Category: NBA Draft

LeBron James says Zion Williamson is playing ‘exceptional basketball’

The Los Angeles Lakers star was full of praise for the 19-year old rookie out of Duke after their first match-up.

Last night was the first of what could be several meetings this season between LeBron James and New Orleans Pelicans No. 1 pick Zion Williamson. Although the Pelicans lost, the playoff projections from FiveThrityEight.com still have New Orleans with a 66% chance of making it to the postseason, meaning there’s a strong likelihood we get to see James and Zion go at it for a couple of games in April. But with last night being the first meeting, LeBron finally had the forum to discuss what he’s seen on the court from the youngster out of Duke.

James said that he thinks Zion has played “exceptional basketball” over his first 12 games as a professional, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group.

What may be surprising for some is that Zion and James don’t have much of a relationship. James said that he’s never met Williamson before, according to Ben Golliver of the Washington Post.

LeBron and the Lakers will face the Pelicans soon enough. The Lakers close out a 3-game road trip in New Orleans on Sunday.

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The Athletic projects 3 intriguing prospects for Boston in 2020 Draft

The Athletic’s in-house draft expert Sam Vecenie projects three interesting NCAA prospects for the Boston Celtics in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The Athletic’s NCAA expert Sam Vecenie recently updated his 2020 mock NBA Draft with three intriguing prospects projected to be selected by the Boston Celtics.

Vecenie, who agrees with the consensus this particular crop of prospects is not especially strong, still sees plenty of noteworthy options for teams to consider in this year’s NBA Draft.

With few standout prospects even near the top of the draft, the odds of nailing a sleeper pick or two could be higher than usual, and given the Celtics could control as many as three draft picks in the first round, that bodes well for Danny Ainge and the rest of the front office.

Controlling the Memphis Grizzlies’ first-round pick if it falls outside of a top-six protection that would see it convey unprotected in 2021 otherwise, the Grizzlies’ recent success suggests a strong chance of three selections this year.

Boston also controls its own pick and that of the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks, whose first will almost certainly be last in the first round or very close to it barring a key injury or some other bad luck.

Vecenie sees the Memphis pick conveying, projecting it to fall inside the lottery at 13th overall, and believes the Celtics might select USC’s Onyeka Okongwu with the pick if available.

Okongwu is a 6-foot-9 center who is logging 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game in his freshman season with the Trojans while shooting 61.9 % overall.

For Vecenie, the 18-year-old big man is a good match in terms of culture and style of play, though his lack of a jumper is also a concern. Even still, the NCAA analyst is optimistic about his future in the NBA:

“He’s been a remarkably efficient post player, showcasing good touch over tough length. More than that, he’s been terrific at scoring points in a variety of ways that are translatable to the next level. He’s really smart at finding the soft timing in the defense from the dunker spot. He excels as a roller toward the hoop.”

“He’s a monster on the offensive glass, and runs the floor in transition,” Vecenie adds.

Another prospect he envisions as a likely Boston target is Villanova’s Saddiq Bey, a 6-foot-8 wing he projects the Celtics 28th using their own pick.

An under-the-radar prospect for Vecenie, he believes Boston will want to add wing depth over the summer, and with his two-way play, could be one of the aforementioned sleeper prospects with a little luck.

Able to guard down to quick floor generals and up to larger forwards, he’s also hitting 38.2 % of his 3-pointers while averaging double-digit offensive numbers against quality opponents.

Finally, Vecenie projects Boston will consider Michigan State’s Xavier Tillman, a 6-foot-9 third-year center, who excels in the pick-and-roll with 34.6 % accuracy from beyond the arc.

He’s also got solid defensive chops.

Vecenie noted his strengths on this side of the ball, stating, “he’s a terrifically switchable defensive player who can really move his feet and defend both in space and on the interior.”

These are all excellent qualities a team needs from the sort of frontcourt depth players Tillman is projected to be.

The trio of prospects is worth keeping tabs on throughout the season as Boston’s 2020 NBA Draft fate comes into focus, with a number of factors needing resolution only time will bring.

Some or even all of this season’s potential selections could be consolidated or dealt away entirely as the team makes other decisions ahead of the February trade deadline.

The record of the Grizzlies — and whether they make the postseason — will also have a major impact on how the Celtics weigh their draft day plans.

Whatever ends up playing out as far as the draft-related events beyond Boston’s control go, keeping an eye on players like these is assuredly something the front office has been doing for some time already.

