Boston Celtics draft: Greg Brown projected to Cs in Fox Sports mock

While trade season is upon us–and the next few weeks may determine the postseason expectations Boston Celtics fans should set for themselves–the 2021 NBA Draft looms in the background.

While a set date has yet to be determined, an entire NCAA season has come and gone, and March Madness is set to resume once more after being wiped away by COVID-19 in 2020. Prospects have made their case to be selected by one of the league’s 30 (and perhaps in the future, 32) franchises.

The Cs haven’t exactly made their best free-agent pitch, but this roster isn’t likely going to add any impact FAs with Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart taking up the majority of the team’s cap space.

Instead, the draft is Danny Ainge’s preferred choice of adding players. That strategy has produced what the Boston Celtics core is, with Smart (2014), Jaylen Brown (2016), Jayson Tatum (2017), and potentially (probably) Payton Pritchard (2020) all coming by way of the NBA’s annual initiation for the best and brightest from the NCAA, abroad, and now, the G-League.

With the madness entering the college basketball realm, the mock drafts are out and about. After NBC Sports listed Josh Christopher as a potential option in the upcoming draft, Fox Sports took a stab at projecting where the next crop of NBA stars, role players and everything in-between would land.

Apparently, a big man from the Big 12 could be shipping up to Boston:

"19. Boston Celtics – Greg Brown, forward, TexasThe Celtics are set on the wing, but where they run into problems is against an overwhelming post player such as Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokoummpo. Brown is an athletic, 6-foot-9 big who can step out and hit the 3 (29 3-pointers) while being a shot-blocking presence (128th in the country in block percentage)."

As Jason McIntyre states, Brown is an athletic big, but he is also a bit of a project. His 3-point shot, while mechanically sound and aesthetically alluring, is not yet at a level you can rely on (32%).

That said, as a basic rim-runner and shot-blocker, Brown provides everything you need and can play a basic lob-finishing/put-backing role in Brad Stevens’ offense. As he showed in his December performance against Oklahoma State in a win, he has the ability to heat up from beyond the arc when he has his shot going (3/7) and gobble up boards (14), but any sort of advanced shot creation wouldn’t even be needed during out of the gate.

Brown would have a great place to nurture his game and his presence would allow the Cs to avoid a Daniel Theis overpay and explore Tristan Thompson’s trade market.

The Houdini likes the possible selection for the Boston Celtics, even more so than the potential selection of Josh Christopher out of Arizona State by NBC Sports.