The 2017 BRK Pick Will Be A PG ... and That's OK

[TrueFan]

Is this trend about 17 or 18?

The 2018 will be about drafting a big. 4 of the top 5 picks in most 2018 mock drafts are bigs.

The 2017 is about getting the best player available which will most likely be a point guard.

[Smartacus]

Draft Ball or Fultz, and prepare IT to except becoming a super 6th man. (Imagine IT coming off the bench against the oppositions bench players)

If either of these young point guards are average defenders, the C's will be an improved defensive team, by nature of their size. Game pace will certainly pick up, both push the ball, open men will be found, both score well.

Sign or even trade for Noel.

Aquire a free agent that can score the ball, either a PF or SF. (Hopefully Brown is that guy.)

I realize you've taken a step back, but there is the potential to take two steps forward.

Really doubt that Ball will get picked in the top 2. After a dominant performance the other night at Duke, Dennis Smith Jr. could have the inside track.

https://youtu.be/dInkJ0CzYpo

There aren't many questions with Smith, everything he does on the court looks like it'll translate quickly and could be added to any offense. We hear all the time that our team is great until we run into the 1% athletes. Smith Jr. has the type of athletic ability that is unguardable at times.

If we get the first pick it's Fultz but with the second IMO we take Dennis Smith Jr without hesitation.

[OldSchoolDude]

 Yeah you might wanna change thread title to 2017. In 2018 we will be drafting a big hopefully Ayton.

Luka Doncic please.  I want someone than knows how to play basketball.  And a 6'8" PG/SG with his skills is amazing.

yes, the early press coming out on doncic is amazing. he gets more praise than any prospect i have read about in many years. is it deserved? heck if i know. but it is there.

but we fans have a year to wait and see whether or not doncic is really as good as folks say. he is intriguing though.

Doncic is playing meaningful minutes on Real Madrid's A team now and he turns 18 next month.
Here he is playing against OKC earlier this year.  Keep in mind that he should be a HS jr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sPxV4YGNa0
They Hype is deserved.

[CelticGuardian]

This can't happen soon enough, I'm tired of being let down by this "Little Contender" that Ainge threw out here thinking it'll entertain at least. IT4 has been must watch TV but his team is too much like it's leader, small and vulnerable. It's gotten too predictable to watch.

[LarBrd33]

Fultz, Ball, Smith, Ntilikina, Monk ...

Dollars to donuts, the 2017 BRK pick is going to be a point guard.

Unless the Celts can find a trade for a superstar (i.e. Butler, George, Cousins) that involves the pick, they're gonna have an elite point guard prospect behind Isaiah Thomas.

. . . and that's fine.

Since 2000, the highest WS total for a rookie point guard was Chris Paul in 06-07.  He was by far the outlier.  The next closest was Damian Lillard with 5.8, and he played zero defense.

Isaiah Thomas had 9.7 WS in his first full season as a Celtics starter, and he's currently on track for 12-13.

Unless the Celts don't care about winning next year, starting a rookie point guard isn't a great idea.

Point guards take a while to develop.  There is nothing wrong with playing an elite guard prospect 20-24 mpg for a few years while the team figures out what sort of player they can become. 


It will mean, however, that either Smart or Bradley will need to go.  That might be difficult, but it may help the Celts address the weakness in the frontcourt.

I'd rather trade Smart, but I have a feeling he has no trade value.  You could get a great return for Bradley, but he's probably my favorite player on this team. 

[PhoSita]

Fultz, Ball, Smith, Ntilikina, Monk ...

Dollars to donuts, the 2017 BRK pick is going to be a point guard.

Unless the Celts can find a trade for a superstar (i.e. Butler, George, Cousins) that involves the pick, they're gonna have an elite point guard prospect behind Isaiah Thomas.

. . . and that's fine.

Since 2000, the highest WS total for a rookie point guard was Chris Paul in 06-07.  He was by far the outlier.  The next closest was Damian Lillard with 5.8, and he played zero defense.

