Celtics Redraft Over the Past 5 Years

[caption id="attachment_66513" align="aligncenter" width="3158"] CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 23: Jaylen Brown[/caption]rn Oh, how fans wish this could be a reality. It seems almost every year there's a "sleeper" player in the NBA Draft who slips by several teams. rnI know it's difficult for many Celtics fans to admit Danny Ainge has been wrong, but it's true.rnrnActually, Ainge has missed on numerous picks over time. Don't get me wrong, I understand the struggles of nailing a pick. Even with hours of scouting, interviews and in-depth analysis there's never a "sure thing."rnrnThe only draft position where chances increase for a team to grab a future All-Star is in the early lottery.rnrnEven then, it's not a lock.rnrnIn this article we are going to turn back the hands of time to re-draft the Celtics last five years with the knowledge we have now.rnrn[nextslide teaser="2012 NBA Draft" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_67306" align="aligncenter" width="3000"] TARRYTOWN, NY - AUGUST 21: Fab Melo[/caption]rn rn 2012 RE-DRAFT rn[mockdraft firstname="Draymond" lastname="Green" position="Power Forward" from="Boston Celtics" league="nba" teamlogo="celtics" /]rnrn[mockdraft order="21" firstname="Khris" lastname="Middleton" position="Shooting Guard" from="Boston Celtics" league="nba" teamlogo="celtics" /]rnrnWow, what could have been. To be honest, it's crazy that these two players somehow lasted until the second round (Green at 35 and Middleton at 39).rnrnObviously, Draymond Green is a bonafide star for the Golden State Warriors . He's an elite defender and arguably the most important part of one of the best teams in NBA history.rnrnFor one, he would have solved the Celtics age old quest to find an elite big man (not including Horford). He would provide Boston what they love - versatility.rnrnGreen can literally defend every position as evidence of his 3 All-Defensive Team selections and Defensive Player of the Year award.rnrnOn top of that, Green can score in a multitude of ways which would fit seamlessly with Boston's system.rnrn Khris Middleton was originally drafted by the Pistons . In his first season, he played above his second round expectations.rnrnThen, he bolted town and joined the Bucks . Since then, he's flourished into a two-way star.rnrnHis biggest strength is his ability to score anywhere on the court. Most notably beyond the 3-point line, where he shoots 40% on his career. He's not limited to the 3-ball though as evidence of his 18.2 points per game.rnrnWith the Celtics, Middleton would play a similar role to Avery Bradley and further strengthen the C's backcourt.rnrnUnfortunately, the Celtics didn't get so lucky. Instead, they ended up with Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo .rnrnWhile Sully ended up being a solid starter for the C's, he never took the next step. He struggled with weight issues for several years and never was able to expand his range.rnrnAs a result, the Celtics let him walk in free agency. Now after a year spent with the Raptors, he finds himself unemployed.rnrnWhen Boston drafted Melo expectations were lofty. He was tabbed as an elite shot-blocker who dominated from the low-post. At 21st overall, it seemed the Celtics got a steal.rnrnSadly, this was not the case. Melo struggled to get on the court due to conditioning issues and low-basketball IQ. It wasn't long until the Celtics cut ties with the big man from Syracuse.rnrnMelo bounced around the NBA and overseas a bit before he unexpectedly passed away early this year in his home of Brazil.rnrn[nextslide teaser="2013 NBA Draft" slider="true" /]rnrn rn 2013 RE-DRAFT rn rnrn[mockdraft order="13" firstname="Giannis" lastname="Antetokounmpo" position="Anything" from="Boston Celtics" league="nba" teamlogo="celtics" /]rnrnThis is the selection that hurts the most. Giannis Antetokounmpo - better known as the Greek Freak - slipped passed 14 teams before the Milwaukee Bucks selected him.rnrnAntetokounmpo entered the league as an 18 year old kid. He was inexperienced and unknown by nearly all scouts, so it' no surprise why so many teams were unwilling to select him.rnrnSince then, Antetokounmpo has grown. Not just as a player, but he has literally gotten taller. The Greek Freak originally came into the league at roughly 6'8. Then, as most kids do, he hit a growth spurt.rnrnIn 2015, Antetokounmpo reportedly grew an additional 3-4 inches putting him at 7'0 tall.rnrnI realize I say in his description that Antetokounmpo can play any position (which is true), but he's primarily a point-forward. This essentially means that a player with the size of a center is also the team's main ball-handler.rnrnRemember