Boston Celtics: B/R deems 2 Cs draft targets as potential busts

With multiple first-round picks at hand, the Boston Celtics have been linked to several NBA Draft prospects, some of which are seen as serious “bust” candidates.

With just two days remaining till the 2020 NBA Draft, coverage of the event will be kicked up significantly and Boston Celtics fans will find their beloved team intertwined often within this frenzy as they come into the night with 3 first-round selections at hand.

In order for the team to come away as winners, Danny Ainge and co. will need to do some serious homework and dive into deep analysis on some of the prospects expected to be available when they find themselves on the clock at 14th, 26th, and 30th overall — should they wind up keeping the picks, that is.

Through the past several weeks there have been many names rumored to be on the C’s radar, such as Cole Anthony, Onyeka Okongwu, and Isaac Okoro. And while these players, along with many others, have been building up their stock heading into the illustrious night, there are a few who have some in the media worried about them winding up becoming “draft busts” or, in other words, a prospect producing disappointing results relative to where they were taken.

In a recent article by Bleacher Report, two players that have found themselves linked to the Boston Celtics in the past in Aaron Nesmith and RJ Hampton are seen as relative bust candidates, according to writer Jonathan Wasserman.

His reasoning for both players being included on his list reads as follows:

The Case for Aaron Nesmith

"Aside from shooting, he offers no creativity, playmaking or passing, totaling 13 assists in 500 minutes, and he ranked in the 6th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. The only guards or forwards on record to average at least 14 field-goal attempts and have an assist percentage as low as Nesmith’s 6.9 percent: Shabazz Muhammad and JaJuan Johnson.Nesmith’s jump shot is still a draw, but it doesn’t even work well off the dribble (13-of-37).He should be a useful catch-and-shoot player like Doug McDermott, but lottery teams expecting a volume scorer or difference-making shooter may want to think twice."

The Case for RJ Hampton

"He scores by attacking and making set shots, but he isn’t a high-level creator or shooter. He’s a capable setup passer off penetration, but he isn’t a natural facilitator.Is he sharp enough off the dribble in the half court to be used as a primary initiator? And will he be threatening enough shooting off spot-ups and screens from the wings and corners?There has been buzz about Hampton fixing his shot mechanics during the quarantine, and given the extra time prospects have had to prepare, it’s possible he’s made adjustments. One of the biggest scouting challenges for a postponed draft during the pandemic is assessing how much stock to put into workout videos (of supposed improved shooting) after going months without seeing someone like Hampton in any live action."

In the past, we, too, have deemed Hampton as a risky target for the Cs to consider and stated his limited offensive abilities as a main reason for this.

That said, Nesmith’s potential is far more evident, as he posted insane averages (albeit, in just 14 games in 2019-20) of 23 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals and just under a block per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and a whopping 52 percent from deep.

While we hope that the Boston Celtics strongly consider taking the likes of Jalen Smith at 14th overall, picking the Vanderbilt star would easily be seen as a high-upside decision for the team and, thus, the Houdini could get behind the selection.

That said, should the Cs wind up taking Hampton at 14, we’d be sorely disappointed.