My highest non green room guys are Penda #12, Raynaud #17, and Flemming #20. This draft is so hard to predict with the likely hood of trades but if the green room is any indication and one of those three are available at #28 I see them as great fits for the Cs.
Penda: I am really high on him because I can see him fitting nicely into a playoff rotation. His combination of perimeter defense and passing at his size is unique. He is roughly the same size as the Morris twins. Making him big enough to play the small ball 5 while he moves well enough to stay with most smaller wings. Physically he reminds me a bit on Antoine Walker. He also has very quick hands for a player of his size. He also brings guard like passing ability to the position and should thrive moving the ball on the perimeter. Like a lot of players in this draft his 3pt shot is his swing skill
Rayaund: I have already posted about him a lot. I just think he is a clear rotational center in the NBA with real upside to start on a good team. Defense is a question mark but he has the size to be a solid drop defender. On offense his has a diverse skill set that will allow him to attack mismatches while also spacing the floor out to the 3pt line. I will not be surprised if 3 seasons from now he is a 15pt 10rb per game starting 5 for a playoff team.
Fleming: He is a guy who I am really surprised wasn't invited to the green room. I have gone back and worth on him as a prospect and have settled at #20 knowing that on the right team (like the Celtics) he could return top 10 value. The wrong team will draft him with the vision of making him a 4/3 "big wing". For me the clear path to his ceiling is playing the 5. He is 1/2" shorter and 10lbs lighter than Bam Adebayo but with a 3" long wingspan. With his frame I see no reason why he cant add some weight and easily hold up in the paint vs 95% of the centers in the league. At the 5 he brings a very real 3pt shot and the ability to switch onto smaller players. There is a path where he is a Myles Turner level starting 5 who isn't has good a shot blocker but is a much better switch defender. That is a very valuable archetype.
Other guys I like who are not green room invites
Gonzalez
Kalkbrenner
Powell
Thiero
Richardson***
*** I am not a fan of drafting small guards and for that reason I have Jase ranked 30th however if drafted with the realistic expectation of being a 3rd guard/6th man type he is a real value in the early 2nd.
Just a bit of a 2025 draft victory lap. Raynaud and Kalbrenner have vastly outperformed their draft spots! Penda, Flemming, and Powell are earning rotational minutes and Hugo is awesome!!!
good call on that draft. reminds me I'm still not happy with Brad for continually trading back on that second rounder. Penda would have been a much better addition than Shulga
Agree, I understand there are cap gymnastics at play but adding Kalkbrenner or Raynaud as Neemas back up in this past draft would have been amazing to go along with the Hugo pick. I will add that I trust Brad and will not be shocked if next season Amari is making me forget all about both of the other bigs.
Definitely enjoy your victory lap. It's well-deserved.
The problem with both Kalkbrenner or Raynaud is that they project as one-dimensional players. Kalkbrenner should be able to anchor a good defense, but his limitations offensively are going to complicate things for the rest of the roster as the team settles into their roles and primes. Raynaud is the same thing on the opposite side.
Both are productive, and both would have been a fine draft pick at the top of the 2nd round. But I think Brad focuses on two-way players, or at least guys with that potential.
It sounds like you agree with this, but Amari has potential to develop into a playmaking hub on offense and anchor a defense. The potential is there for him to not only protect the rim, but also switch onto smaller players. He not only can be a rim runner, but he can also facilitate in the high post.
I think as a coach Brad got tired of trying to make one-way bigs into playoff rotation players (Zeller, Olynyk, Thompson) and he sees the flaw with building a roster hoping those guys won't crumble in big games. He seems to have always preferred guys who can play both sides of the court, and do multiple things on both sides of the court.
This, by the way, is why I don't think Vucevic will be re-signed. It also informs how I view draft prospects that are possibilities for the Celtics.
