Category: .NBA draft

Celtics land 22-year-old stretch-four in latest mock draft

The Boston Celtics could select the Illinois product with the 54th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

The Boston Celtics will have the 54th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Given their incredible talent and depth, whoever they select in the second round will likely spend the upcoming season with the Maine Celtics on a two-way deal. Still, the Celtics have developed a clear pipeline between their G-League affiliate and their first team.

This season’s roster boasts three Maine Celtics graduates. Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta began their Celtics careers on two-way contracts. According to Jonathan Wasserman’s latest mock draft for Bleacher Report, Coleman Hawkins could be the next addition to the Maine Celtics, where he will look to emulate some of the aforementioned talents.

“Coleman Hawkins was having a strong NCAA tournament until Illinois ran into Connecticut,” Wasserman wrote. “While scouts have their reservations, he has their attention with a shoot-dribble-pass skill set that creates a valuable stretch-playmaking 4 archetype.”

Hawkins has played 35 games for Illinois this season. He’s averaging 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 45.1% from the field and 36.9% from 3-point range. As with any contending team, carving a path to the primary roster would be incredibly difficult. However, Boston has shown a willingness to reward players who operate professionally and consistently improve their games.

Of course, Stevens could decide to flip the pick on draft night. He’s shown a willingness to kick the draft can down the road in recent years, and given the Celtics’ current roster depth, that may be the smartest decision and one that would be fair to whoever they would potentially select.

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Celtics take intriguing Big East big man in new 2024 NBA mock draft

His passing and defense have been compared to Al Horford, and he can catch and flush lobs when vertical spacing is needed to change up the offensive attack.

The Boston Celtics’ first round draft pick for the coming 2024 NBA draft may be the last in that round, thanks to the Celtics having locked up the best regular season record in the league for their 2023-24 campaign. But that doesn’t mean they are not scouring the prospects who have declared for this summer’s draft, and the folks at the Ringer have done the same.

For the Celtics in the first round, they like Marquette big man Oso Ighodaro. A 21-year-old combo big who stands 6-foot-11 and has the lateral mobility to guard the perimeter and switch when called on, Ighodaro has no jumper to speak of. 

And while that might be a problem for a player more suited to play the four at the NBA level, a team with shooting centers like Boston could find a way to make the high-IQ forward fit.

His passing and defense have been compared to Al Horford, and he can catch and flush lobs when vertical spacing is needed to change up the offensive attack.

While we might prefer a big with a trey like DaRon Holmes in this draft, Horford was also once a non-shooter, so we wouldn’t be opposed to rolling the dice with Ighodaro.

 Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics take a Florida floor general in new 2024 mock draft

The Gator alum could stand to work on his finishing and 3-point shot, but any prospect taken this late in the draft tends to be a bit of a project anyway.

The Boston Celtics front office likely already has a full range of prospective targets in mind for the 2024 NBA draft. And the folks over at the Ringer have put together a mock draft trying to divine what the Celtics will do with their picks for this year’s big event.

For the Celtics’ own second-rounder, currently projected to come in at No. 53 overall, and the Ringer has Boston using it on University of Florida floor general Zyon Pullin. A 6-foot-4, 23-year-old point guard with a 6-foot-6 wingspan who evokes shades of Andrew Nembhard and Tyus Jones, Pullin is described as a “game-managing point guard who runs a tight ship while providing versatile defense.”  

The Gator alum could stand to work on his finishing and 3-point shot, but any prospect taken this late in the draft tends to be a bit of a project anyway, and Pullin’s upside is worth the gamble in our estimation.


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Who are some NCAA prospects that Celtics fans should keep an eye on in the tourney?

The Celtics are going to need older players able to help fill in some deep rotation minutes, ideally with some upside to grow into a larger role.

The 2024 NCAA Tournament is not far off, and with it come a perk in interest among fans of the Boston Celtics in college basketball as they try to scout potential draft steals for their favorite team. Who are some NCAA prospects that Celtics fans should keep an eye on in the tourney?

The Celtics are going to need older players able to help fill in some deep rotation minutes, ideally with some upside to grow into a larger role. That should help narrow the field given Boston has three selections falling late in both rounds to work with this summer.

To try to tease out some prospects that make sense for the Celtics, the hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast linked up with Tyler Rucker of No Ceilings to break down a Boston Celtics fan’s guide to the NCAA March Madness Tournament.