Isaiah Thomas had 9.7 WS in his first full season as a Celtics starter, and he's currently on track for 12-13.

Unless the Celts don't care about winning next year, starting a rookie point guard isn't a great idea.

Point guards take a while to develop.  There is nothing wrong with playing an elite guard prospect 20-24 mpg for a few years while the team figures out what sort of player they can become. 


It will mean, however, that either Smart or Bradley will need to go.  That might be difficult, but it may help the Celts address the weakness in the frontcourt.

I'd rather trade Smart, but I have a feeling he has no trade value.  You could get a great return for Bradley, but he's probably my favorite player on this team.

I think Smart has positive trade value, but I also think it's safe to assume he's not a blue chip piece anymore, if he ever was.

As for Bradley, I have been really impressed by how much he's improved himself over the years.  He's a crucial piece for this team, and as the longest tenured Celtic he's a leader.

With that said, I think the SG spot is the next most obvious place for an upgrade after PF (Amir).

Bradley is a more valuable player than Crowder this season.  However, because Crowder is locked up on a cheap contract long term, it will be much easier to keep him and try to upgrade elsewhere.  Having a quality starter on the wing for cheap makes roster construction so much easier.  Bradley, on the other hand, will likely get a very lucrative deal in a year or so.

As much as I like Bradley, he's not irreplaceable. 

Thomas, on the other hand, is pretty much irreplaceable.  He's an elite pick and roll ballhandler and scorer in a league where having such a player is the essential requirement for your team having any sort of chance at doing something in the playoffs.

While the Celts may get another player of that sort in the draft this year, as I've already explained it will take time for that guy to become ready to take the torch from IT.


All of that adds up to Bradley being the most obvious option for a trade.  The team could still opt to trade Smart, however.  He will also be due for a raise in 2018, and while he doesn't have a lot of trade value, he could still be a piece combined with other lesser pieces that turns into a useful rotation big.

[clevelandceltic]

Fultz, Ball, Smith, Ntilikina, Monk ...

Dollars to donuts, the 2017 BRK pick is going to be a point guard.

Unless the Celts can find a trade for a superstar (i.e. Butler, George, Cousins) that involves the pick, they're gonna have an elite point guard prospect behind Isaiah Thomas.

. . . and that's fine.

Since 2000, the highest WS total for a rookie point guard was Chris Paul in 06-07.  He was by far the outlier.  The next closest was Damian Lillard with 5.8, and he played zero defense.

Isaiah Thomas had 9.7 WS in his first full season as a Celtics starter, and he's currently on track for 12-13.

Unless the Celts don't care about winning next year, starting a rookie point guard isn't a great idea.

Point guards take a while to develop.  There is nothing wrong with playing an elite guard prospect 20-24 mpg for a few years while the team figures out what sort of player they can become. 


It will mean, however, that either Smart or Bradley will need to go.  That might be difficult, but it may help the Celts address the weakness in the frontcourt.

I'd rather trade Smart, but I have a feeling he has no trade value.  You could get a great return for Bradley, but he's probably my favorite player on this team.

I think Smart has positive trade value, but I also think it's safe to assume he's not a blue chip piece anymore, if he ever was.

As for Bradley, I have been really impressed by how much he's improved himself over the years.  He's a crucial piece for this team, and as the longest tenured Celtic he's a leader.

With that said, I think the SG spot is the next most obvious place for an upgrade after PF (Amir).

Bradley is a more valuable player than Crowder this season.  However, because Crowder is locked up on a cheap contract long term, it will be much easier to keep him and try to upgrade elsewhere.  Having a quality starter on the wing for cheap makes roster construction so much easier.  Bradley, on the other hand, will likely get a very lucrative deal in a year or so.

As much as I like Bradley, he's not irreplaceable. 

