Despite the fact that the Boston Celtics managed to snag the likes of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum by means of the NBA Draft over the last six years, for the majority of this time span the front office has struggled mightily with coming away from the illustrious event as victorious.
Since 2016, the Cs have found themselves in possession of four lottery selections and 11 total first-round picks. Of this group, only four have managed to establish themselves as legitimate long-term staples within the rotation.
Now, while a few of the players who have been selected under this aforementioned criteria may still only be heading into year two or three and, in theory, could wind up developing into a quality rotational piece in time, this does not mean that, if given the chance at a re-do, the shamrocks wouldn’t take the opportunity.
Take Aaron Nesmith, Boston’s most recent lottery selection, for example.
Despite having shown glimpses of serious potential as a quality scorer in this league during the latter part of last year (9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on 53.6 percent shooting from the floor and 45 percent shooting from deep during the final nine games of the regular season), some still believe that, if the franchise had a chance at a do-over, they would opt to go in a different direction.
In fact, in a recent post dedicated to re-doing the 2020 NBA Draft, the folks at Bleacher Report went about and re-wrote history for the Boston Celtics, opting to have them pass on the former Vanderbilt star and select Xavier Tillman with the 14th overall selection.
Citing the fact that the power forward exceeded seemingly all expectations during his rookie campaign last season, writer, Andy Bailey believes that the Michigan State product showed enough during his 59 game stint with the Memphis Grizzlies to, not only warrant him first-round consideration but a late lottery nod as well:
"Bruising big man Xavier Tillman Sr. annihilated expectations in his rookie campaign. Among players drafted in 2020, he was tied for fifth in 2020-21 wins over replacement player, a mark that came courtesy of wide-ranging statistical contributions.Tillman averaged 12.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.1 blocks and 0.7 threes per 75 possessions. And when you combine that versatility with the physical style with which he plays, it’s easy to fall for his game."
As we stated earlier, there are many who are under the belief that the Boston Celtics should have gone in a different direction than selecting Nesmith during the 2020 draft. To be completely honest, we ourselves have even gone about and shared our opinions throughout the year of other players they should have considered over the young wing.
However, even when we ponder on the “what ifs” on the night, never have we considered the idea of Xavier Tillman being taken over the wing.
Now, for the record, this is not meant to be disrespectful in any way, for the four did manage to earn himself a consistent role within a playoff-bound rotation.
That said, even with this, we at the HH are still much more confident in the upside that a guy like Aaron Nesmith brings to the table than Tillman.
Should the piece have seen someone like Tyrese Maxey (re-drafted at 15), Obi Toppin (re-drafted at 18), or Cole Anthony (re-drafted at 21) taken by the Boston Celtics, we would have had an easier time getting behind this alternate-reality decision.
However, if it’s between keeping Aaron Nesmith or going back in time and nabbing Xavier Tillman at 14th overall, the Houdini is quite content with staying in this current reality.