Boston Celtics draft: 5 potential late Cs draft-night steals

2 of 3

Boston Celtics Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports /

Boston Celtics second-round draft target #2: Max Abmas

Not a single player in Division I basketball single-handedly elevated his stock quite like Max Abmas did during 2021 March Madness. The undersized two-guard was able to lead the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles past both Ohio State and Florida before falling short to Arkansas on a missed buzzer-beating 3-point game-winner by the Rockwell, Texas native.

With a scoring average of 26.6 points against the Big Ten and SEC title game runner-ups, as well as the Gators, in the NCAA tournament, Abmas showed that even on the game’s biggest stage, his bucket-getting ability cannot be denied.

Next to Payton Pritchard in the Celtics’ second unit, Abmas could be the league’s next great scoring sixth-man in the vein of Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford.

He’s that good.

Boston Celtics second-round draft target #3: Herbert Jones

While Jahvon Quinerly, John Petty, and Alex Reese were the primary bombers in Nate Oats’ run-and-gun Mike D’Antoni-like 3-point barrages, Herbert Jones was the decoy that broke down the defense and got to the rim through sheer athleticism and force.

The lefty swingman can stroke the long-ball at a decent clip (35% in 2020-21 from downtown), but Jones is best known for his defensive prowess.

The Greensboro, Alabama native was able to land the SEC Player of the Year, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and was named an All-SEC First-Team member for the 2020-21 season. That pedigree would fit well with one of the most accomplished franchises in basketball history in Boston.