As conference play begins to heat up at the NCAA level and the NBA season starts to grind, it’s only natural for attention to begin to shift a bit to the college ranks and the promise they imply in January.
And with that shift, our sister site Rookie Wire ramps up its focus on the next crop of prospects who are 2020 NBA Draft hopefuls, with Bryan Kalbrosky releasing a complete mock draft with several tantalizing prospects projected into the Boston Celtics’ range of potential selections.
The franchise could have as many as three first-round selections this year based on how the protections on a 2020 Memphis Grizzlies first round pick they control pan out.
The selection is theirs unless it falls outside the top six, in which case it conveys unprotected in 2021. Boston could have as many as two second-round picks as well, though one is more likely.
Full 2020 NBA Mock Draft: France's Killian Hayes deserves your attention https://t.co/3fOKuHRqZG
— RookieWire (@RookieWire) January 15, 2020
While a move to consolidate talent may see one or more of Boston’s 2020 selections dealt away in a trade, let’s take a look at some of the options being floated as future Celtics.
In the scenario envisioned by Kalbrosky, the Memphis pick conveys, and with the Grizzlies currently in the eighth and final playoff-eligible slot in the West, a 16th-overall pick is what Boston would be handed if the season ended today.
With it, the Celtics would take: