Boston Celtics draft: B/R tabs Aussie guard with Luka Doncic-esque skills in mock

On Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics fell to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The Slovenian superstar dropped 36 points, grabbed eight boards, and dished out five dimes en route to a huge victory for the Mavs, who are 3.5 games out of the #6 seed.

Avoiding any play-in game is Dallas’ goal as well as Boston’s. The Mavs moved closer to their goal with the win due to the dynamic guard play of their international sensation, one young enough for fans in the Metroplex to picture in uniform for the next decade.

Perhaps the Boston Celtics could soon boast a playmaker known for the spectacular set up themselves. Their assist numbers (22.9 per game) have them in the bottom third of the league in facilitation this season.

With any luck, and if Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has prophetic powers, we could see Australian wunderkind Josh Giddey make his way stateside to join a Cs team hurting for playmaking:

"15. Boston Celtics: Josh Giddey (Adelaide 36ers, PG, 2002)With averages of 14.4 points, 9.8 assists and 7.4 rebounds in March, Giddey was turning a corner before a recent ankle injury. He’s starting to look more comfortable as a shooter, a potential swing development for the 6’8″ ball-handler. Regardless, NBA teams will be valuing his knack for running offense and playmaking, which seem likely to translate based on his unique positional size, control off the dribble, passing instincts and an obvious feel for the game."

Giddey’s stat-line reads “Luka-lite”. In fact, the Aussie phenom has been compared to Doncic by NBL legend Andrew Gaze:

"Basketball runs deep in the Giddey family — dad Warwick and mum Kim played in the NBL and WNBL.Gaze played alongside Warwick for the Melbourne Tigers and has known Josh for most of his life.“The comparison that I’ve made with him is one of the greatest players in the world right now in Luka Doncic,” Gaze said, likening Giddey to the young Slovenian star who plays for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA."

The comparison is apt but Giddey actually outshines Doncic in a few categories. Chief among them is quickness. While Doncic’s dribble moves are often based on breaking down a defender through sheer unpredictability and creativity, Giddey has the acceleration to burst past defenders in the halfcourt and in transition. Obviously, he hasn’t faced NBA competition yet, but the Aussie baller’s athleticism is notable in NBL competition.

Giddey also better length than Luka, wrapping passes around defenders with his superior reach. Where Doncic has Giddey beat handily is shooting. The 2X All-Star has upped his 3-point shooting to over 37% this season, though his shot took time to come around as well.

The comparison’s in the professional overseas pair’s games are obvious. Few can find backdoor cutters, thread the needle to rim-attackers, and zip passes crosscourt to open corner shooters quite as Doncic and Giddey can.

While the Boston Celtics were way too good in 2017-18 to have a shot at Doncic in the draft that followed that near-Eastern Conference championship campaign, they could have the current Adelaide 36er waiting for them after the lottery.

Perhaps that could eventually be just as good.

Or, optimistically, better.