Boston Celtics draft: 3 reasons to trade up for Isaac Okoro

Having a ready-made role for him

On the Boston Celtics, Isaac Okoro would have all the time he needs to develop. There’s no need to expect him to play 30 minutes per night as he would be expected to in either New York or Detroit–two oft-mentioned landing spots for the combo forward.

A blueprint for what Okoro’s progression would look like would be something similar to Romeo Langford’s rookie year (minus the injuries ideally). Langford was not expected to be relied on for any serious stretches of any game but would see garbage time action.

Assuming Ainge is able to get his hands on at least one free agent wing in the scenario of consolidating picks to move up and nab Okoro, he wouldn’t need to be the sixth man or anything close. Instead, he can grow at whatever rate is appropriate for his long-term trajectory.

Granted, recent history with lottery picks–especially in the top 10–has seen every Celtics selection become a valued rotation member…if not a downright star in Tatum’s and Brown’s case. Okoro could very well excel early and make an impact from the jump.

But he doesn’t have to, and that’s an ideal spot for a player who had his growth stunted by having his only college season cut short due to a pandemic.