If he declares, don't care how we land him, we should draft Aaron Craft. Sully's teammate from Ohio
Kid plays with so much heart and defense is top notch. I mean near Bradley top notch. Now his offense isn't all that great, but he is a fine passer and can shoot the ball pretty good. Like Rondo, he does all these extra non stat things that helps his team win
We would finally have a legit 2nd unit pg also
Craft is an amazing defender, I'll give you that. But he is not capable of NBA offense, either shooting or facilitating.
I'd much much rather have Trey Burke of Michigan, who's the best point guard in college basketball, and is Sully's high school teammate and best friend since grade school. Because he's only 6'0" tall, he might slide down into the middle of the first round, where we're currently sitting.
You're selling Craft short there. Sure, he won't be the greatest offensively, but he'd be a darn good backup.
I don't want Burke. The PLAYS point only because he's too short to play the two. I hate those hybrid SGs.
I'm just saying I wouldn't move heaven and earth to get Craft, because you're right, he'll be a backup. His defense is NBA level, his offense is not. That equals a backup. He seems like someone who will be a 4-year college player and then a late 2nd round pick.
But as for Burke, I don't really think you watch him play all that much if you think he's a two who plays the point. He's a point guard who can shoot. He averages over 7 assists per game, and fewer than 2 turnovers. He's not some lead-guard, hybrid-guard, combo-guard or whatever you want to call it. He's a point guard who can score. He runs the offense and tries to figure out who's got the hot hand and get him the ball. If he realizes that he's the hot hand, like in the first half vs. West Virginia last month, he's not afraid to score. But if his teammates are knocking them down, he facilitates, like in the first half vs. NC State, when he had 9 assists and no points (on 1 or 2 shots. I forget.)
I'm not saying Burke is infallible, and Aaron Craft is certainly Trey Burke kryptonite, but there's a reason that he's now at the head of the pack for major awards. If the Celtics pick at #15, and he's available, they'd regret not taking him.
I agree that Craft's a second rounder and a backup.
With Burke, I disagree. I know he's playing well, but I'm not buying into this hype that he'll be worth regretting.
To me, he's a mid-to-late first-rounder. A guy his size is going to have troubles scoring unless he can develop solid-to-great three-point range. Right now, he's shooting 38% from the college line, so I'll have to wait and see how he adjusts.
The assist totals are nice, but he's a score-first guy. I guarantee you he's not going to be such a great passer in the NBA. The game changes from collegiate to pro, and I don't see him maintaining this level of play.
Lastly, the Celtics shouldn't take this guy unless they plan on trading Rondo. If we draft him, he will be our backup point, which is a role I don't think he's suited for. That means you have to move him to the two, and bingo, he's in that undersized SG role that I hate.
I think his ceiling is a poor man's Damian Lillard.