Coming into the 2020 NBA Draft the Boston Celtics will hold the rights to three first round picks. With their need of front court help, they should keep tabs on a few talented big men.
Since the 2013 trade that saw Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett head to Brooklyn, the Boston Celtics have made it somewhat of a norm that they’ve held the rights to a boatload of draft selections. Aside from their own, over the past seven seasons the team has acquired the rights to 10 different draft picks.
Among this capital, Danny Ainge has managed to nab franchise cornerstone Jayson Tatum and integral wing Jaylen Brown along the way. Now, heading into the illustrious night this season, Boston is slated to be on the board in the first round on three separate occasions — their second time holding this many picks since 2016.
Over the years fans and the media have pleaded with the front office to use their ridiculous amount of assets to acquire an established star to add to their seemingly ready made championship contending roster. Ainge has not adhered to our cries yet, so why should we expect this year to turn out any different?
If the draft were to be held tomorrow the C’s would hold the rights to the 16th, 26th and 30th overall selections. Though the team currently rosters one of the most menacing cores in the NBA Kemba Walker, Tatum, Brown, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart there are still a few areas that could use tweaking.
In particular, one of the most buzzed about areas of concern on the roster is the team’s lackluster center rotation — though starter Daniel Theis has played admirably throughout 2019-20.
With this in mind, here are three bigs the Boston Celtics should have on their radar heading into the draft.
Vernon Carey Jr.
First up on our big man targets list we have the ACC Rookie of the Year himself, Vernon Carey Jr. Playing for one of the most storied college basketball programs may be a bit intimidating for any 19 year old; Carey Jr. proved to be not just any 19 year old.
At 6-10, 270 pounds the Miami native quite easily became a menacing enforcer for the Blue Devils in the interior. Using his strong stature, Carey was able to bully opponents down low to the tune of 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game on 58 percent shooting from the field.
He also proved capable — albeit on not too many attempts — of stretching the floor, boasting a 3-point shooting clip of 38 percent.
In the paint is mainly where he thrives, which could be of some concern for NBA teams as the current state of the league is perimeter oriented. Yes, we mentioned his solid 38 percent shooting from deep, but that was on less than an attempt per game — registered 21 3’s over the entirety of his one-and-done season.
The reason why a guy like Carey could work for the Boston Celtics is, while they would love to have a floor spacing big, they don’t necessarily need one, for they have ample all-around offensive fire-power in Walker, Tatum, Brown and Hayward and have a solid option at the five already in Theis.
The young center could, however, prove to be a serviceable option in the front court off the bench to gobble up offensive boards and man the paint when on ‘D’.
Still, at his age, it’s well within the realm of possibility that he can develop a consistent jumper. He’s shown to have a solid stroke at the collegiate level. With a little work, it could become more of a prevalent aspect of his game at sometime down the road.
Daniel Oturu
Next up, we have a big who, though less built than Carey, is a more well rounded prospect. From his freshman year in 2018-19 to his sophomore stint from this campaign past Daniel Oturu improved his overall game in a huge way.
Raising his statistical averages seemingly all across the board the Minnesota big registered 20.1 points, 11.3 rebounds (led the Big 10) and a whopping 2.5 blocks per game (led the Big 10) in year two with the Gophers.
His overall shooting clip went up to 56 percent while his 3-point numbers dropped from 50 percent to 37 percent. However, even with this dip, it is still encouraging that the 20 year old has raised his attempts per game from that area (1.7 per game) and still converts at a serviceable rate.
Oturu received first-team All-Big 10 defensive team and second-team All-Big 10 honors for his performance in 2019-20. At 6-10, 240 pounds the New York native may be seen as a bit undersized for the center position in the NBA. Luckily for the Boston Celtics, they’ve managed to thrive in recent years when using undersized fives — namely Daniel Theis (6-9), Al Horford (6-10).
With his ability to stretch the floor, gobble up boards and defend the paint, Daniel Oturu is an intriguing prospect to nab in the latter portion of the draft.
Jalen Smith
To be quite honest, I don’t know why Jalen Smith isn’t slated to go to the Boston Celtics on every single mock draft. He fits the mold of everything the team could possibly need at the center position.
Listed at 6-10 the big has shown the ability to bang down low while also proving more than capable of stepping out from inside the paint — unlike many of the other bigs in this year’s class — and stretch the floor all the way to the perimeter.
Through 31 games played Smith put up impressive averages of 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game on 54 percent shooting from the floor and 37 percent shooting from deep on a cool 2.8 attempts.
Offensively, he showed often that he could put the moves on a defender when in the post while also creating for himself with his ability to put the ball on the floor.
Defensively he’s proved agile and allusive enough to stay with his man while also proving to have a knack for swatting shots.
Listed at just 225 pounds, Smith would obviously need to put on some size if he wants to legitimately compete against other NBA bigs, but with his size, coupled with his skillset, it might be too hard for the C’s to pass on the 20 year old.
In 2019-20 Smith received honors of Big 10 All-Defensive Team, First-Team All-Big 10 and found himself on the All-American Third-Team.
If he can pack on some weight, the Boston Celtics could very easily nab a quality long term piece in their front court with Jalen Smith.