Which Big to draft and when 17,26, or 30?

[wiley]

My list goes Xavier Tillman and Patrick Williams. Saddiq Bey is also one of my choices, but I have to think Ainge may trade or try to move up with his picks.

That draft would make me happy on draft night...possibly substitute Bey for one of the tall PG's
I'd go for Williams first, then Tillman....though I may be wrong.

[byennie]

As much as I'd like a starting center, I dunno about finding one drafting 17 and 26.

I'd prefer Nesmith. Best shooter in the draft, won't be a star, but shooting has never been at more of a premium. Could be the perfect role player. 6'6", not a great defender but has the size and effort. Can score from anywhere on the floor with that shot & keep defenses honest.

[hardlyyardley]

I rally like Smith's game

Agree with Tillman's IQ and maturity......he has two kids and is well grounded

[bucknersrevenge]

I say, take Pokusevski at 17, trade the other 2 1st rounders for future 1sts and maybe one more 2nd rounder and take a couple of shots in the 2nd round and call it a day.

[hwangjini_1]

I am hoping for Nesmith at 17.

Stewart or Smith at Pick 26. If both are gone I trade out.

Pick 30 reach and grab Reggie Perry.

first to address the theme of the thread, ainge will do what he always does, which is to pick the BPA regardless of position. Good for him.

next, above nesmith is intriguing since he shot about 52% from  3 pt range. I dont know if he does much else or not. that is a statement, i don't know.

but as a compromise, perhaps a tall small forward? Saddiq Bey is 6'8" but may not last to 17, but he seems to be a good player. shoots over 45% from 3 point range, 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists.

[Csfan1984]

I am hoping for Nesmith at 17.

Stewart or Smith at Pick 26. If both are gone I trade out.

Pick 30 reach and grab Reggie Perry.

first to address the theme of the thread, ainge will do what he always does, which is to pick the BPA regardless of position. Good for him.

next, above nesmith is intriguing since he shot about 52% from  3 pt range. I dont know if he does much else or not. that is a statement, i don't know.

but as a compromise, perhaps a tall small forward? Saddiq Bey is 6'8" but may not last to 17, but he seems to be a good player. shoots over 45% from 3 point range, 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists.

Bey is the better player I don't believe at 17 he will be there. Even Nesmith might be gone but feel there might be a small shot.

[OldSchoolDude]

I think there s a lot of parody in this draft and by the time the draft reaches our pick it seems to be heavy in potianaly serviceable guards but who lack star potential.  I am thinking with the depth we have at ball handlers and wings, to us Brads vernacular, we need to look more at the Bigs even at pick 17.   

The more I look at Jalen Smith I find that I really like this kid.  He really propelled Maryland's strong season finish.  He does everything We want out of a Big.  He can scratch the floor with a reliable 3 pointer.  He can rebound and he can defend.  He can even work in the low post.   All he is missing is like 20 lbs.  But when you look at his arms he is a strong kid and hes only 20 so he should get stronger with the NBA weight training program.  He got a lot stronger from his freshman to his sophomore year.  I think he can come in a be a stretch 4 right away and then gain weight and move to being the center we've always wanted. 

We gave Grant Williams minutes at the 4 and 5 because 1 he can play and 2 we needed someone to fill time  at both the 4 and the 5 and we still do.  At 6'6 Williams is clearly limited despite hes strong positional play.  Jalen Smith is 6'10 so he has the size we really need.   Also if be it trade or free agency we should some how loose Hayward there would be a spot in our starting five for a 6'10 guy like Smith who can stretch the floor, defend, and rebound. Even if we kept Theis at center or traded for someone else, Smith could be the PF.   I saw a few Gobert trade proposals on line and one had Hayward going back to Utah. Sure its a pipe dream but Smith and Gobert in the front court would be pretty nice with Kemba, Brown, and Tatum.  I'm not really seeing a guard or wing we can get at 17 moving into the starting line up with in the next 3-4 yeas.  And that's not even thinking about Hayward, just with Brown and Tatum there and Langford waiting in the wings.  I've come to like Theis but he is replaceable and we have no natural PF.   Jaylen Smith can play the 4 next to Rob Williams if he develops or be the center.  I think he need to be the pick at 17 even if there is a chance he's there at 26, it's just not worth the risk.   

I actually think that not having a draft combine and team work outs will keep him in the back half of the draft.  If Maryland made some noise in the NCAA tournament his stock would rise and we couldn't get him.   The question is are Danny and Brad watching this guy?  I think he is everything Stevens wants i a big man.

[Somebody]

Do we really even need a big in this draft? I think we're well stocked enough in the centre department if we run it back with Theis/Kanter/Williams. Imo we need a swing in the vein of Siakam/Garnett (obviously not as skilled lol, but that sort of mobile, long, wiry frame with good defensive instincts so he has the potential to develop into a high impact defender) more than a guy who we can stick at centre. Other than that, another wing with Romeo-esque potential so we can ensure that we have a good shot at developing a well-rounded wing to play alongside/backup Jaylen and Tatum would be what I'd be looking for.

