Rumors of who the Boston Celtics will be taking with the No. 1 pick are officially swirling.
What’s a Celtics draft without confusion?
Chad Ford of ESPN reported that the Celtics are considering drafting Josh Jackson with the top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. After months and months of hearing how Markelle Fultz is without a doubt the best player in the draft, this really sent Celtics fans into a panic.
Josh Jackson canceled his workout with the Celtics two days ago. Now they're rumored to be considering him at 1. Lets use our brains here.
— Jake Pavorsky (@JakePavorsky) June 16, 2017
One unnamed GM told ESPN’s Ford that they are convinced Ainge will take Jackson over Fultz. “Jackson is an Ainge player all the way. Tough, athletic, long, versatile, elite motor. If he’s keeping the pick, Jackson just to me, far and away, is the most Celtics-type player for them to draft. From all my conversations with them, I’m convinced they’ll take Jackson No. 1.”
“We like him a lot,” a Celtics source told Ford. “But we like several guys a lot. We’ve got a week to figure it out.”
NBADraft.net has even updated their mock draft, having Jackson going to Boston at No. 1, Fultz to the Lakers at No. 2, Jayson Tatum to Philadelphia at No. 3, and Lonzo Ball to Phoenix at No. 4.
Even after all this, Fultz was seen in front of Red Auerbach’s old car on Friday, with the license plate reading ‘BCELTIC’:
It would definitely be strange to pass on Fultz, but let’s not act like Jackson is bad. Jackson is a great talent. He is a great scorer, defender, and he can even help the Celtics with their rebounding problems. Besides not being a rim protector and consistent shooter, Jackson fills just about all of the Celtics needs.
With all that being said, taking Fultz would still be the better option and the Celtics cannot pass up such an elite talent at No. 1. Fultz is an elite scorer in every way and will be a major problem and could possibly be the future face of the NBA. Now that may seem like a lot of pressure to put on someone who is only 19 years old, but he is up for the test. When asked about what his goals were coming into his rookie season by Tracy McGrady, Fultz responded: “Yeah, I got big goals for myself, Rookie of the Year, winning MVP.”
Next: Roster Battle: Bradley vs Smart
Fultz is special, and Danny Ainge knows it. Even with all the reports, this all seems like a smokescreen. We all know Ainge works in mysterious ways and sometimes makes the unpopular decision, but he somehow always makes it work in the end. Expect Fultz to go No. 1 in the draft to the Celtics, if not, everyone in Boston might be suffering from “What could have been” for years to come.