how I said the Celtics love versatility? Well, they would be getting plenty of that with the Greak Freak.rnrnHe can defend any position, score in a multitude of ways, attack the boards and dish out sweet dimes. Overall, he's exactly what the Celtics want in a player.rnrnToo bad they passed on him. Instead, they choose Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk .rnrnDon't get me wrong, I am a fan of Olynyk. He had some of the Celtics most memorable moments over the past 4 years.rnrnFrom ripping out Kevin Love 's shoulder to being the savior in Game 7 against the Wizards, Olynyk has definitely been entertaining.rnrnSadly, he just never emerged as a true starter. On his career he has averaged 9.5 points per game, 4.6 rebound per game and just 0.5 blocks per game.rnrnI'm not sure about you, but I think I'd rather have the Greek Freak's 22.8 PPG/8.8 RPG/5.4 APG.rnrnI will forever be grateful of Olynyk and what he gave the Celtics, but if I had another shot at it, I'd take Antetokounmpo.rnrn[nextslide teaser="2014 NBA Draft" slider="true" /]rnrn rn 2014 RE-DRAFT rn[caption id="attachment_67338" align="aligncenter" width="3860"] CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 21: Marcus Smart[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="6" firstname="Marcus " lastname="Smart" position="Point Guard/Shooting Guard" from="Boston Celtics" league="nba" teamlogo="celtics" /]rnrnI know I'm going to get a lot of backlash for this one, but just hear me out.rnrnMarcus Smart is the type of player that comes around once every 5-10 years. A guy who dives for every loose ball. Who keeps competing even when he's down 20 points. Who isn't afraid to defend bigger players and even gets in the face of King James.rnrnFinding player like Smart in the league is extremely difficult. He may not put up the glamour stats fans adore, but instead he does the little things to help his team win.rnrnSmart is now entering his fourth season in the league. All signs point to him ascending to a starting position now that Bradley is in Detroit.rnrnEvery season Smart has improved his game in one facade or another. With his new increased role I fully expect him to take another leap.rnrnI'm calling my shots now. I believe Smart is going to average 13 PPG, 5 RPG, and 6 APG while knocking down 36% of his 3 point shots.rnrnAs time goes on, I expect him continue to develop and become a future superstar.rnrnHopefully, Smart will prove me right because I'm choosing him over a star center. Nikola Jokic was selected by the Nuggets with the 41th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.rnrnJokic showed his extremely polished all around game this year as evidence from his 6 triple-doubles.rnrnThe most impressive part of Jokic's game is his passing. Throughout last season he was a wizard distributing the ball. In 7 games he was able to put up double-digit assists. On the season Jokic posted an insane 28.8 assist percentage. To put in perspective how good that is point guard Kyrie Irving posted a 29.7.rnrnThe reason I choose to go with Smart over Jokic was due to his defense.rnrnJokic is a below average defender in the low post. He is notoriously slow laterally and as a result he struggles to protect the rim.rnrnJokic's physical limitations brings me to believe that he will never be a true rim protector.rnrnFor that reason, I'm sticking with my man Marcus Smart.rnrn[nextslide teaser="2015 NBA Draft" slider="true" /]rnrn rn 2015 RE-DRAFT rn[caption id="attachment_67340" align="aligncenter" width="5100"] NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 09: Willy Hernangomez[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="16" firstname="Willy" lastname="Hernangomez" position="Point Guard" from="Boston Celtics" league="nba" teamlogo="celtics" /]rnrnDanny Ainge may hunt me down and beat me if he sees this one.rnrnYes, I chose to replace Ainge's beloved Terry Rozier .rnrnLet it be known that this has nothing to do with how Rozier plays. It actually has everything to do with the fact that he rarely sees the floor.rnrnIn his first season, we practically saw none of him. Playing in an average of 8 minutes per contest he obviously struggled to produce.rnrnThen this past season Rozier saw a notable increase in playing time. His minutes went up to an average of 17.1 a game, but his stats didn't see significant improvement.rnrnHe posted a mere 5.5 points and 1.8 assists per game while shooting just 37% from the field.rnrnI'm not blind though. I understand why Ainge loves so much. His combination of speed, athleticism and defensive prowess is extremely impressive and similar to Bradley.rnrnUnfortunately, Avery Bradley 2.0 is not getting selected in this re-draft. Instead, the Celtics will be going with the 35th pick, Willy Hernangomez .rnrnHernangomez isn't like the new breed of NBA centers. He's extremely limited offensively scoring the majority of his buckets within 3-10 feet from the rim.rnrnBut that's what you should focus on with Hernangomez. Instead, you need to look into his production despite of his lack of playing time.rnrnHernangomez only averaged 18.4 minutes per game and in that time he produced. The big man put up 8.