It’s understandable that most fans aren’t especially dialed in on the prospects likely to participate in the 2021 NBA Draft with the 2020 draft yet to even happen.
But teambuilding never sleeps, and you can bet that the Boston Celtics have been keeping close tabs on the next wave of prospects all 30 franchises will be looking to replenish their rosters with when the time finally comes.
With that in mind, Celtics Wire has put together this article analyzing five wings the Celtics should keep tabs on as potential draftees in the draft after next, using the outstanding early analysis on the top prospects at all positions of 2021 draft prospects created by our sister site, Rookie Wire.
As of now, Boston has only one pick (their own) available in the 2021 draft, which gives us a good idea of the likely range it will fall in — the latter third of the first round.
So with that said, who should the Celtics be considering among wing players?
No. 5 – Wendell Moore – Duke – 6-foot-6
After a rough freshman season, Moore’s stock has slipped a bit, but has a solid base as a defender to build on while his offense comes around.
While he only shot 21.1 % from 3-point range in his inaugural season at the NCAA level, his 80.6 free throw shooting suggests this is an anomaly.
He has a solid handle and rebounds well, and Rookie Wire’s Bryan Kalbrosky reports Moore averaged 1.05 points per possession as the ball handler in transition, good for the 76th percentile of Division 1 players.
No. 4 – Michael Devoe – Georgia Tech – 6-foot-5
The Orlando, Florida native is a prototypical 3-and-D wing who hits 42.7 % from deep and 44.6 % on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers in particular.
A former top-50 high school recruit, Devoe boosted his scoring to 16 points per game from 9.7 as a freshman.
He has quick hands, and has been in the top-20 in steals in the ACC over both his two seasons with Georgia Tech.
No. 3 – Joe Wieskamp – Iowa – 6-foot-6
The Hawkeye might have been drafted in the 2020 NBA Draft had he not elected to return, having garnered some pro attention as a key part of the fifth-best collegiate D1 offense according to KenPom.
Wieskamp is a well-balanced player who scores and rebounds at a high clip at 14 points and 6.1 boards per game in his second season with Iowa.
A career 38.4 shot from beyond the arc at 4.8 attempts per game as a sophomore, Wieskamp could play his way out of Boston’s range if he continues on a similar trajectory.
No. 2 – Will Richardson – Oregon – 6-foot-5
The Georgian took a big step forward on offense in his second season with the Ducks, nearly doubling his 6 points per game to 11, and his 3-point shooting rate from 27.8 % to 46.9 %.
His jump in accuracy has him ranked first among underclassmen in 3-point accuracy among prospects with at least 80 attempts, connecting on 50.9 % of his treys off the catch.
He’s also a solid defender, and logged 1.4 steals per game as a sophomore with Oregon.
No. 1 – Ziaire Williams – Stanford – 6-foot-7
Williams is unlikely to be in Boston’s range unless he has a bit of a tough freshman season at Stanford, but if he is, the Celtics should pounce.
Having led his AAU team (Sierra Canyon) in scoring, rebounds and assists, there is speculation he could become one of the best shooters in this class.
He’s a solid distributor with good court vision, has a quick first step, but may struggle at the next level until he puts on some weight — he now weighs only 175 pounds at 6-foot-7.