Thomas, on the other hand, is pretty much irreplaceable.  He's an elite pick and roll ballhandler and scorer in a league where having such a player is the essential requirement for your team having any sort of chance at doing something in the playoffs.

While the Celts may get another player of that sort in the draft this year, as I've already explained it will take time for that guy to become ready to take the torch from IT.


All of that adds up to Bradley being the most obvious option for a trade.  The team could still opt to trade Smart, however.  He will also be due for a raise in 2018, and while he doesn't have a lot of trade value, he could still be a piece combined with other lesser pieces that turns into a useful rotation big.

I disagree that IT is not replaceable. As good as he is, I still do not believe that a team lead by a PG like him can win you a title. You can say the 80's Pistons but those teams did have a few other guys that could create a shot. I would trade IT all day for a 2,3, or 4 that can get you at least 18 a game.

Bradley is much more valuable to me because he is a complete defender that can score.

I could be completely wrong on these accounts but that's my perception so far. Just as I think Crowder and AB are too limited to play next to each other long term. Between the two I would start AB because if you keep IT your defense on guards will be atrocious.

I honestly find it very difficult to fit players around IT but its on Danny to figure out how to make it happen.

[PhoSita]

"A team led by ____ cannot win a title" =/= "____ can be plausibly replaced."

It doesn't follow that, because Isaiah Thomas cannot lead us to a title as the best player, that it would be easy to replace him, or wise for the Celts to let him leave.

[jpotter33]

Ugh, IT is not going to go from scoring 28 ppg as a no-doubt All-Star to coming off the bench again.

Let's move past this notion, please.

My whole point here is that even if the Celts draft a point guard in the top 3 this year -- and they most likely will -- that guy does not need to start right away.  There is nothing wrong with playing your elite point guard prospect 18-24 minutes a night as your third guard.

IT can remain as the starter for at least next year, and then the team can evaluate the position (as Belichick might say) when IT hits free agency.

I don't think there would necessarily be any issue with re-signing IT long term in that scenario either.  By the time IT begins to decline, the guy the Celts draft this year will be hitting his prime and hopefully ready to take over.  Also, if you draft a 6'3'' or 6'4'' guard prospect, you could probably groom him to play alongside IT.


Bottom line, yes the Celts have a lot of guards right now, but the logjam is a little bit overblown.

IT is a superstar, but he's not going to play 40 minutes a night, and he's a free agent in a year, so it's good to have a contingency plan.

Smart is good at everything ... except for putting the ball through the hoop.  As a result, he's a role player, and not a guy you should depend on to play big minutes if you can help it.

Bradley is a nice all-around player.  He's obviously really important to the team this year because he's one of the few guys who can grab defensive boards, as crazy as that is considering he's only 6'2''.  Still, he's replaceable.

Rozier is a shooting guard in a point guard's body.  Has some nice moves to get his own shot but is shaky on defense and not good at seeing the court for the sake of other guys on his team.  Very expendable.

Jackson is a 2nd round pick who hasn't shown anything yet. 


If you've got to make room for a Fultz, Ball, or Smith, that's not a problem.

I mean, this is exactly what I was saying. I would love for him to become the sixth man for us in 2018-2019, which I think he's ultimately best built for in this league, but I doubt that that happens after he got a taste of the "star" life.

But then again, I'm not really down with paying him a max either when he's essentially a one-sided star and presents so many issues defensively, especially when we would have a two-way star in the making behind him.

If Fultz proves to have the high ceiling in the NBA that we think he does now, I'd rather let IT walk than pay him the max for four to five years and hold up Fultz's progress, which at that point retaining IT would do.

I see Fultz and AB as an excellent long-term duo, and AB is young enough that he can effectively pair with Fultz. And hopefully at that time Brown would be ready for full-time starter minutes, so we could roll out a lineup of Fultz, AB, Brown, Horford, and Noel with the 2018 Brooklyn pick hoping to be Al's eventual replacement.

