Boston Celtics: B/R has Obi Toppin & Jalen Smith headed to Cs in re-draft

For those who follow us at the Houdini, you know that once the 2020 NBA Draft wrapped up, we were a bit perplexed by the decisions made by the Boston Celtics.

During the months leading up to the big night, we at the site discussed many players we would love for the franchise to select with their 3 first-round picks and, quite often, linked them to the likes of former Maryland big man Jalen Smith.

Ultimately, however, Danny Ainge opted to take Aaron Nesmith at 14, Payton Pritchard at 26, and Desmond Bane at 30, who, of course, was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies almost instantaneously.

Again, we were a bit underwhelmed once the night came to an end but, through 22 games of action, there has been little to complain about from the team’s rookie crop.

After missing a large portion of his sophomore season at Vanderbilt, we all expected it would take some time for Nesmith to get accustomed to the pro-level. Though he’s been in and out of the lineup throughout the early stages of the year, ultimately, he has shown promise during his short spurts.

As for Pritchard, he has been quite a pleasant surprise for the franchise so far, logging 8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 44 percent shooting from deep. With his production, he has managed to carve out a consistent role with this shamrocks squad and, in turn, has some believing he may be the steal of the 2020 draft.

While no one can say these rookies have been “absolutely brilliant”, if the team was tasked with a do-over on the night, it might be difficult for them to change things up too much.

That said, in Bleacher Report’s recent re-draft, it appears the Boston Celtics go the route in which we had believed they should have gone initially and prioritized their lackadaisical frontcourt

The Boston Celtics bring on big men in Bleacher Report’s recent re-draft

In the article, writer Jonathan Wasserman reshuffled almost every team’s pick based on performances from each rookie through the first quarter of play. Because of this, we see players who weren’t available when the Cs were on the board move back as well as players who were available moving up.

In this re-draft, Wasserman has the Boston Celtics selecting Obi Toppin at 14, Jalen Smith (my boy) at 26, and Zeke Nnaji at 30.

B/R’s reasoning for each selection reads as follows:

•  14) Obi Toppin (Original pick: No. 8

"A slow start for Toppin in New York shouldn’t deter Boston at No. 14. The Celtics would use him differently, getting him more involved in pick-and-rolls to optimize his athleticism around the basket instead of playing him as a spot-up shooter the way the Knicks have."

• 26) Jalen Smith (Original pick: No. 10)

"Although Smith has struggled to crack Phoenix’s rotation, the Celtics would still see value in his stretch-5 potential and defensive energy."

• 30) Zeke Nnaji (Original pick: No. 22)

"Nnaji hasn’t received many opportunities, but he offers interesting value this late for his high floor as a finisher, rebounder and post player. He also has the potential to unlock some upside with underrated touch that could eventually extend out to the arc."

Now of course, in life, there is no rewind button. The decisions made during the 2020 NBA Draft are final and, for the most part, Boston Celtics fans should be satisfied with how their night went.

Having said that, this slate of players listed above, even assuming the team still deals their 30th pick, is something fans would likely kill to see play out over the next several years.

The high-flying/ athletic Toppin running alongside Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart (all willing passers) has the makings to be absolutely lethal — let’s not forget, the man is the reigning National College Player of the Year.

Smith, as we’ve alluded to already, was high on our radar coming into the draft and, though he has not found a consistent role with the Suns to start his career, we still believe his skill-set, athleticism, and size gives him high-level potential.

Again, we at HH are reletively content with how Boston’s rookies have played thus far. However, this alternate universe Wasserman created is something fun to envision.