Boston Celtics Draft Prospect No. 2) Josh Green, SG
Next up we have Zeke Nnaji’s fellow Arizona Wildcat teammate, and a player the Houdini has talked up quite a bit in the past, Josh Green. Since declaring for the NBA Draft back in April, the shooting guard has found himself steadily climbing up the leaderboards & in mock drafts and, in Bleacher Report’s latest mock, sees himself being selected 17th by the Boston Celtics.
Through 30 games played, Green saw solid averages of 12 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game on 42 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from deep.
As stated in previous publications on the 19-year-old:
"Green has the makings of an elite defender. Due to his freakish 6-10 wingspan he was able to guard numerous positions at the collegiate level and was able to lead his team in steals and was ranked sixth in the entire Pac-12 Conference. His stature of 6-6, 210 pounds is the picture perfect build for an NBA shooting guard, but has the skill set and length to play three to four positions on the court, making Green a valuable prospect to have on a roster. Showcased a very solid long-range shooting stroke — especially on catch-and-shoot attempts — Josh Green could be a serviceable offensive weapon for a team that consists of two ball handlers (Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart) who love to participate in drive-and-kick scenarios, but currently lack few assets for them to distribute to, especially in the second unit."
NBA Comparison: Kelly Oubre Jr.
We’ve actually discussed the idea of the Boston Celtics pursuing Kelly Oubre Jr. in the past to help bolster their underwhelming second unit. The scoring wing currently finds himself in a starting role on the bubble eligible Phoenix Suns, where he’s producing at career-high rates all across the board.
Through 56 outings, the 24-year-old finds himself averaging an impressive 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from deep.
Similar to Green, Oubre has a great mix of length (6-7) and athleticism to guard multiple positions, making him an invaluable commodity when switching on defense or in man-to-man schemes.
Having someone of Oubre’s skillset would easily help improve this putrid Cs second unit. That someone could turn out to be Josh Green at 17 in the upcoming draft.