Boston Celtics draft: C&C sees these 3 big men as Cs second-round possibilities

In trading for Al Horford, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations decided that parting with their first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft was worth the price of getting off the final two years of Kemba Walker’s bloated current salary.

While the move may have cost Stevens the chance to land another cost-controlled contributor, it was at least a gamble Danny Ainge may have stood down from after earning a reputation for getting gun-shy when deals were set to cross the finish line.

Then again, not all hope is lost. Boston still owns a second-round selection at pick #45, and can still find potential rotation talent despite the exodus of prospective picks back to the collegiate basketball realm after previously declaring for the draft.

Fansided’s City of Boston fan-site, Chowder and Champions, listed three big men the Cs can pursue when Stevens and co. are on the clock in eight days:

Charles Bassey could be a major mid-major addition for the Boston Celtics

Charles Bassey is one of those gritty old-school bigs that lives and breathes on blocks and rebounds. He’s been linked to the Cs before by Sir Charles In Charge, making C&C the second FS sister site to see Bassey as a solid center fit in Boston.

His level of competition in the Conference-USA was not as high as many of his peers, but his athletic attributes should translate to the next level given his size and bounce.

The international Boston Celtics big man tradition continues

Sandro Mamukelashvili is a versatile big man who can pass and run the floor who is unafraid of hoisting up attempts from beyond the arc.

While his skillset is not exactly at a Nikola Jokic level, his game has the potential to be if he can improve his efficiency. As C&C’s Randolph Charlotin points out, his 33% conversion rate needs improvement, but Mamukelashvili’s stat-line (17.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals) implies his skillset is one that can produce videogame-like numbers.

Brad Stevens goes the most traditional route with Jericho Sims

Jericho Sims comes from a Power 5 program (Texas) that will feature another big man (Kai Jones) that was linked to the Cs when they still had their first-round draft pick.

Sims is a vertical threat at the rim, registering the second-highest jump in the draft during the 2021 NBA Draft combine. While his game is similar to Texas A&M product Robert Williams, you could never have too much rim protection, especially considering the latter’s injury proneness.