Poll: Who would you take right now with the #3 pick

[PhoSita]

Bender. Highest upside.

Not 100% sure about that, but I am convinced he has the lowest downside.  If we were to draft him, it would be exciting to see if he can ever come close to reaching that high ceiling.  I will admit, though, that the bustability factor scares me.

Hield, on the other hand, some of us are much more optimistic about his ceiling.  And everyone seems to agree that his floor is considerably higher.

I think Hield's ceiling is "better JJ Reddick" and his floor is shorter Doug McDermott/taller Jimmer Fredette.  Bender's floor is standard Euro-bust, but he's a unique talent who could be the sort to ignite a debate on whether he is a top ten player in the league or a product of the system, the way people discuss Draymond Green, if he hits his ceiling.  Stretch fours with defense are kind of rare, so maybe his ceiling can be described Serge Ibaka with better offense.

One thing I am adamant about is that this pick should be based on where the player is projected to be three or four years from now and not how much they instantly help the team as a rookie.

Stretch fours who can defend the pick and roll and operate as weak side shot blockers, similar to Serge Ibaka, are not just kind of rare.  They're exceedingly rare.  They are unicorns.  Having a versatile defender who blocks shots and hits three pointers allows you to play virtually whichever type of big man you want next to them, and it also lets you go small without actually sacrificing height and length in the frontcourt.  Huge advantage.

[Smartacus]

5/21/2016: I chose Jamal Murray but ask me 2 days ago and I would have picked Bender. No idea where I'll be on draft night, I have less question marks about Murray but get more fired up about Bender. Personally think either would be an excellent pick.
 
Have no interest in Heild, Dunn, or Brown... but then even typing that statement feels like I could easily find myself eating those words down the road.

This is why getting three is way more fun than picks one or two.  There'll be at least one really good to great player available when we pick.

Will Danny get the right guy?  Hopefully he's reading CelticsBlog for our expert opinions.

The idea that we have the first pick of the rest of the draft has been floating around CB. I really wouldn't be surprised if the best player from this year was picked after the top 2.

Tell ya what, if this pick doesn't work out DA need's to fire that Austin Ainge guy, who knows how he even got the job?!

[Kane3387]

Bender is destroying. Dude owns this poll.


Here is a nice article.


http://thelab.bleacherreport.com/the-next-porzingis/

[billysan]

My feeling is that no matter who wins the poll, people are going to be unrealistic and maybe even downright ridiculous about how much a given player should help the team next season. All 5 have huge potential, but so did Gerald Green.

Drafting a guard/wing means someone sits or someone is traded asap. All 4 have some qualities I like with Hield maybe the most ready to help now. Dunn is the guy for the long term. He is the guys if we ant to wait 3 years to play in the back court with Avery and IT.

The guy with the most upside and who will possibly be a star is Bender. I would draft him at number 3 over any of the others but I would do so knowing I have to give him a chance to grow up for a couple years and put on some muscle.

He could be just blossoming into a great player by the time his rookie contract is up.

[cltc5]

Lol bender. You guys don't be lead around by what the media tells you. Hield for me

[OldSchoolDude]

I’ve just observed on this forum for a few years now, but now I’m finally ready to contribute to the discussion.   We were a playoff team and as such we are a lot different than a real lottery team.  That is, it is going to be really hard for a player to earn minutes unless he is really really special, like Simmons. Also, trading some of our best players and our top draft picks for one star isn’t going to make us better than Cleveland or Golden State next year, if anything it will make us worse because we will sacrifice our winning team chemistry and depth for one guy who is not named LeBron, who hasn’t even been able to carry his current team to a finals appearance.  With that said let’s look at the draft and free agency realistically.

We have 6 guards under contract and 7 if you count Turner.  For arguments sack let’s not even include turner or Young, but that’s still 5 guards on guaranteed contracts.  To draft a guard at 3 either stunts the development of the guards we have or results in spending a top 5 pick on a guy who can’t even dress for the games let alone play any minutes.   I do not see Hield or Murray starting over Bradly or Smart. Also, Hunter and Rozier have put the time and work in to earn minutes next season, so how many minutes would the #3 pick even play if he’s a guard?

I’ve seen some people raving about Murray’s shooting drill, but I recommend those people search up RJ Hunter’s predraft workouts and watch them, he looks better. He was actually my preference for our 1st pick last year and I’m glad we got him latter in the draft.   We have a really good shooting guard on the roster now, we just need to let him play.  Dunn is not starting over Thomas and the backup point is going to be shared by Smart and Rosier who earned a chance with his playoff performance.   Dunn is not playing meaningful minutes on the Boston roster.

Our weakness was a short un-athletic front court.   We need to change our bigs and our contract situation lends itself to that.   We need to let Sullinger, Zeller, and Johnson go.  We would have Olynyk, Jerebko, and Mickey as our only bigs.  If we draft Bender our 4 spot could be Olynyk/ Bender/Jerebko.  We sign a free agent center like Howard, and try and trade up with 16 and 23 to get Davis or Poeltl.  Yes Howard would want the max but we have the money and by the time his contract is up we would be ready to max out one of the players we are developing.  So what if it’s an over pay, we have to spent the money anyway and he’d make us better.  If we can’t get Howard then Biyombo would be a nice second option and probably cheaper.   We would round out the roster with some draft and stash or second round projects. We would dress the following 12 man roster.

