What if all goes wrong and the Celtics don’t win the draft lottery?
With the eastern conference semi finals in full swing, some fans may forget that there is a very important night coming up that has nothing to do with the playoffs. On May 16th, the NBA Draft Lottery will take place to determine this year’s draft order.
The Celtics have the best odds at the first overall selection in the draft, but that is far from a guarantee to win. While they have the best chance at the first pick out of any team, it is only a 25% chance.
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The best case scenario is that the Celtics win the lottery after being the first seed in the eastern conference during the regular season, and have the option to take Markelle Fultz or trade the pick for a superstar like Paul George.
But what if the Celtics don’t win the lottery? Shouldn’t we as fans go through that possibility and what the best course of action is?
The good news is that this year’s draft class is loaded with talent. Boston is locked to get a top four pick, and there are about four players that could have been top picks in recent years. Fultz, Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum, and Lonzo Ball will all get consideration in the top four.
Since Fultz is the clear choice at one, who is the best option after that for the Celtics? That answer I believe is Tatum. If the Celtics don’t win the lottery, then I think the best move is to try and trade the pick for an established star. It might be difficult to get a team like Indiana to bit on a pick that isn’t #1, so taking a player could work.
Tatum is a very polished scorer and offensive player. He has an array of moves at such a young age that will help him gain confidence in the NBA right off the bat. Boston needs an established scorer next to Isaiah Thomas, and Tatum would be the long term answer to that issue.
On defense, Tatum has the frame and ability to be an extremely versatile defender on a Celtics team that values that type of attribute. The Celtics have had issues with deciding on a consistent power forward starter during the playoffs.
Tatum could become a two way player that could hold his own against small forwards and power forwards, and be a match up nightmare on the offensive end. With the league shifting more towards smaller lineups having more and more versatile players will only benefit the Celtics in the long run.
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While it would be great for the Celtics to win the top pick in this year’s draft, Tatum would not be a terrible consolation prize. His two way potential and polished scoring would bring two much needed skills to a Celtics team can provide valuable minutes to help his development.