[Tr1boy]

Means bye bye to IT4

[Ilikesports17]

Fultz, Ball, Smith, Ntilikina, Monk ...

Dollars to donuts, the 2017 BRK pick is going to be a point guard.

Unless the Celts can find a trade for a superstar (i.e. Butler, George, Cousins) that involves the pick, they're gonna have an elite point guard prospect behind Isaiah Thomas.

. . . and that's fine.

Since 2000, the highest WS total for a rookie point guard was Chris Paul in 06-07.  He was by far the outlier.  The next closest was Damian Lillard with 5.8, and he played zero defense.

Isaiah Thomas had 9.7 WS in his first full season as a Celtics starter, and he's currently on track for 12-13.

Unless the Celts don't care about winning next year, starting a rookie point guard isn't a great idea.

Point guards take a while to develop.  There is nothing wrong with playing an elite guard prospect 20-24 mpg for a few years while the team figures out what sort of player they can become. 


It will mean, however, that either Smart or Bradley will need to go.  That might be difficult, but it may help the Celts address the weakness in the frontcourt.

I'd rather trade Smart, but I have a feeling he has no trade value.  You could get a great return for Bradley, but he's probably my favorite player on this team.

I think Smart has less trade value and could be resigned for more, while also having the most room to grow.

trading Smart seems like a bad idea from a value standpoint while bradley seems like a decent one. However, Ive though Bradley was at his peak for about 3 years. Now if he keeps improving trading him could look really stupid.

[clevelandceltic]

"A team led by ____ cannot win a title" =/= "____ can be plausibly replaced."

It doesn't follow that, because Isaiah Thomas cannot lead us to a title as the best player, that it would be easy to replace him, or wise for the Celts to let him leave.

Who said he would be easy to be replaced? I said he is not irreplaceable and I stand by that. It would be hard to replace his point production but lets not pretend that if the Bulls called and offered Butler straight up for him (I know the salaries dont match) that you would have doubts about doing it.

Here is my issue with thinking that he is irreplaceable. You will always have to have an AB type next to him because against top PG he gives up a ton of points. When he is put on SG he is at a huge size disadvantage in crunch time. He gets lost on a ton of switches.

Now since I must keep AB because I need someone who can defend 2's and has the speed to guard 1's Im stuck because AB will be paid 3 maybe 4xs what Crowder will make. Crowder has a great contract so you want to keep him. So now Im stuck with a pint sized PG, and a SG and SF that arent playmakers from here until whenever you want to address the Crowder contract or Brown takes Crowder's spot.

Again, Im not saying IT isnt a good player, nor am I saying trade him. Im saying the idea of getting rid of AB will have huge consequences that arent being mentioned. Oh and have we forgotten that AB is your leading rebounder?

[hwangjini_1]

Is this trend about 17 or 18?

The 2018 will be about drafting a big. 4 of the top 5 picks in most 2018 mock drafts are bigs.

The 2017 is about getting the best player available which will most likely be a point guard.

ah, but what if the best player is not a big?

[tankcity!]

I don't see the point in trading Smart when his value is so low. I'd rather deal Bradley at this point and get a legit big. Trade Horford for Saric and Noel. Then Bradley for Kevin Love. Who says no?

[clevelandceltic]

Is this trend about 17 or 18?

The 2018 will be about drafting a big. 4 of the top 5 picks in most 2018 mock drafts are bigs.

The 2017 is about getting the best player available which will most likely be a point guard.

ah, but what if the best player is not a big?

Well at this point its very unlikely that the top player in 18 wont be a big. When you watch whom is available and the skills they provide Im hard pressed to see guys like Porter, Ayton, and Bamba to name a few not being the best player in 18.

I will say that I was really down on the 18 draft because I felt the top players really left something on the table. I will now say that having watched them again recently, I think a full engaged Ayton (this is a major challenge along with getting him in the post more) and an aggressive Michael Porter are better prospects than what we are seeing at the top of this years draft especially Ayton. Should be very interesting.