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG and stayed efficient by shooting 53% from the field.rnrnIf Hernangomez were given more playing time he would produce at an even higher level. Just look at his per 36 minutes stats. In that metric he averages 16.0 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.rnrnI don't know about you, but I miss the days when the C's had a good traditional center. That's why I'm going with Hernangomez.rnrn[nextslide teaser="2016 NBA Draft" slider="true" /]rnrn rn 2016 RE-DRAFT rn[caption id="attachment_67341" align="aligncenter" width="4288"] ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 7: Jaylen Brown[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="3" firstname="Jaylen" lastname="Brown" position="Small Forward" from="Boston Celtics" league="nba" teamlogo="celtics" /]rnrn[mockdraft order="16" firstname="Guershon" lastname="Yabsuele" position="Power Forward" from="Boston Celtics" league="nba" teamlogo="celtics" /]rnrn[mockdraft order="23" firstname="Ante" lastname="Zizic" position="Center" from="Boston Celtics" league="nba" teamlogo="celtics" /]rnrnI'm sticking with the script with this one plain and simple.rnrnSome may argue that Jamal Murray or Buddy Hield should still be taken over Jaylen Brown, but I have to disagree.rnrnJamal Murray is good, but I can't say he ever really flashed to me this season. I mean, I get that he exploded for big point totals here and there, but he was on a bad team. If Brown was in a similar situation he too would have games where he racked up major points totals.rnrnBuddy Hield had similar moments to Murray. He looked good sometimes, but it was a result of a bad team. Also, Hield is already 23 years old, so he's already significantly older than Brown (20).rnrnIf you're a true Celtics fan and watched Brown throughout the season you saw the signs of greatness. The way he effortlessly glides through the air, recklessly throws his body around and yearns to be great gives me the upmost confidence that he will be a star.rnrnHe's actually already flashed signs of improvement. During summer league, he seemed more comfortable with his three point shot. This will be key if he intends to compete for a starting position this upcoming season.rnrnAs for the other two players - Guershon Yabsuele and Ante Zizic - there has been no proof against them. Neither player has suited up for the green and white in the regular season thus far making it unfair for me to substitute them out for another player.rnrnOh, and if you're going to make the Malcolm Brogdon argument, I don't want to hear it. I understand he's a highly skilled player, but at his age (24) I'd rather take my chances with what we have.rnrn[nextslide teaser="2017 NBA Draft " slider="true" /]rnrn rn 2017 RE-DRAFT rn[caption id="attachment_67342" align="aligncenter" width="5222"] LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: A close up view of the jersey of Jayson Tatum[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="3" firstname="Jayson " lastname="Tatum " position="Small Forward" from="Boston Celtics" league="nba" teamlogo="celtics" /]rnrnI'll just be short with this one and say it's still to be determined.rnrnI won't be the guy who starts drooling over Lonzo Ball or any other player just because they had a good Summer League.rnrnIf we went by that Jahlil Okafor would have been picked over Karl-Anthony Towns. I'm sure Timberwolves fans are happy that's not the case.rnrnSo, I'm once again sticking with Danny and going with his original pick Jayson Tatum.rnrn[nextpost teaser="Marcus Morris Should Have a Career Year " url="https://hardwoodhoudini.com/2017/07/31/marcus-morris-career-year-boston-celtics/" /]rnrnTo recap everything here's the list:rn 2012: Draymond Green, Khris Middleton rnrn 2013: Giannis Antetokounmpo rnrn 2014: Marcus Smart rnrn 2015: Willy Hernangomez rnrn 2016: Jaylen Brown, Guershon Yabsuele, Ante Zizic rnrn 2017: Jayson Tatum. rnThanks for reading, and let me know how I did in the comments below.rn rn

Hardwood Houdini

Celtics Redraft Over the Past 5 Years

Oh, how fans wish this could be a reality. It seems almost every year there’s a “sleeper” player in the NBA Draft who slips by several teams.

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