Boston Celtics: franchise should do all they can to acquire the No. 4 pick

With the Boston Celtics being completely void of positive headlines these past few weeks, it appears as though the franchise is trying to give fans a sign of hope as rumors have surfaced that Danny Ainge is looking into potentially acquiring the number four pick in tomorrow’s draft.

So, the NBA offseason has been quite a rough one for the Boston Celtics. First, reports surfaced about Kyrie Irving’s desire to continue his playing career in New York, specifically for the Brooklyn Nets. Then, Boston missed out on acquiring megastar Anthony Davis. And, now, Al Horford has elected to turn down his $30.1M option for 2019-20, making him an unrestricted free agent.

With all the negative news surrounding the franchise of late, some good fortune could be all that is needed to make this bleak offseason turn a bit brighter. Recently, rumors have surfaced that the Boston Celtics have inquired about potentially trading for the number four overall pick in tomorrow’s NBA Draft. Acquiring the pick, who’s rights are owned by the New Orleans Pelicans, may be exactly what the C’s need in order to instill a sense of hope into their fanbase.

Though this draft has been deemed “weak”, with many believing there are only three potential franchise altering players, there are still quite a lot of talented youngsters who can help the team moving forward. With the direction in which things look to be headed, Boston could be in for replacements at both point guard and at center. As it so happens, according to mock drafts and projections, it appears top-tier players at both positions should be available when the number four pick comes on the clock.

The Guard Route

If the Celtics do trade for this pick, and look to address the point guard position with it, both Darius Garland (Vanderbilt) and Coby White (North Carolina) could make for excellent selections.

Garland, who’s 2018-19 season was cut short due to a meniscus injury, proved to be a crafty playmaker with the ball in his hands. He’s a fantastic scoring guard (16.2 PPG on 53% from the field and 47% from three) who has shown flashes of brilliance in the pick-and-roll game. With a play style whom some have compared to two-time league MVP Stephen Curry, who wouldn’t want to take a chance on the guard?

Coby White, like Garland, is also a fantastic point guard prospect. In his lone season with the Tarheels, the guard proved to be quite a scoring talent, averaging 16.1 PPG on 42% shooting from the field and a solid 35% from downtown. Though Garland is seen as the superior offensive weapon White, with his height at 6-5, is a larger guard whom would be less of a liability on the defensive end.

The Center Route

If Boston opts to use the pick to bolster their front court, players like Jaxson Hayes and Goga Bitadze could be great fits with the franchise.

During his lone season with the Texas Longhorns , Hayes proved to be an athletic specimen with a knack for defense and swatting shots. Per game, Hayes blocked 2.2 shots per game, giving him a block percentage of 10.6 (19th in the nation), which suggests the center can be an excellent rim protector at the next level. His athleticism, too, allows him to both keep up with his defensive assignment, throw down lobs and excel in the pick-and-roll, where a majority of his points came from during his freshman season.

While Hayes is a player the Celtics may look to for his defensive prowess, if offense is what they’re after at the center position, Bitadze is clearly their guy.

During his time playing overseas professionally, Bitadze proved to be the floor spacing big that the modern day NBA drools over. Per 36 minutes, the 6-11 center averaged an impressive 17.9 PPG, 9.5 RPG and a stellar 3.4 BPG while shooting 55% from the field and 31% from deep. Though his blocks-per-game average may suggest Bitadze may be a defensive juggernaut, the big man’s lack of athleticism makes it hard for him to keep up with defensive assignments outside of the low-post. With this, however, Bitadze is coming off a stellar 2018-19 season in which he won multiple MVP awards as well as the EuroLeague’s Rising Star Award.

Conclusion

Though the Boston Celtics do have two first round picks in this years NBA draft (14 and 20), they are quite high and, generally speaking, do not give a team the same chances of drafting a quality player in this league. While it is viewed that the talent drops off quite a bit after the projected first three selections, there are still some intriguing options beyond this point that can be instant contributors for an NBA franchise.

This offseason has been pretty grim for the Boston Celtics organization as a whole. Perhaps moving up to the number four pick in tomorrows draft could quickly turn the team’s fortunes around.