In this year’s draft the Boston Celtics will continue their trend with holding the rights to numerous selections, three of which are first rounders. Who might they consider selecting with the own pick?
Though it’s just day 13 without Boston Celtics, or any other NBA basketball, this hiatus has already felt like it’s lasted for an eternity. Sure, League Pass has done the generous deed of waiving their fee of subscription for the time being — where you can watch the three best Celtics games from 2019-20 — but, frankly, it’s just not the same.
We miss our live NBA action.
Unfortunately, however, there is simply nothing we can do about it. According to a bevy of reports, this season’s suspension could potentially last up to any time from May to August, and could even wind up not coming back at all (we seriously hope this isn’t the case). Regardless, no matter what they end up doing, it will undoubtedly be based on whatever is best for the league’s health and overall well being.
Because of this, we can only do what we can: look back at the season that was, and look forward to things that still appear on the horizon, namely free agency (articles to come) and the NBA Draft.
In regard to the order in which these aforementioned events go, as things currently stand the draft is the first domino to fall, so this is what we will be touching base on today.
Heading into this year’s big day, the Boston Celtics hold the rights to three first rounders — the Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks and their own, giving them the 17th, 26th and 30th pick based on the current state of the league’s standings.
We already discussed three players Danny Ainge should consider targeting with Memphis’ pick at 17. Now, we take a look at who the team should have on their radar when the chose with their own pick at 26.
Isaiah Stewart, F/C, Washington
First up on our list we have a player at a position the Boston Celtics have needed to bolster seemingly all season. Throughout his 2019-20 freshman season with the Washington Huskies, Isaiah Stewart proved to be, not just one of the best first year bigs but, rather, one of the best bigs at the collegiate level overall.
Through 32 games, Stewart managed to put up stellar averages of 17 points, 8.8 boards and 2.1 blocks per game on 57 percent shooting from the field. He showed a fantastic combination of strength, power and agility which should only catch the eye of NBA scouts.
Though mainly utilized in the post, the big showcased a fluid and underrated shooting stroke and an ability to hit the turnaround/ fallaway jumper from within five to seven feet from the rim.
Above all else, however, Stewart is a player who seemingly does all the little things — a la Marcus Smart — that don’t tend to appear on the stat sheet: hustling on both ends of the court, diving on the floor for loose balls, etc.
While he may be seen as a bit undersized in regard to a typical NBA power forward/ center, as far as the Boston Celtics are concerned this should not be an issue. Amongst their main rotation of bigs — Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter & Robert Williams — they have two players listed at 6-8 and one at 6-10.
The team has managed to succeed while having centers who may not “fit the norm” in regard to length down low, so Stewart’s 6-9 frame should not be the main factor should they decide to second guess on this prospect.
If the 18 year old manages to work on his outside shooting ability — shot 25 percent on 20 total 3-point attempts — Isaiah Stewart could prove to be a valuable asset for this young Boston Celtics team moving forward, filling in at a position they could definitely benefit from strengthening.
Leandro Bolmaro, SG, FC Barcelona
Next up, we have the scrappy and high motor Euroleague baller Leandro Bolmaro. The shooting guard has shown a skill set some have compared to the great Manu Ginóbili. A player with a comparison such as this may be hard for the Boston Celtics to pass up on.
Offensively, he has shown a capability of jetting to the rim for a ferocious dunk or acrobatic finish thanks to his tight handles and lightning quickness. However, his main draw on that side of the ball is his ability to shoot from both inside the arc and downtown.
Defensively, he has proven to be quite a pest, as he’s able to stay in front of his assignment thanks to his quickness and is sensational on closeouts.
Deemed as “the chosen one” and “the Messi of basketball”, Bolmaro comes into this year’s draft as an extremely polarizing prospect, especially with the fact that the league has seen great results of late when dealing with highly touted European/ foreign players — Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Jokic, etc.
To have a player with a high motor, a relentless scoring prowess and tenacity on the defensive end of the ball coming off a championship contender’s bench doesn’t sound like a bad deal to us. Plus, with his upside, the C’s could be bringing on the next success story that made the transition from overseas to the NBA.
No, we’re not saying he’ll be on the same level as any of the other players listed above — though, wouldn’t that be nice! However, if he can contribute at a consistent level for the Celtics as a spark plug off the pine, a success this would be deemed… at least, as far as we’re concerned.
Tre Jones, PG, Duke
For as far back as we can remember during the 2019-20 season, the main concern many fans and media outlets voiced pertaining to the Boston Celtics’ roster this year was their front court rotation, specifically at the center position. And, while this area certainly should be addressed during the offseason, there’s also another position that could use some fine tuning — backup point guard.
Whenever we’ve brought up the idea that the C’s need to do something about their second unit floor general, people tend to get offensive, stating Brad Wanamaker is doing a solid job. At some points during this season, we’ve agreed with you. However, looking at his overall track record, coupled with his capped upside, it must be stated: the team can do better at the position.
Enter Tre Jones.
The sophomore guard’s entire 2019-20 season with the Duke Blue Devils is reason to believe he can, at the least, lead a second unit in the NBA — why not have it be for the Celtics?
Through 29 outings, Jones put up averages of 16.2 points, 6.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game on 42 percent shooting from the floor and 36 percent shooting from 3. Known as mainly a defensive force during his freshman year, Jones upped his draft stock significantly in year two by scoring six more points, dishing one more assist and shooting almost two more 3-point attempts per game at a 10 percent increase in regards to conversion rates.
At 26 — where the C’s are currently expected to pick — a talent like Tre Jones may be hard to pass on for a team who would only benefit with an upgrade at their backup point guard spot.