Boston Celtics draft: Brad Stevens doesn’t deviate from Danny Ainge strategy

The ESPN broadcast had lasered in on Sharife Cooper when the Boston Celtics were on the clock. The Auburn star had shown serious potential as a playmaker but had flaws in his shot and a ton of off-court drama that affected his on-court eligibility. He ended up going to his hometown Atlanta Hawks three picks later.

Perhaps that is what led new President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens to go the international route with Frenchman Juhann Begarin with the #45 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Begarin was described by Tom Westorholm as being”big and explosive,” and having a “huge wingspan.” Westorholm also mentioned that he won’t be coming stateside in 2021.

Sound familiar? Well, former Cs general manager Danny Ainge did the same thing last November when he selected Israeli floor general Yam Madar.

So, deja vu has struck in the new era of Boston Celtics basketball. In fact, deja vu is having deja vu. This is the second time Stevens has copied a move by his predecessor, with acquiring Al Horford also on the list.

The Horford trade was lauded, but what about this one? It’s complicated.

If Yam Madar makes his way stateside to join the Cs, then bringing on another draft stash isn’t the worst thing in the world. Ditto for the Cs landing a free agent PG like Lonzo Ball or Spencer Dinwiddie with the MLE or a veteran PG like D.J. Augustin in the trade market.

Madar could take the MLE himself. If he is as good as advertised (by his asking price), then holding off on using any cap exceptions to land their 2021 second-round pick Begarin would be extra wise.

But if Stevens rolls into the 2021-22 season rocking the status quo?

That’d be an issue for a Cs squad that has no good reason not to add more depth at the point guard spot. Marcus Smart and Payton Pritchard are a solid foundation, but the room for growth should be occupied before Stevens’ first draft goes down as a disappointment.