[OldSchoolDude]

Do we really even need a big in this draft? I think we're well stocked enough in the centre department if we run it back with Theis/Kanter/Williams. Imo we need a swing in the vein of Siakam/Garnett (obviously not as skilled lol, but that sort of mobile, long, wiry frame with good defensive instincts so he has the potential to develop into a high impact defender) more than a guy who we can stick at centre. Other than that, another wing with Romeo-esque potential so we can ensure that we have a good shot at developing a well-rounded wing to play alongside/backup Jaylen and Tatum would be what I'd be looking for.

Add can shoot the three and you have Jaylen Smith 

[gouki88]

Do we really even need a big in this draft? I think we're well stocked enough in the centre department if we run it back with Theis/Kanter/Williams. Imo we need a swing in the vein of Siakam/Garnett (obviously not as skilled lol, but that sort of mobile, long, wiry frame with good defensive instincts so he has the potential to develop into a high impact defender) more than a guy who we can stick at centre. Other than that, another wing with Romeo-esque potential so we can ensure that we have a good shot at developing a well-rounded wing to play alongside/backup Jaylen and Tatum would be what I'd be looking for.

Add can shoot the three and you have Jaylen Smith 

Smith is definitely a good prospect, or at least to my eye. I have some worries about his passing, but I don't know how much he was used as a passer in Maryland. He does seem to be more of a typical big than the guys Somebody was referring to.

Paul Reed is still my guy. Great defender at 6'9 (2SPG and 2.6BPG) who can rebound like crazy

[greenhead85]

Is N'Faly Dante entering this upcoming NBA draft?

I like the risk to pick him at 17. Otherwise, I'd be fine on drafting Stewart who is like a pogo stick underneath the basket. Reminds of Rodman but Isaiah has better game esp. in midrange/FT shooting.

[Somebody]

Do we really even need a big in this draft? I think we're well stocked enough in the centre department if we run it back with Theis/Kanter/Williams. Imo we need a swing in the vein of Siakam/Garnett (obviously not as skilled lol, but that sort of mobile, long, wiry frame with good defensive instincts so he has the potential to develop into a high impact defender) more than a guy who we can stick at centre. Other than that, another wing with Romeo-esque potential so we can ensure that we have a good shot at developing a well-rounded wing to play alongside/backup Jaylen and Tatum would be what I'd be looking for.

Add can shoot the three and you have Jaylen Smith 

Smith is definitely a good prospect, or at least to my eye. I have some worries about his passing, but I don't know how much he was used as a passer in Maryland. He does seem to be more of a typical big than the guys Somebody was referring to.

Paul Reed is still my guy. Great defender at 6'9 (2SPG and 2.6BPG) who can rebound like crazy

I don't watch college basketball, but judging from Gouki's comments as well as this scouting report (https://www.thestepien.com/2020/03/11/jalen-smith-scouting-report/) he's not the type of guy I was referring to. I wanted a 6'9-6'11 swing who can move well in space and has good instincts on the perimeter so he's not just a guy who can defend in the phone booth, passing is definitely a bonus (I wish we could get a guy like 18 year old Kevin Garnett but that's never happening lol ). Btw I found some footage of HS KG and it's amazing how he was playing like a modern big back then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPX4QClR9EY

[hwangjini_1]

i am stilling this from SoSH.

Nice piece in the Athletic about some prospects that might be available/interesting to the Celtics. Maxey, Achiuwa, Bey, Nesmith and Green are those discussed. Both Weiss and Vecenie like Maxey (Rozier comp) and Achiuwa at 17. Nesmith and Bey get dinged a little for lack of athleticism, although both could be solid catch and shoot prospects. Green seems to have some defensive upside but needs work on offense.

https://theathletic.com/1743082/2020/04/14/celtics-draft-spotlight-part-1/?source=dailyemail

[OldSchoolDude]

Precious Achiuwa is a mobile, long, wiry guy with good defensive instincts.  He is an intriguing pick and I do think he may be the most like Siakam in this draft, but I also thought Mfiondu Kabengele would be a Siakam type last year.  At the back end of the draft all the players have issues that they'll have to overcome to make it in the NBA.   I think Smith has a better chance of overcoming his weaknesses than a guy like Achiuwa.  At http://www.tankathon.com/mock_draft when you click on a player profile it shows you stat strengths and weaknesses side by side.  So when you look at players like Jalen Smith and Xavier Tillman you see that their strengths dwarf their weakness but that's not the case with guys like Achiuwa, Jaden McDaniels, and Patrick Williams who are some of the better athletic 3/4 swing types at the end of the draft.   

[vjcsmoke]

Just take Vernon Carey.  He's a legit 6'10 with a left handed shot.  And since he is from Duke you know he is well coached and will blend in well with Jayson Tatum.  Seems like a safe pick in the early-late 20's which is where we'll be picking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6w66FZoEuo

Carey has natural size that you can't teach at 265 and 6'10 and moves well at his size.  Carey shows a natural aptitude for scoring in the post area.  He also shows flashes of good passing as a big.  At only 19.3 years old, he has plenty of ceiling left to his game as well.  If Danny is looking to take a big for the future, I think there's a lot to like with Carey.

Of course Danny might just take another undersized, defense first wing, cos 'brain doctor' but you never know.  We might get an actual real big to push "Timelord" for minutes.  And I don't think you can have enough quality bigs because those guys seems to pick up injuries at a higher rate than other positions.