Early look at the 2026 draft

[Boss_D]

After seeing Denver drive at will, with Neemi out I think we need a rim protector type, to stop layup fests from developing.

Tankathon suggests Aday Mara.

Flory Bidunga might be the answer.

[CFAN38]

After seeing Denver drive at will, with Neemi out I think we need a rim protector type, to stop layup fests from developing.

Tankathon suggests Aday Mara.

Flory Bidunga might be the answer.

I really wanted to like Flory as a prospect but he has a few red flags for me. The biggest one being his size he measured 6'7 no shoes 216lbs with a 7'2ws in 2024 (so he was 18yr old at the time). Kansas currently lists him at 6'10 235 I really worry that he will be 6'7 at the combine making him really SF sized. ( J Walsh was 6'5.75" 204lbs with 7'1.75" ws at combine). With the NBA trending back to larger bigs I worry that a Wing sized big man with no signs of shooting the ball will have a tough time getting minutes. If Flory where drafted at 40 I would like the swing but not as a 1st round pick.

Along the same lines I really like Jojo Tugler especially given that he is projected as a mid to late 2nd round pick. He like Flory he is short for a big (likely 6'6) but makes up for it was a rumored 7'6" wingspan and a strong frame, he is listed at 6'8 230lbs but I would guess he is heavier. His combination of mobility, extreme length, and strength is really rare and those attributes could make him an interesting back up 5 for the Cs. 

[Boss_D]

Jonathan Wasserman has Tarris Reed Jr. of UConn goes to Celtics at #40 in his latest Mock Draft

[CFAN38]

Jonathan Wasserman has Tarris Reed Jr. of UConn goes to Celtics at #40 in his latest Mock Draft

random observation,any mock draft that projects the 2nd round is worthless unless its primarily seniors NIL has and will continue to make the 2nd round the auto eligible round. Last year 19 or the 29 picks where seniors, 7 where international players and 3 where juniors.

[Phantom255x]

From reading a lot of draft sites and mock drafts online, the three most common players they have the Celtics taking seem to be:

Aday Mara (Michigan), Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan) and Patrick Ngongba II (Duke)

What are people's thoughts on these guys, particularly the last two as I admittedly don't know them too well. It's interesting that most of these mocks also seem to have us selecting PF/C. I agree, that's our biggest need.