During the 2023 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics traded the rights to the pick that became Mouhamed Gueye to the Atlanta Hawks. In return they got back a 2027 second-round pick. Up to this point, Gueye has shown some flashes of his potential, but so far this year it looks like he could finally be finding his footing. Not only that, but he might have been a perfect player to play in Boston’s new system.
Guys like Jordan Walsh, Josh Minott, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez have led the Celtics’ defensive charge, and Gueye’s athleticism and hustle would have made him fit right in.
Boston could have had Walsh and Gueye with the No. 38 and No. 39 picks, respectively, back in 2023. But now, Gueye is enjoying a great season in Atlanta.
At first glance, Gueye’s numbers don’t jump off the page. He’s not averaging anything crazy, but he is getting pretty consistent minutes for the Hawks so far this season.
Mouhamed Gueye may have been perfect Celtics fit
Gueye has appeared in all 25 of the Hawks’ games this season, playing 17.2 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old is averaging 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting 49.6% from the field and 26.9% from deep on 2.1 three-point attempts per contest.
The big man is 6-foot-11 and has split his time between the power forward and center spots this year. And though his counting stats aren’t anything crazy, the plays he’s been making in Atlanta have been.
Celtics have taken Jordan Walsh at No. 38 and Mouhamed Gueye at No. 39.
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) June 23, 2023
Though fouling has been a problem for him at times, his shot-blocking and defensive instincts have jumped off the page. It’s similar to what the rest of Boston’s young wing/forward core is doing right now.
Joe Mazzulla has taken a group that has dealt with similar issues—Walsh, Scheierman, Minott—and turned them into legitimate rotation players who are helping the Celtics win basketball games.
Not only does Gueye have a similar skill set, but he would also be the tallest of the group, making him a very intriguing fit as a small-ball center in some of the Celtics’ lineups, kind of like what Minott has been doing.
Obviously, the Celtics are in a fine position. They have plenty of solid young role players to develop. And who knows how the Hawks forward would have fared in Boston up to this point.
But had they kept Gueye, it seems as though he would have been fitting in beautifully with the way Boston is playing.