best interior defender with his relentless activity and ability to defend any forward that may attack him.
Davis is going to be a project and he will need to grow as a more aggressive rebounder. The Celtics need to get bigs that can rebound well and Davis is far away from having a big enough of an impact in that area.
Davis may need time to develop his game but he should be able to get comfortable in Brad Stevens’ system right away. He moves extremely well and can have an impact in transition. He is not a hesitant shooter when he has the ball in his hands. He also avoids being a ball dominant player. The Celtics will not be able to run their offense around Davis but all he needs to bring is reliable finishing with good defense.
The high end upside of Davis is what he can become as a shooter. The Celtics have shown a willingness to take defensive stand outs who need to work on their jump shot and there is no denying that Davis has that potential to stretch the floor. Unfortunately, the Celtics desperately need better shooters right now, especially in their front court.
For a team that has praised the importance of versatility and spacing from bigs, the Celtics are lacking in bigs that actually stretch the floor, amplifying the risk reward of Davis becoming a shooter. Jared Sullinger was seen as a project and never developed his shot. The Celtics may want to go for options that are better shooters right now, avoiding the risk of never improving.
With all the extra picks the Celtics have in this draft, they can afford to take risks, and do not need to be too short sighted. The Celtics do not need to make every pick based on how they will impact the team right now, and Davis is one of the better projects of the draft. In terms of potential to improve, Davis has one of the highest upsides in the draft. If they are going to take a risk with the future in mind, Davis is a good direction to go in.
The Celtics could be transforming their front court and Davis could be a great place for them to start. Kelly Olynyk should feel secure and Jonas Jerebko may get a bigger role after his performance in the playoffs. Other than that, Mickey is the only other potential part of the Celtics’ long term front court options. The Celtics will have to find the players that are ready to have an immediate impact, but they will not see their front court grow properly if they do not keep the long term future in mind.
The unfortunate reality is that Davis may not even be available when the Celtics pick again at 16. They may be looking for a player with a more immediate impact if they look to trade up, but they certainly have the assets to go and get Davis if they believe in his potential.
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If he is available when they are picking it will be incredibly difficult to pass up on Davis. He certainly has lottery type potential and the Celtics need to get players that have that high end potential. The Celtics have 8 total draft picks and certainly do not need to play it safe with their multiple first round draft picks.