As conference play begins to heat up at the NCAA level and the NBA season starts to grind, it’s only natural for attention to begin to shift a bit to the college ranks and the promise they imply in January.
And with that shift, our sister site Rookie Wire ramps up its focus on the next crop of prospects who are 2020 NBA Draft hopefuls, with Bryan Kalbrosky releasing a complete mock draft with several tantalizing prospects projected into the Boston Celtics’ range of potential selections.
The franchise could have as many as three first-round selections this year based on how the protections on a 2020 Memphis Grizzlies first round pick they control pan out.
The selection is theirs unless it falls outside the top six, in which case it conveys unprotected in 2021. Boston could have as many as two second-round picks as well, though one is more likely.
While a move to consolidate talent may see one or more of Boston’s 2020 selections dealt away in a trade, let’s take a look at some of the options being floated as future Celtics.
In the scenario envisioned by Kalbrosky, the Memphis pick conveys, and with the Grizzlies currently in the eighth and final playoff-eligible slot in the West, a 16th-overall pick is what Boston would be handed if the season ended today.
With it, the Celtics would take:
Cole Anthony — North Carolina
Anthony has slid a bit, a result of injury over the course of his inaugural and likely sole season as a Tarheel.
Projected as a top-five pick before a partial meniscus tear put a damper on his stock, the 20-year-old, 6-foot-3 floor general could be an excellent option in the mold of Romeo Langford or Jared Sullinger, whose injuries pushed them into Boston’s range in past drafts.
His peculiar issues with finishing stand out as a bit of a red flag — he is nearly as efficient from beyond the arc (35.5 %) as he is from 2-point range (37.8 %) — but has a solid starter ceiling and should be able to at his worst fill a Brad-Wanamaker-type reserve floor general role.
The upside, however, is a long-term Kemba Walker replacement with the best player who might reasonably be available at that position.
The Celtics will also control their own pick in the 2020 Draft, and Rookie Wire projects Boston to use it on:
Paul Reed — DePaul
A prodigious shot-blocking and rebounding big with a functional-if-not-pretty jumper that could eventually translate, the 6-foot-9 forward has solid handles for a player of his profile, and hints at becoming a high-level starter nearly ideal for Boston’s wing-heavy system.
Even if he never quite develops an efficient outside shot, his shot profile is varied enough to make him a threat away from the basket, and his quick, active hands help create additional possessions with 2 steals a game in his junior season at DePaul.
While he’s a little long in the tooth for a player taken in the first round at 20, his advanced, varied skillset and low floor should more than make up for an overused measurement of future value given much of Reed’s development has taken place in the college ranks.
In addition to their own first, Boston also controls the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2020 first-round pick. With the final pick of the first round, Rookie wire anticipates Boston selecting:
Trayce Jackson-Davis — Indiana
Going back to the well that gave them Romeo Langford, here, the Celtics would be getting a 20-year-old, 6-foot-8 forward who projects as a rotation big able to protect the rim and eat up boards on defense while adding some near-basket scoring on the other.
He has no jumper to speak of, but shoots free throws at a 70.7 % clip, suggesting he might be able to develop a more varied offense while generating possessions on the other hand with 0.08 steals a contest in his freshman campaign as a Hoosier.
This might be a little high given how little attention he’s getting nationally, but he’s absolutely a prospect worth keeping tabs on for the Celtics likely lone second-round selection, which Rookie Wire projects 45th overall.
For that selection, the projected player taken for Boston is:
Skylar Mays — LSU
In this scenario, the Celtics double-dip into the Tigers’ roster as well, taking a combo guard from the same backcourt that gifted them Connecticut native Tremont Waters.
Unlike that undersized floor general currently tearing up the G League, however, Mays stands a comparatively-towering 6-foot-4, a full half-foot above his former teammate.
Also older at 24, Mays has also used his time to grow his game at the college level, able to generate a high level of steals without fouling excessively, and has a varied scoring game with a respectable level of passing.
He shoots an excellent 39.1 % from deep on four attempts per game, and corrals a decent clip of boards for a guard at 4.1 per game this season, a good sign for a player in Boston’s wing-heavy system.
While there’s months for prospects to work their way up (and down) the big boards of the league’s 30 franchises, it’s probably wise for general managers of the NBA and armchair varieties both to ramp up their research for the league’s annual replenishing in June.
And for the asset-rich Celtics in the 2020 Draft, this assortment of projected prospects is by no means a bad place to start.
