Report Card: Boston Celtics Draft
By Jeremy Karll
The Boston Celtics report card for Thursday night’s draft
No one really expected the Boston Celtics to keep the third pick. Trade rumors started to pick up with about 15 minutes before their pick, and everyone in Boston was on the edge of their seats. Jimmy Butler‘s name kept getting thrown out there by the media, although, after the draft, the Chicago Bulls denied they ever discussed a Butler trade.
It seemed like the Philadelphia 76ers were going to land the pick for Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington, and the 24th and 26th picks in the draft. Then suddenly the third pick came and went, with Boston selecting and holding onto their draft choice, Jaylen Brown, the rest of the night.
In the end, the Celtics drafted six players – two international and one D-League stash. They made one trade with the Memphis Grizzlies that sent the 31st and 35th picks to them for the Los Angeles Clippers protected 2019 first round selection.
We were expecting big things to happen for the Celtics on Thursday night, and the exact opposite happened. A week ago we had no clue how the roster would look at this point in time. However, now that we see it’s the same thing with a couple of rookies sprinkled in there, it’s somewhat disappointing.
Thursday night wasn’t all bad though, and people shouldn’t be overreacting about some of the picks. Most of the overreactions are probably due to the hype of a blockbuster trade happening, and then the Celtics failing to do so. Either way, it wasn’t all bad for the Boston Celtics.
Next: No. 3 - Jaylen Brown