PG:  Thomas/Rozier

SG:  Bradly/Smart/Hunter

SF: Crowder/Hunter/Jerebko

PF: Olynyk/Bender/Jerebko

C:  Howard or Biyombo /Davis or Poeltl/Mickey

We can afford two max contracts, so if we did max out two players then the roster would obviously be different.  We can also make trades and that would shake up the roster.   But just adding one free agent and drafting smartly the team would be better than last year and we would be able to actually play our young players.  We would still be a playoff team next year and probably good enough to get out of the first round.   Also, we would still have Brooklyn’s pick next year.   With another top 5 pick, we could get that clutch SF we need.   Some top prospects next year at the SF sport to keep an eye on are:  Josh Jackson, Jonathan Isaac, and Jayson Tatum.   

We are building a true contender and that takes time.  There is really no magic formula to win it all next year or even the year after. It will be 3-4 years no matter who we trade for unless some really good teams have a series of really bad injuries and no one wants to see that.  Be patient and let the process play out.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Dragan Bender.

It's time to swing for the fences, and the kid has massive upside. We have a team that made the Playoffs, we could address most of our flaws via free agency, this is the time where we need to go for the home run swing, and that kid is Bender.

[Granath]

I'm a fan of Hield but I chose Murray. Without any pre-draft workouts I'm going for the best mix of known quantity + upside out there and that's Murray. His ability to shoot off picks and create soft inside shots would be ideal for this team.

[loco_91]

I voted for Bender, who is the best prospect based on limited info. That could easily change based on workouts, but Bender looks awesome on paper and everyone else looks uninspiring.

[libermaniac]

I’ve just observed on this forum for a few years now, but now I’m finally ready to contribute to the discussion.   We were a playoff team and as such we are a lot different than a real lottery team.  That is, it is going to be really hard for a player to earn minutes unless he is really really special, like Simmons. Also, trading some of our best players and our top draft picks for one star isn’t going to make us better than Cleveland or Golden State next year, if anything it will make us worse because we will sacrifice our winning team chemistry and depth for one guy who is not named LeBron, who hasn’t even been able to carry his current team to a finals appearance.  With that said let’s look at the draft and free agency realistically.

We have 6 guards under contract and 7 if you count Turner.  For arguments sack let’s not even include turner or Young, but that’s still 5 guards on guaranteed contracts.  To draft a guard at 3 either stunts the development of the guards we have or results in spending a top 5 pick on a guy who can’t even dress for the games let alone play any minutes.   I do not see Hield or Murray starting over Bradly or Smart. Also, Hunter and Rozier have put the time and work in to earn minutes next season, so how many minutes would the #3 pick even play if he’s a guard?

I’ve seen some people raving about Murray’s shooting drill, but I recommend those people search up RJ Hunter’s predraft workouts and watch them, he looks better. He was actually my preference for our 1st pick last year and I’m glad we got him latter in the draft.   We have a really good shooting guard on the roster now, we just need to let him play.  Dunn is not starting over Thomas and the backup point is going to be shared by Smart and Rosier who earned a chance with his playoff performance.   Dunn is not playing meaningful minutes on the Boston roster.

Our weakness was a short un-athletic front court.   We need to change our bigs and our contract situation lends itself to that.   We need to let Sullinger, Zeller, and Johnson go.  We would have Olynyk, Jerebko, and Mickey as our only bigs.  If we draft Bender our 4 spot could be Olynyk/ Bender/Jerebko.  We sign a free agent center like Howard, and try and trade up with 16 and 23 to get Davis or Poeltl.  Yes Howard would want the max but we have the money and by the time his contract is up we would be ready to max out one of the players we are developing.  So what if it’s an over pay, we have to spent the money anyway and he’d make us better.  If we can’t get Howard then Biyombo would be a nice second option and probably cheaper.   We would round out the roster with some draft and stash or second round projects. We would dress the following 12 man roster.

PG:  Thomas/Rozier

SG:  Bradly/Smart/Hunter

SF: Crowder/Hunter/Jerebko

PF: Olynyk/Bender/Jerebko

C:  Howard or Biyombo /Davis or Poeltl/Mickey

We can afford two max contracts, so if we did max out two players then the roster would obviously be different.  We can also make trades and that would shake up the roster.   But just adding one free agent and drafting smartly the team would be better than last year and we would be able to actually play our young players.  We would still be a playoff team next year and probably good enough to get out of the first round.   Also, we would still have Brooklyn’s pick next year.   With another top 5 pick, we could get that clutch SF we need.   Some top prospects next year at the SF sport to keep an eye on are:  Josh Jackson, Jonathan Isaac, and Jayson Tatum.   

We are building a true contender and that takes time.  There is really no magic formula to win it all next year or even the year after. It will be 3-4 years no matter who we trade for unless some really good teams have a series of really bad injuries and no one wants to see that.  Be patient and let the process play out.

Nice first post. TP.

[Chris22]

Bender is slow and weak.
I pray to God we don't pick him.

[KG Living Legend]

 Good post Old School dude, but please do compare bag of Bones RJ Hunter to Jamal Murray, Murray will be a top 5 pick in this draft and may be the best scorer in this draft. It's not even close talent wise.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Bender is slow and weak.
I pray to God we don't pick him.

I don't know, from the videos I see, he seems mobile enough, especially if he plays Center.

As far as weak, that could be true, but he is 18, he could still work his way in and be stronger eventually.

[MJohnnyboy]

Personal opinion: Out of the five candidates, Dragan Bender, Kris Dunn, Buddy Hield, Jaylen Brown, and Jamal Murray, Bender has the highest upside out of all of them, but he's the highest risk too. If he's drafted, he won't contribute right away, but he could be phenomenal if he pans out.

Hield is the safest pick and is the most likely to contribute right away but has the lowest upside (not that I don't think he can be good in this league).

If the Celtics want the guy that has the most potential, they'll take Bender.
If the Celtics want the guy that will be the most likely to give them production right away, they'll take Hield.

Since the Celtics aren't in win-now mode barring any trade for a superstar, I would take Bender.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics trade the pick for Jahlil Okafor.