Boston Celtics Second Round Target: A.J. Hammons

A.J. Hammons could end up being a steal if the Celtics get him in the second round

A.J. Hammons dominated the Big Ten for four seasons at Purdue and is seen as a late first round pick, but more likely will last until the second round. After regressing a little his junior season, Hammons was able to return to top form as a senior as he was a team leader and helped lead Purdue to a five seed in the NCAA Tournament, before they were upset by Arkansas Little-Rock in the first round.

Still, Hammons is one of the most athletic big men in this year’s draft and could help the Boston Celtics. Spending a second round pick on the big man comes with little risk but could end up paying off in a big way. Despite being one of the older players in the draft – 24 years old – passing on him would be foolish for a team with five picks in the second round.

With Kelly Olynyk already acting as a stretch-four, and the possibility of Jonas Jerebko and Dragan Bender being on the roster next season, Boston is in need of a big man who can control the paint. Hammons looks like a tank, and he plays like one too. His 7’0″ and 261 pound build would instantly gives the Celtics a down low presence and add size to the roster.

He only attempted 23 threes during his four seasons so there’s little doubt that he’ll make his living in the paint. Hammons is also very effective down low as he shot 59.2 percent from the field last season and grabbed 8.2 rebounds per game. He’s the type of player you can feed the ball to down low and let go to work.

He has one of the most polished post games in the draft and his soft touch and freakishly long arms gives him an advantage when he goes for a hook shot or a turn around jumper when inside 10 feet. Yes, being 24-years-old isn’t ideal, however, it’s hard to find a player with as polished of an inside game as Hammons sports coming out of college.

Despite Hammons mostly sticking to the paint on offense, he did shoot 70.9 percent from the free-throw line, and he isn’t a liability from mid-range. It’s not the strongest part of his game but he is able to pick-and-pop from 15-to-18 feet out.

Unless the Celtics draft Marquese Chriss or Jakob Poeltl with the third pick, they won’t end up with a rim protector in the first round, and that’s one of their biggest needs. When saying that Hammons will make his living in the paint, I mean on both ends.

He averaged at least two blocks per game in each season at Purdue and compiled a career average of 4.3 blocks per 40 minutes. It’s nearly impossible to post-up on him because of his huge build and his long arms are a nightmare to try to shoot over. Not to mention his athleticism that allows him to be a very good helping defender.

He projects to be a rim protector in the NBA, just like he was at Purdue. Maybe Hammons won’t develop into a starter for the Celtics but having a player they can bring in off the bench to get easy baskets and play tough defense is a must on every winning team. He’d act as a Bismack Biyombo type of player, however, he’s a more polished offensive player than Biyombo was when he came over from the Congo.

The best attribute about Hammons’ game is his athleticism because he’d easily be able to keep up with the pace. He’s someone who can finish alley-oops or create extra possessions in transition on offense and, on defense, he’s more than capable of running down a player for a block.

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A.J. Hammons is a physical beast so it makes sense that most of the concerns surrounding him aren’t about his game. Sure, at times he can be turnover prone, however, teams are questioning his maturity. He was suspended for six games during his four seasons, including three as a senior. That stuff shouldn’t happen to a 24-year-old, and it has some teams worried that he won’t be able to handle the big stage.

Besides off-the-court issues, Hammons’ age and motor is why he’ll likely slip into the second round. By the time the regular season starts he will be 25-years-old, and having a rookie at that age is unheard of in today’s NBA. I could see why teams late in the first round pass on him for a teenager bursting with potential, however, he should make an instant contribution right away and that’s what the Celtics need.

Also, he always hung around 25 minutes per game at Purdue, although, he most likely won’t be a starter in the NBA so he won’t have to worry about heavy minutes. He doesn’t have the best motor for a starter but is more than capable of being a heavily used bench player.

The Celtics already have enough young players on their roster where drafting an older, established player wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Especially since Hammons is exactly what Boston needs off the bench.

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He’s a rim protector, post player on offense and averaged 13.3 rebounds per 40 minutes as a senior. The Celtics have the 31st and 35th pick in the draft and passing on Hammons would be foolish for a team with a thin front court.

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