For the first time in what feels like forever, there's a bundle of uncertainty surrounding the Boston Celtics as they head into the offseason. Jayson Tatum's Achilles tear, paired with the need to shed salary for second apron (which heavily punishes teams who consistently violate financial thresholds) and tax purposes, has them at a crossroads.
In particular, their center rotation next season is completely up in the air. Kristaps Porzingis is perhaps the most likely Celtic to be traded this summer, while both Al Horford and Luke Kornet will be unrestricted free agents.
There's no guarantee that one or both of Horford and Kornet will sign elsewhere, but it's a possibility, especially with Boston aiming to ditch about $20 million in salary. In that scenario, the Cs are going to have to reinforce their paint presence, one way or another.
The most immediate way to do this is through the NBA Draft next month. Boston has picks 28 and 32 this year, giving them the luxury of taking multiple swings at young prospects.
A recent mock draft from Yahoo Sports has the Celtics selecting Georgetown big man Thomas Sorber with the 28th overall pick.
Who is Thomas Sorber?
Sorber appeared in 24 games for the Hoyas in his freshman season, which came to an early close due to a foot injury in late February.
Before sustaining the injury, the 19-year-old generated plenty of buzz with an impressive campaign. He averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. For a big man, he wasn't the most efficient with 53.2/16.2 shooting splits, but he did show promise from the free-throw line at 72.4%.
Typically, when a player shows signs of life from the stripe, there's a possibility that their jumper can develop as the years go on.
Sorber should immediately be a reliable paint protector. His 6-foot-10, 262-pound frame, combined with his 7-foot-6 wingspan, makes things difficult on offensive players trying to finish at the rim. The numbers speak for themselves. An average of 2.0 blocks is always impressive, but his ability extends beyond that.
The Georgetown product consistently thrives as a vertical defender. Straight up. Straight down. Just like the rulebook calls for. His blocks-to-personal-foul ratio was nearly one-to-one.
Once he's drawn away from the basket, Sorber's defense isn't quite as effective. He still plays with an incredible motor and will battle to get back into plays even after being beaten off the dribble, but he doesn't have the quickness to keep up with smaller players. Nonetheless, he's got a good defensive foundation that the Celtics, or any other team, can work with.
Sorber's offensive game is solid, but nothing to go crazy over. He plays with a strong low-post presence, emphasis on strong, and uses his size to get to his spots where he finishes plenty of hooks and floaters. However, Sorber plays mostly below the rim. The dunks featured in his highlight tapes are mostly limited to rim-grazers.
Across several mock drafts, he's been slotted anywhere from a lottery pick to Yahoo's estimate of still being available when Boston is on the clock.
How much sense does Thomas Sorber make for the Celtics?
If he's still available when it's the Celtics' turn to pick, he's certainly worth a thought. Again, the need is there for Boston. Who knows what their rotation is going to look like heading into training camp, so if they're able to get a guy that has a relatively high approval rating, like Sorber, they should do it.
His defensive ability, along with his discipline on that end, would open the door for him to play minutes right away. Sorber wouldn't instantly be an All-NBA defender, but could be a gritty sparkplug type of guy to bring off the bench.
Of course, the question marks are there, right?
His offensive game works in college, but might not translate smoothly to the NBA. If he were to get spot minutes off of Boston's bench, there wouldn't be many opportunities for him to post up and bruise his way to the bucket. Sorber's jumper would have to come along before he could become an effective cog in Joe Mazzulla's basketball machine.
Then, there's the health.
The left foot injury is concerning for sure. There have been so many cases of centers having their careers or primes cut short because of foot issues. Bill Walton, Kevin McHale, Yao Ming, and Greg Oden are just a few examples that come to mind. Sorber hasn't been able to take part in any pre-draft workouts yet, as he recovers from his February surgery.
It could be a one-time thing, but it doesn't take much for teams to get cold feet because of health risks. Just two years ago, the Houston Rockets were able to get both Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, who were both supposed to be top-five picks, because concerns about Whitmore's knee caused him to slide on draft night.
Then again, if you're drafting at pick 28 or even 32, it may be worth the risk to take a chance on Sorber.
For a more in-depth look at potential Celtics prospects, check out the "How 'Bout Them Celtics" draft preview, where Jack Simone and I run through plenty of names, including Clayton Jr., with No Ceilings' Tyler Rucker.