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In recent times, the Celtics have tended to prioritize drafting gamers with long-term potential who’ve loads of room to develop.
This yr, after an agonizing loss within the Jap Convention Finals, it’s attainable they’ll as an alternative look to handle a direct want. Gamers with excessive ceilings are engaging, however generally gamers with excessive flooring are the way in which to go, significantly so late within the draft.
Listed below are 5 prospects they need to think about taking with the thirty fifth general decide in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
Adama Sanogo, UConn ahead/middle
You may bear in mind Sanogo from his dominant NCAA Match run with UConn just a few months in the past.
At 6-foot-8, 260 kilos, he makes up for his “lack” of conventional huge man top with a robust basis and almost 7-foot-3 wingspan. Sanogo, the tourney’s Most Excellent Participant, averaged 17.2 factors 7.7 rebounds this season and performed his finest basketball when it mattered most.
He can are available instantly and make his presence felt. Even when he averages 3 factors and three rebounds in 12 minutes, that’s helpful. The Celtics actually wanted one other huge throughout their playoff run (sure, even Cody Zeller would have helped), and Sanogo can fill that position properly.
He performs extraordinarily laborious, runs the ground decently properly for his dimension and is a good crew man. Plus, he has a steadily bettering outdoors shot and is a sneaky good passer. He received’t be a bust and is definitely worth the decide.
Dariq Whitehead, Duke guard/ahead
Whitehead is eighteen years previous however is an NBA-ready participant from a expertise standpoint.
The 6-foot-7 guard/ahead has a singular mix of dimension, size and athleticism. He’s a man who can present instantaneous power off the bench subsequent yr.
At Duke, whereas he had an honest season with 8.3 factors and a couple of.4 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per sport, he didn’t actually get to showcase his potential whereas coping with damage on a loaded roster. He was as soon as thought of a attainable top-five decide however had foot surgical procedure final August and by no means fairly hit his stride afterward.
Whitehead would slot in properly as Jaylen Brown’s backup and would be taught from him (assuming Brown stays). He performs downhill, has a fantastic first step and has an opportunity to develop into an elite NBA finisher.
He has a excessive ceiling but in addition has a excessive flooring.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana ahead
Whereas it’s probably Jackson-Davis will go late within the first spherical, there’s an opportunity he’ll fall to early within the second. If he does, the Celtics shouldn’t hesitate to take him.
He’s an Indiana man, so Brad Stevens will like that. He additionally improved significantly with the Hoosiers, upping his scoring common from 13.5 as a freshman to twenty.9 as a senior.
The phrase that involves thoughts with Jackson-Davis is versatility. He averaged 10.8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2.9 blocks, 0.8 steals and shot 58.1 p.c from the sphere final yr. He does a bit little bit of every thing, finishes properly on the rim and has particular leaping capability.
He’s not a fantastic shooter proper now, however he has the potential to develop into a good one. Even when he doesn’t sharpen his shot, he nonetheless ought to final. If he does, he might blossom into a fantastic NBA participant.
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky ahead/middle
The knock on Tshiebwe, very like Sanogo, is that he’s “solely” 6-foot-9 or so.
Having mentioned that, he’s an excellent – really excellent – rebounder. Tshiebwe carves out place like few others and relentlessly pursues the ball like his life will depend on it. He averaged a whopping 15.1 boards in 2021-22, when he was the Nationwide Participant Of The Yr, and 13.7 final season.
The Celtics want one other man who will dive on the ground, hold performs alive and play with coronary heart. Tshiebwe could be that man. His submit strikes labored in faculty, however the subsequent step is creating quite a lot of strikes that may work within the NBA. He can get there.
Once more, this listing isn’t essentially full of guys who will common 20 factors per sport sometime. It’s designed to spotlight gamers who can contribute instantly and make profitable performs on a championship crew – assume Christian Braun.
Emoni Bates, Jap Michigan guard/ahead
OK, only for enjoyable, right here’s one long-term challenge.
Bates, a 6-foot-9 wing who was ranked No. 1 within the nation from sixth grade to his senior yr of highschool, was alleged to be the subsequent huge factor.
He had an up-and-down freshman yr at Memphis and was later sentenced to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor gun cost.
Bates, nonetheless 19, averaged 19.2 factors and 5.8 rebounds final yr with Jap Michigan. The expertise remains to be there, and he simply wants the proper crew to unlock it. The Celtics have a robust sufficient tradition, and sufficient hardworking veterans, that Bates will not be a distraction off the court docket.
His on-court prowess is intriguing, as his size, athleticism and skill to glide from level A to level B make him a first-round expertise who will probably go within the second.
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