Though there are many players in which the Boston Celtics could wind up nabbing at pick number 14, Bleacher Report believes this specific Memphis star could be who they end up with.
Despite the fact that the Boston Celtics still find themselves in contention for the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2020, heading into this year’s draft they also see themselves in possession of quite a bit of value heading into this year’s draft.
Along with their own pick, which is projected at 26, they also hold the rights to the Milwaukee Bucks’ pick (projected at 30) and the Memphis Grizzlies’ pick which, as of Thursday, falls in at number 14.
Typically speaking, for a team as successful as the shamrocks, lottery selections are not the norm. However, thanks to some savvy moves over the years by General Manager & President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge, Boston finds themselves in this envious situation.
Since the pick was made official, we’ve discussed numerous options in which the Cs should consider taking at 14 and, from now until draft day, we will continue to share with you who we believe worthy of consideration at this pick.
Bleacher Report themselves recently dipped their toes into the Mock Draft sand, and, with this, sees the Boston Celtics potentially coming away with a young and talented big man by the name of Precious Achiuwa.
"The Celtics could look at Achiuwa to inject their frontcourt with athleticism and defensive versatility. Despite lacking polish offensively, defensive versatility could be his NBA moneymaker, though flashes of face-up moves and spot-up threes indicate he has more scoring potential to reach."
Throughout his one-and-done season with the Memphis Tigers, Achiuwa put up impressive averages of 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent shooting from deep.
With his production, the 20-year-old managed to attain accolade such as First-Team All-ACC, ACC Freshman of the Year, and ACC Player of the Year.
In the Houdini’s humble opinion, while the 6-9 Achiuwa does possess a solid combination of strength, athleticism, and impressive shot blocking/ offensive rebounding skills, 14 seems to be a little bit of a reach, especially considering the fact that the difference in talent and potential between he and someone like Memphis big Jalen Smith — who B/R doesn’t even have being drafted in round-one — or Minnesota sophomore Daniel Oturu is negligible.
Again, Achiuwa seems to be an impressive prospect heading into the 2020 draft. That said, at 14, we believe there to be a few more options that should be considered ahead of him.
What do you think? Do you believe the Boston Celtics taking Precious Achiuwa at 14 makes sense? Who would you rather see them select here?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.