Looking Ahead to the 2017 NBA Draft

The 2017 NBA Draft could be when the Celtics find their next star

Free agency has opened up and it’s a frenzy right now. Rumors about where players will be going, or which teams they’re talking to, are flying around. Even though all that is happening, and the draft just took place, it’s never too early to look ahead and see what might be in store for the Celtics next year.

After the Boston Celtics ended up with the third pick this year, selecting Jaylen Brown, they have a chance to make an even bigger splash next year. They arguably have the best chance to land the top pick in next year’s draft – own the rights to swap picks with the Nets.

The Brooklyn Nets have their eyes on a lot of mid-tier free agents this off-season, however, they just traded Thaddeus Young and their two rookies, Isaiah Whitehead and Caris LeVert, won’t make a huge impact right away. With an injury-prone Brook Lopez and not much else, even if they sign a good free agent or two, the Nets don’t have a lot of hope for next season.

Even if they don’t land the top pick, next year’s draft is viewed as one of the strongest in years and the Celtics will have a chance at a potential superstar. The draft is still a year away, and even though landing any pick in the top-ten will be a potential franchise changer, landing the number one pick could have the biggest impact on a team in years.

Despite a couple of ACL tears in high school, Harry Giles is still the presumable top pick in next year’s draft. There are high hopes for the 6’11” Duke commit next season as a freshman, despite not playing his senior year.

As of now, everyone is waiting to see how Giles will be after tearing his ACL. If his explosion and quickness is still there as a freshman, he’ll be the favorite to top the draft boards next year. He’d also be a great addition for the Celtics as he provides a versatile big man who you can presumably build your team around.

He’s one of the most athletic seven-footers you’ll find, which helps him on the glass and on defense. Giles is the type of player who can become a rim protector in the NBA, and also be a solid perimeter defender. Although, seeing him do it at Duke without getting hurt will be key for teams looking for a reason to trust his health.

Besides his health, Giles isn’t a prototypical stretch-four. He has a nice touch around the rim, which is something lacking among the Celtics front court, but doesn’t have the same success from the outside.

We’re all expecting him to dominate in the paint and finish with thunderous dunks at Duke, but, improving his mid-range game will cement him as the top prospect and make him one of the best looking prospects in years. Giles is a rare big man who teams are raving over despite his inability to step out and hit threes.

Although a lot of eyes will be on the number one prospect next year, his teammate, Jayson Tatum is definitely a prospect the Celtics and other teams will be keeping an eye on. Tatum would be an interesting selection for the Celtics, to say the least.

At 6’8″ and 204 pounds, he has good size and is lengthy enough to play small forward in the NBA. Although, with Jaylen Brown being selected this year, would adding another high-potential wing player be the best option?

Obviously it depends on how well Brown, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier play this season. Also, Avery Bradley will only have one year left on his contract after this upcoming season, therefore Tatum could be his replacement. Either way, Tatum is an elite offensive prospect, something the Celtics are hoping Brown can develop into.

The biggest knock on Tatum though is people feel he’s not locked into the game at all times and he looks for his shot too often. Tatum is already a very good offensive player – scored 18 points in the McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Classic – but he’s not the most willing passer by any means.

In fact, in the U-19 World Championships, Tatum only averaged 2.1 assists per game over seven games. It’s still better than the 0.7 assists per contest he averaged in the U-17 World Championships in 2014, but far from what he’s capable of as a passer if he didn’t force as many shots.

With Grayson Allen and Harry Giles, among other stars, on Duke next season, being a ball hog won’t fly under Coach K. Especially when he struggles shooting, which he does often. Tatum rarely attempts a three, and despite being able to get to the basket better than most, he settles for mid-range shots.

The three-time Gatorade Player of the Year can’t force shots at Duke, attacking the basket will show a lot teams his versatility on offense and his capability of drawing fouls. He’s an excellent free-throw shooter – 20-of-20 during three special high school events – and attacking the rim will only get him more easy points.

I really like Jayson Tatum and think he has a chance to be really special in the NBA. Whatever the Celtics future plans are, landing a player like Tatum adds versatility and an elite offensive player, with a lot of potential on the defensive end – already showing signs of being an elite defender when locked in.

Even though the draft will be dominated by freshman like Giles and Tatum, Ivan Rabb and Thomas Bryant are two sophomores who stand out. Both are potential top-five picks, and most likely top-ten, next season. If for some reason the Celtics aren’t in the top-three again, Rabb and Bryant are very good options.

Rabb, Brown’s teammate at Cal, and Bryant both would have been top-20 picks this year, but staying in school gives them a chance to develop their games more before entering the NBA. It should be very intriguing to teams as they’ll both be seen as impact players right away if they have successful sophomore seasons.

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Both were very good rebounders as freshman, with potential but under-developed offensive games. Rabb averaged an impressive 8.5 rebounds per game, compared to Bryant’s 5.8, although, Bryant played six minutes less per night. His motor was a concern for NBA teams, although he started to play a little more at the end of the season.

Both players have great size, and using their size to their advantage will help their games a lot. For Rabb, continuing to develop on the glass will make him an elite prospect. His 16.5 total rebounding percentage was very impressive for a freshman, and he grabbed 11.9 rebounds per 40 minutes, one of the best marks in the Pac-12.

On the other hand, at 6’11” he didn’t show the defensive prowess a lot of teams were hoping for. He did average 1.2 blocks per game but he was far from being considered a rim protector for the Golden Bears last season. He never developed that role last season, but as the team’s best player this upcoming year, a bigger impact on that end is expected.

The same goes for Thomas Bryant, who at 6’10” and 245 pounds, only managed to block 0.9 shots per game. For as athletic as both of them are, it was disappointing, to say the least. It’s something teams will want out of them on defense since neither is quick enough to become a great perimeter defender. Defense is arguably the part of each of their games that will make or break their draft stock next year.

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Offensively, they offer different skill sets, yet both have teams in awe. Rabb is more of a back to the basket player. He wasn’t able to show it as much as he would have liked since Jaylen Brown was their go-to-guy, but Rabb shot 61.5 percent on 7.7 shots per game last season. He’s not the athlete Giles is, although Rabb has a chance to prove he’s as polished as anyone in the paint.

Developing a jump shot will make him a can’t miss prospect on offense though. Bryant can do a little of everything on offense. He shot an incredible 70.7 percent from two-point range, and was working on his three-point game all season. Bryant only attempted 15 threes all season, but it shows his range and the nice mid-range game he sports.

It’s hard to stop Bryant on offense because of his wide skill set, and he’ll have a chance to dominate a very good Big Ten conference as a sophomore. Improving his 70.6 free-throw percentage is something teams will be eyeing, but he has all the tools to be a prototypical stretch-four in the NBA.

Obviously these are just four of very many intriguing prospects next season. Josh Jackson, many people view him as the top prospect, would provide the Celtics with a well-sized, all-around wing player. Markelle Fultz could be the next great point guard in the NBA, but obviously Boston has an abundance of guards as it is.

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Either way, the draft is a year away but the prospects the Celtics will have to choose from is as intriguing as it’s been in a while. There’s a lot of players who can become franchise players, and landing one of the above four would certainly help speed up the rebuilding process and bring the Celtics closer to being title contenders.

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