The Boston Celtics have already begun the process of adding bigs to potentially replace Al Horford. The 38-year-old big man just won his first championship, but his time in the league is coming to an end.
Guys like Xavier Tillman and Anton Watson project to be solid replacement options. Both guys are capable three-point shooters who can defend multiple positions—Horford’s exact skill set.
Obviously, neither is quite as good as Horford, and they may never get to that point. Because of that, the Celtics should continue taking shots on guys who could be in their big-man rotation moving forward.
Here are five prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft who could help the Celtics replace Horford.
1. JT Toppin - Texas Tech
Out of Texas Tech, JT Toppin is projected to land somewhere in the late first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Obviously, a lot can change in a year, so there’s a chance Toppin could fall in Boston’s range by the time they are selecting.
Toppin will be entering his sophomore season, and after spending his first year at New Mexico, he’ll join the Red Raiders in hopes of improving his draft stock.
The 19-year-old plays with great energy, and while his offensive game still needs some work, and he has the size, at 6-foot-9, to play the big man position in the NBA.
He’ll need to improve as a three-point shooter if he wants to be anything close to Horford, but he fits the bill of a potential project player the Celtics could mold into something useful at the big man position.