With the NCAA Tournament in full swing and the NBA season racing towards the playoffs, we have officially reached mock draft season. The Celtics have picked near the end of the first round for years, and that’s where they figure to be again this season, but it’s been a lucrative spot for them.
Just in the last three seasons, they’ve added Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez with picks 38, 30, and 28 overall, respectively, proving there’s plenty of value in the back end of the draft as long as you know what to look for.
Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla have shown that they absolutely know what they’re looking for, and the key is versatile wings who can do a bit of everything. So, it should come as no surprise that FanSided’s Chris Kline has the Celtics taking forward Amari Allen, out of Alabama, in his latest mock.
Amari Allen a perfect fit for Celtics
At 6’8”, Allen has a great combination of size, speed, and athleticism on the wing that he uses to his advantage on offense and defense. He can cause chaos on both ends of the floor, and is active at all three levels.
Boston has identified that two-way wings are the most important players in the NBA, and they’ve been stockpiling them since drafting Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. They’ve been filling out the roster with similar players since, and built a team full of extremely versatile, somewhat interchangeable players who complement each other extremely well.
It makes sense that Stevens and company would trust their ability to draft and develop another young, big, athletic wing with all f the skill. Allen is already making waves at Alabama, and has looked great in the tourney, helping the Crimson Tide advance to the Sweet 16 while doing a little bit of everything.
Celtics' wing development is best in the NBA
At just 20 years old, the Celtics could work their magic on Allen, build up his three-point shooting (he shot 35% from deep this season) and let him lean into his ability to rebound and playmake.
The more three-and-D wings that Boston can put on the floor, the better, and the ability to plug these guys into the team without missing a beat has been exceptional. Conventional wisdom may suggest the Celtics attack an area of seemingly greater need, but they’ve shown they can get by with bargain basement big men and just two true guards.
Beyond that, they’ve made the whole team out of wings without any real weaknesses, and there’s no reason to fix what ain’t broken. If Allen is on the board at the end of the first round when the Celtics are picking, he makes a ton of sense, and it’s not hard to imagine him becoming a meaningful contributor for many years.