While it’s much too soon to start thinking about what kind of team the Boston Celtics will be in the summer of 2021, for those in charge of keeping an eye on NBA prospects for the team have already been working on such a task for some time.
And as we draw closer — though we’re not sure how much closer — to the 2020 NBA Draft, the picture begins to come into focus as other elements of the puzzle begin to become known.
For now, the biggest piece of the puzzle to snap into place is simply having a better idea of who will be available to be drafted in the first place, and with the 2020 NBA Draft early entry period over, it’s much clearer exactly who will be there to populate the big boards of the NBA’s 30 teams.
With that knowledge, then, let’s take a look at the top five guards, bigs, and wings that could fall within the Celtics range over the next few weeks, using The Rookie Wire’s early look at the top 60 prospects of the 2021 NBA Draft.
This week, we’ll start with the guards, and we’ll focus on the end of the first round, the most likely range of Boston’s only 2021 first-rounder, its own.
No. 5 – Terrence Shannon, Texas Tech
Shannon is classified as a forward at the NCAA level, but at 6-foot-6 will likely be more of a two guard, especially with his propensity for scoring.
The Rookie Wire’s Bryan Kalbrosky notes Shannon scored 1.16 points per possession as a one-on-one scorer according to Synergy, good for the 95th percentile in that category.
“His jumper needs improvement,” notes Kalbrosky, “but his free-throw percentage (82.9%) suggests he has the right form to take that leap.”
No. 4 – Sharife Cooper, Auburn
While a little short of stature at 6-foot-0, Cooper makes up for it well offensively as both a three-level scorer and a creative, competent passer.
Named the 2019 USA TODAY High School Sports All-USA Player of the Year as a junior in high school, Cooper also made First Team All-EYBL on the Division 1 Circuit.
That he did it while taking his McEachern High to an undefeated Georgia state title as the first non-senior to ever win MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors is all the more impressive.
No. 3 – Quade Green, Washington
Another small guard at 6-foot-0, we didn’t get to see as much as we’d like to have out of Green due to eligibility issues, but what we did see was quite impressive offensively.
A good shooter with solid defense and excellent scoring, Green hit 13-for-25 — more than 50% — of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, and his 35.2 % assist rate was good for eighth-best among all high-major upperclassmen according to Kalbrosky.
No. 2 – Daishen Nix, G League Select Team
One of the most intriguing guards in the 2021 Draft as much for his path to it as his skills, the latter should not be discounted just because of his historic role as the first high-profile recruit to the G League Select Team.
A wizard with the rock, his excellent court vision, body control and timing make for a salivating option at the 1 for the Celtics.
Mentioned in the same sentence as Lonzo Ball and Jason Kidd for a reason by noteworthy analysts, his shot still needs work and he’s not an eye-popping athlete — but with that passing ability, he doesn’t need either to be elite to be an impact player at the next level.
No. 1 – Cam Thomas, LSU
Cam Thomas can put the ball in the hoop like maybe no other prospect in this year’s draft class, and while there are holes in his game that could see him end up in Boston’s range, he’s well worth kicking the tires on if he falls this far.
While he can sometimes get a bit lost off-ball and could improve his passing and finishing a bit, he can fill up a stat sheet in a hurry, averaging 33.4 points per game and connecting on a sizzling 44.2 % of his attempts from deep.
He earned EYBL Offensive Player of the Year on the Nike Division 1 circuit according to Kalbrosky, and would be an ideal target for a team that needs to bolster second unit scoring with an eye for eventually replacing Kemba Walker.
