Who do we grab at 25?

[liam]

Is there a guy that Brad likes so much that he combines the two firsts and moves up to snag? Clowney or Cason Wallace?

[footey]

Murray seems obvious choice. Hope he slides there. Given his age he might.

[liam]

Murray seems obvious choice. Hope he slides there. Given his age he might.

I like Murray a lot.

[Smartacus]

Exciting times. Of course, we might move the pick but if we take it there are 3 prospects that I like in this section.

1. Kris Murray - As others have mentioned he might not last this far but he's a worthy pipe dream and might even be worth moving up a few more spots to secure. Rock solid scorer and capable defender, seems like he's 85% of his brother which is a great player in the early 20's.

2. Leonard Miller - Again, probably gone at this point but would also be a worthy move up if he's still on the board at 22. Explosive athlete, elite measurables, proven success in the G League. Years ago we took a big swing to bring in Timelord which paid dividends towards the teams athletic profile. I think Leonard Miller could provide a similar boost to the team's horsepower.

3. Olivier-Maxence Prosper - I'll agree with The Ringer for the pick at 25. Legitimate size and athleticism on the wing. After losing Smart the team is now somewhat deficient in strong, aggressive ball stoppers and I think O-Max could provide that fairly early into his career if not right away.

Honorable Mention:
Highest Upside player to fall out of the teens - Tankathon's mock draft currently list Nick Smith Jr from Arkansas at 25. I think this would be coup given the type of talent that kid possesses and he would only be available because of the knee injuries he's dealt with in the last year. If the Celtics could give him time to heal up and develop this could could one day be the starting PG for the team.

Aside from Nick Smith Jr., any player mocked in the teens that falls around 25 would be a great selection in this draft.

[boscel33]

People talking that the deal may not be done before the draft slots lock, so Memphis might actually make this pick for the C's.

[TheBig3]

Which players that will be available at 25 have the best 3 pt percentage, with the Joe strategy that's who they would target.

[liam]

Which players that will be available at 25 have the best 3 pt percentage, with the Joe strategy that's who they would target.

Brandin Podziemski is a really good shooter. High energy guy.
 

[BitterJim]

People talking that the deal may not be done before the draft slots lock, so Memphis might actually make this pick for the C's.

That's pretty typical for trades close to/at the draft. Our front office will still be making the decision, really all that changes is which hat the pick wears (cue the old picture of Lucas Nogueira "in" a Celtics hat)

[radiohead]

People talking that the deal may not be done before the draft slots lock, so Memphis might actually make this pick for the C's.

Hopefully it gets the same result like when we picked Bane for them a couple of year ago.

[Vermont Green]

I can't say who we will take at #25 but my question is how much better is #25 vs. #35?  What is the value of moving up 10 spots?  Moving up from say #55 to #45 would not be much different.  Moving up from #15 to #5 would be a world of difference.  So not all move ups by 10 spots are created equal.  Moving up from #35 to #25 does seem to put is in a meaningfully better zip code.

I don't see the Celtics using the 2024 GSW pick to try and move up even further, but who knows.  Better to wait and see where that pick ends up.  Maybe trade a second or something to move up a little from #25 if there is a specific player, that would be fun, but I don't expect anything significant.

[Who]

I also like Brandin Podziemski as the 25th pick. He looks like a Brad player and he can shoot. He looked good in predraft games.

Yeah, he is interesting. Lot of skill. Good hustle stats despite being a sketchy athlete which is odd & interesting. Fair bit of risk with his size and questionable D but very interesting risk to take with a late first. I might even go mid first with him.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I wonder if ultimately we won't have the 25th pick, but will trade up again.

The obvious candidate for me is the Orlando Magic, with two early first round picks. They've been linked to Grant Williams, and they also could really use another shooter/playmaker that acts as a veteran leader on the team. The Magic have ideas to make the playoffs this year, and I'm guessing they'd rather add proven veterans than more young talent.

I wonder if Brogdon and Williams (S&T) plus the 25th could net us Isaac and the 6th (or 11th). This gives us more cap flexibility moving forward because Isaac's contract is non-guaranteed next year, but if he plays well this year, it would be a bonus.

At that pick, I'd be targeting one of the Thompson twins if they fell, followed by Whitmore, Black, and Coulibaly. I'd pass on Walker, Bufkin, or Hendricks personally.

This trade would:
1. Free up more time for Pritchard and Davison (if Stevens believes in them)
2. Give greater cap flexibility next year when Brown's new contract kicks in.
3. Gives the Cs the upside potential of an all-defensive forward next to the Js and Porzingis.
4. Gives the Cs a swing at a lottery pick.
5. If this trade was done in two separate transactions, I believe it would generate a 22m trade exception for the Cs from Brogdon's salary.

White-Brown-Tatum-Porzingis-Williams with Horford-Pritchard-Isaac-Thompson-Hauser-Davison on the bench. Ideally, we would add a solid veteran guard with the TMLE (Seth Curry for example)

[Who]

3. Colby Jones

I saw him compared to D White. That is interesting.

His stats, I don't know. The 50% FG% is good. The 38% 3PT% is good but he was only 30% the prior 2 years. His FT% has been going down during his 3 years from 76% to 68% to 65% for a 68% average. A bad sign for his shooting touch. A low FT% and a decling one at that.

I was curious what D White's stats looked like in college. He came out as a freshman. So only 1 year. He shot 50% from the field, 40% from 3 (39.6%) and 81% from the FT line. On 18ppg vs 15ppg from a junior season (only 8ppg freshman, 12ppg sophomore) for Colby Jones.

Do you buy his jump-shot? Do you think he is a legit shooter? That FT% scares me.

[BitterJim]

I can't say who we will take at #25 but my question is how much better is #25 vs. #35?  What is the value of moving up 10 spots?  Moving up from say #55 to #45 would not be much different.  Moving up from #15 to #5 would be a world of difference.  So not all move ups by 10 spots are created equal.  Moving up from #35 to #25 does seem to put is in a meaningfully better zip code.

I don't see the Celtics using the 2024 GSW pick to try and move up even further, but who knows.  Better to wait and see where that pick ends up.  Maybe trade a second or something to move up a little from #25 if there is a specific player, that would be fun, but I don't expect anything significant.

Moving from a 2nd rounder to a first used to be bigger before the new CBA added the second round pick exemption, but having 5+ years of team control could be big if we pick a player that really works out. In terms of the players available, though, I doubt it makes a huge difference

[Who]

There aren't many strong passers in this draft. Maybe they try to move up a little bit and go after Wallace? Kind of like a smart-lite. Much lighter, but a defensive hustle who is a kind of connective tissue guy.

He would be great. Well worth trading up for if he slips to middle of the first round like some mocks are suggesting.

I feel like we need more of that connective tissue type players to try and make a Big 3 of Tatum, Jaylen and Porzingis work because neither Jaylen or Porzignis are that type of player. Both me-first guys. Not team orientated guys. So Cason Wallace would be a great guy to target.