NBA Draft: 2 players the Boston Celtics could — and should — have drafted in 2016

Ante Žižić, C

Now, this one’s a little tricky, as the Boston Celtics wound up shipping off Ante Žižić before he ever even suited up for the team. Here’s how his Celtics tenure played out

• June 23rd, 2016: Drafted 23rd overall by the Boston Celtics
• July 1st, 2017: Officially signed his NBA rookie contract after spending the previous years honing his skills overseas in the Turkish League
• August 22, 2017: Traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and a Brooklyn Nets 2018 first round pick for Kyrie Irving

One could certainly argue this pick doesn’t really matter, for Žižić has only played for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the past three years and hasn’t really turned into anything more than an average role player: averages six points and 3.9 rebounds on 58 percent shooting from the floor.

However, we here at the Houdini view this as a wasted pick.

Wasted?! How could it be wasted? It landed us Kyrie Irving!

To you, the voice in my head, I say you’re right… but, with how that period in Celtics history ended — no ring and, with Irving on the floor, no closer to a championship than they were prior — we will continue to view this selection of Ante Žižić as a wasted pick.

Viewed by many as a high-energy player with great athleticism for someone his height, the center was seen as a draft-and-stash prospect until he was ready to make his transition to the NBA. However, even with this, it was widely noted that his offensive game was severely lacking and at best people viewed him as a solid contributor in the league down the road.

With the fact that the C’s — at the time — already had guys like Al Horford, Amir Johnson, Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Zeller on the roster, this pick was obviously a choice of adding depth to an already solidified rotation.

Look, with the selection of Ante Žižić, nothing really happened to the C’s aside from them getting Irving. However, at 23 there was a player available that, if selected, could have, in theory, prevented the whole Kyrie trade fiasco from happening……