After winning Banner 18 this past season, the Boston Celtics are focused on one thing and one thing only—winning Banner 19. They re-signed almost their entire roster and locked up Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser on contract extensions. Boston is all-in on their current core.
Add in rookies Baylor Scheierman and Anton Watson to the mix, and Boston is ready to roll heading into next season. But that doesn’t mean their eyes won’t be on the future, too.
No matter how well this season goes, drafting well will always be important for this version of the Celtics. With how expensive their roster has gotten, they don’t have much wiggle room to add talent on the fringes. So, adding cost-controlled talent through the draft is essential.
Celtics select UConn forward Alex Karaban in 2025 NBA Mock Draft
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report recently wrote an updated edition of his 2025 NBA Mock Draft, and he has the Celtics selecting UConn forward Alex Karaban with the 30th overall pick.
Karaban is a local kid from Southborough, Massachusetts. The 6-foot-6 forward played his high school ball at Algonquin Regional High School, New Hampton School, and IMG Academy.
Now, he’s a member of the Huskies, where he’s spent the past three seasons playing under head coach Dan Hurley. He redshirted his first year, but in his two seasons of playing time, Karaban has been a key contributor to both of UConn’s National Championship runs.
This past year, the 21-year-old averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks while shooting 49.5% from the floor and 37.9% from beyond the three-point arc.
For the Celtics, adding three-point shooting will always be a priority, and Karaban seems to beautifully combine that skill with a well-rounded toolkit that would be very worthwhile for Boston to develop.
Turning 22 years old on November 11, Karaban will be one of the older prospects in next year’s draft, should he decide to enter it. However, that wasn’t an issue for the Celtics this year, as both Scheierman and Watson area already 23 years old.
Should he maintain his shooting prowess, Karaban could be a very intriguing option for the Celtics, and the draw of being a local kid makes the fit even more fun.