They talk about Celtics draft targets, tournament breakout candidates, and Tyler’s favorite prospects. Plus, they talk about the Celtics’ playoff path, Luke Kornet vs. Xavier Tillman, and Boston clinching the playoffs

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston takes two forwards and a big man in new Athletic NBA mock draft

Is it too early for you to be thinking about the 2024 NBA draft with the 2024 NBA Playoffs still nearly two months away?

Is it too early for you to be thinking about the 2024 NBA draft with the 2024 NBA Playoffs still nearly two months away? For the best draft experts in the business, it is never too early to get started, and that is exactly what The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has done in his most recent 2024 mock draft.

In the coming draft, the Boston Celtics will have a first round pick and two late second round picks to work with, which could net them a useful player or two with some luck for the deep rotation and future development. But they will have to nail the picks given all will be close to the end of their respective rounds, and in the Brad Stevens era, they seem to be doing well in that.

Let’s take a look at who Vecenie thinks the Celtics ought to target in the big event this summer.

Boston takes local guard, forward, intriguing combo big in new ESPN mock 2024 NBA draft

The Celtics stay local for two of their three picks in this mock, and one very much not.

The 2024 NBA draft may still be many months away and far from the front of the minds of most fans of the Boston Celtics as they begin their stretch run to the postseason. But for draft experts like ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, the NCAA, G League, and overseas action is just starting to heat up, making projecting players to specific NBA teams a bit easier to do.

With more data from more games, we can get a clearer picture of who each prospect will be as a potential player in the Association — and what teams most need that sort of option.

So with that said, let’s see who ESPN has in mind for Boston this summer.

Celtics take two big man and a guard in latest Bleacher Report 2024 mock draft

The Celtics would have been picking at Nos. 48, 41, and 30 based on their record at the time.

It is still far too soon for most basketball fans to start thinking about what players the Boston Celtics (or whatever team they follow) will want to take in the NBA’s 2024 draft. But for NBA draft experts like Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, it’s been time to dial in on such questions for months now. And Wasserman has a trio of potential targets for the Celtics in mind.

The Celtics would have been picking at Nos. 48, 41, and 30 based on their record at the time that the Bleacher Report draft expert made his latest mock draft for the big day this summer.

Let’s see who he has in mind for Boston to select.

Celtics projected to take two forwards, big man in new 2024 mock NBA draft

Bleacher Report has put together a full two-round mock draft update that has the Celtics selecting three new players.

For most fans of the Boston Celtics (and truthfully, most of the league), the halfway point of the 2023-24 season is far too early to be thinking about the 2024 NBA draft. But for those who earn their paychecks by looking at the flow of prospective players from the NCAA and abroad into the Association, it is just starting to heat up in terms of analysis. Most college teams are into conference play by now, and overseas leagues are deep into their respective current seasons.

And such is the case with Bleacher Report draft expert Jonathan Wasserman, who has put together a full two-round mock draft update that has the Celtics selecting three new players.

Let’s take a look at each.

NBA draft set to expand to two days

The move would still need approval from the player’s union.

Fans of the Boston Celtics (and the rest of the league) will soon have more to see when it comes to the NBA draft — perhaps as soon as this summer. The league hopes to expand the draft to a two-day affair in the near-term future per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Association still needs to get approval from the National Basketball Players’ Association for the change, which would see the current one-day format split into two days. Each of the draft’s two rounds would be split between June 26 and June 27 if the proposal can be implemented this summer. The player’s union and the NBA have been in regular contact about that potential shift, according to Woj.

“Among a number of reasons for the expansion of the event, including the programming for television rights partners,” writes the ESPN reporter, “the NBA and teams are hopeful that the hours between Wednesday night’s first round and Thursday’s second round will give teams more time to make trades and plan out strategies for the second night.”

“Teams have been frustrated with the chaotic speed of the second round and believe there could be more order in the process with a day between the picks,” adds Wojnarowski.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Too-early Bleacher Report 2024 NBA mock draft has Boston Celtics take trio of big men

Given the need and available talent, we see the vision — but have a few other ideas.

Heading into the holidays, the 2024 NBA draft landscape remains uncertain, with no clear favorite for the top pick and no solid order throughout much of the pool of prospects this early in the season the Boston Celtics and rest of the league to consider. The absence of a standout No. 1 overall candidate means that team needs and the lottery order could heavily influence the selection, with a trickle-down effect making this an especially volatile draft class in terms of making predictions.

Given all of that, perhaps as much as any time in recent memory, it is clearly much too early to make any concrete projections about which ball clubs might take which players given more collegiate play will only help solidify such estimations.

But that doesn’t stop draft experts from plying their craft, and we are already seeing the first serious mock drafts coming out.

Let’s see who Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman sees the Celtics drafting so far out.