The Boston Celtics suffered a most unfortunate happenstance during the 2022 NBA Finals: there is not enough depth to win it all if the core isn’t playing their best basketball.
Grant Williams shot well but left a minimal impact on the NBA Finals and things were worse for Payton Pritchard in his first Finals. The second-year point guard scored one point in the team’s final three games in 21 minutes of floor time. Derrick White was similarly gun-shy, and thus effectively neutralized, during the Dubs’ ‘death lineup’ takeover of the final three games (all Cs losses) of the series.
A man who wasn’t even turned to–outside 15 minutes of garbage time–despite the struggles of the rest of the second unit was Aaron Nesmith. Nesmith was a net positive in the fourth quarter of a game the Cs trailed by over 30 going into it, scoring five points, dishing out two assists, grabbing two boards, and a steal in a shade under 11 minutes of floor-time in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, but that was his only notable postseason minutes.
It’s possible the front office could pursue a better-fitting second round pick in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft if teams see potential in Nesmith and can grant him a chance to develop on a team not immediately contending.
Teams like the Pistons (No. 46 pick) and Kings (No. 49 pick) could gamble on Nesmith developing quicker than a second-rounder, while the Cs themselves could gamble on stealing first-round talent on a second-round salary. Boston already owns the No. 53 pick, but could use another chance to add a diamond in the rough talent that could immediately fill a need ahead of their draft position.
These are 3 projected second-rounders the Boston Celtics can trade Aaron Nesmith to draft
Trevion Williams, Purdue
Purdue was such a strong outfit (St. Peters was an unfathomable Cinderella freight train) because of the overwhelming frontcourt physicality of Zach Edey, Caleb Furst, and most of all, Trevion Williams.
Williams was a four-year Boilermaker that peaked his junior year and likely had a higher draft ceiling last season. His stats popped more last year, and he lost his starting job besides four games.
Robert Williams III could use a big man that can absorb regular season minutes to preserve his health for the postseason, and Trevion Williams has the physicality to avoid the Cs losing their identity without the ‘Time Lord’ in the lineup.
JD Davison, Alabama
When it comes to potential, there’s a higher potential payoff to having the young JD Davison develop slowly than to have Aaron Nesmith on a ticking time clock before his team option is inevitably declined and his morale slips further after staying stuck to Ime Udoka’s bench.
Davison can be a Maine Celtics product after seeing his high school potential not reached under Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats. Davison had few meaningful outings despite coming in as a highly-coveted Alabama-area recruit, but one of his best showings was when the light shone brightest in the Tide’s March Madness Round of 64 loss to Notre Dame.
Davison shot 4/8 in 36 minutes while knocking down his only 3-point attempt. He dished out nine assists and grabbed three boards and three steals. What makes him a definitive Maine Celtic and non-Boston Celtics roster shoe-in is his six turnovers against the Fighting Irish.
There’s a lot of potential that teams may not see due to his underwhelming 2021-22 season in Tuscaloosa, so if Davison falls to the low forties (or even down to pick No. 53) the Cs should do their due diligence and explore rolling the dice.
Jaylin Williams, Arkansas
Unequivocally, without question or hesitation, the Boston Celtics must pursue adding Jaylin Williams if he falls into the late-forties picks of the 2022 NBA Draft. That kind of gamble on a talent that could be locked up for years to come on a sub-vet’s minimum salary is one a defending Eastern Conference champion needs to make.
Williams was the big around which the Razorback guards were able to do damage from the perimeter. JD Notae was a volume-shooter who benefitted from Williams’ offensive rebounding preventing the Hogs from being a top team in the SEC. Notae has gotten workouts with the Toronto Raptors, essentially being boosted to undrafted free agent level pro by Williams.
The Cs would do well to add a big man in the second round of the NBA Draft just in case they do decide to pursue a Daniel Theis trade. Unlike Trevion Williams, Jaylin Williams is not guaranteed to be there at the No. 53 pick. In fact, it’d be a dramatic free-fall if Jaylin Williams was available at pick 50.
Boston would need to possibly forfeit Nesmith and their No. 53 pick in order to grab the six-foot-ten big man. That’d arguably be worth it despite long-distance struggles from the prospective pro pivot.
The Pistons at pick No. 46 is the most realistic shot at landing Williams, and Detroit is definitely in a position to add another recent lottery pick in an attempt to cobble together a cohesive young core around Cade Cunningham.