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Three prospects to watch for Boston’s 2020 NBA Draft

While June might be a long way off, it’s never too early to daydream about the Boston Celtics’ selections in the 2020 NBA Draft.

While draft picks might not be Christmas presents, more than a few Boston Celtics fans would give up a few of their holiday haul to know what their favorite team will be doing in the 2020 NBA Draft.

To that end, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman assembled his last mock draft of 2019, and he’s projecting Boston to have interest in a handful of tantalizing prospects.

The Celtics could control as many as three first-round picks in the coming draft, depending on how protections on the most valuable of the three plays out.

Boston will get the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2020 first round pick if the ping-pong balls send it lower than sixth overall, and with the Griz possessing the NBA’s ninth-worst record, the Celtics would indeed have three selections to make this without some help from the basketball gods.

There’s other things that could change this outcome besides the order of the draft lottery; Memphis could bottom out due to unexpected injury or trades, or the Celtics could combine assets to move up in the draft or deal away the picks entirely.

Should Boston actually make the selections Wasserman predicts, however, many fans might feel like it’s Christmas on June 25th.

The Bleacher Report analyst places the Grizzlies’ pick at seventh overall, just low enough to convey to the Celtics, and Wasserman believes Boston would go with a defensive menace out of Auburn with the pick.

Small forward Isaac Okoro is his projected selection for the Celtics, and given president of basketball operations Danny Ainge’s predilection for lockdown wing defenders, it’s absolutely in character too.

Okoro has had a solid season to date with the Tigers, logging 12.7 points, 4.5 boards and 1.7 assists over 29.3 minutes per game while shooting 57.3 % from the floor.

He could use some help with the three-ball, hitting just 23.8 % of 1.9 attempts per game beyond the arc, but can slash to the basket and dump the rock when there’s a shooter open, too.

On the other side of the ball, as the Bleacher Report analyst notes, Okoro has “the ability to lock down, guard multiple positions and wall up inside, and with quick feet, strong legs, a 225-pound frame and focus.”

Later in the draft, Boston might decide to go with Wasserman’s choice for the team’s own pick, which would likely fall near the end of the first round given Boston’s 20-7 record, third-best in the league behind only the 27-4 Milwaukee Bucks and 24-6 Los Angeles Lakers.

That selection would be “low-ceiling, high-floor big” Zeke Nnaji of Arizona, who should be a solid rotation center with respectable-if-raw defense, ability to work in the post and above-average finishing.

While the freshman has no real game away from the basket, his 80.6 % rate from the charity stripe suggests he may be able to develop a jumper with time, and his healthy 7.6 boards per contest in one of the NCAA’s more competitive conferences hint at a high floor even if a low ceiling.

The Celtics also control the Bucks’ 2020 first-rounder, but as the league’s best record-holder, it won’t be an especially valuable pick barring a sudden, unexpected implosion.

For that pick Wasserman projects Boston selecting Florida State’s Patrick Williams with the 30th overall pick.

Since Celtics Wire profiled Williams at the start of the season, he’s had a solid inaugural season playing for Florida State, logging 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and a steal per game over 21.6 minutes a contest.

While hardly eye-popping numbers, the Seminole is in many ways akin to Wasserman’s choice for the Celtics with the Memphis pick, a bigger but rawer forward who will need time to develop.

With many months to go before the collegiate season is even over — to say nothing of the draft — much may change regarding the direction Boston may take come June.

But Wasserman may be on to something with this trio given the Celtics’ tendency to value defense higher than many teams in the league and the depth to allow the latter two prospects time to develop.

Once the NCAA tournament and the bulk of the NBA season are behind us, a clearer picture of the 2020 draft landscape should come into focus.

Even still, Ainge and company have often been inscrutable on draft night, and with seven rookies on the roster now, it’s possible a consolidation move could come months before the big event, perhaps even in the coming weeks.

For now at least, Celtics fans can daydream about the exciting new prospects who could join the team come spring, even if none of the prospects mentioned above dons the green and white.

How the 20 players drafted after LeBron in 2003 fared in the NBA

The 20 players drafted after LeBron James in 2003 provided some stars and some total busts.

The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted LeBron James with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. King James has dominated the NBA in his career, winning four MVP awards and three championships in his first 17 seasons, while he’s currently off to his best start ever as his Los Angeles Lakers are 19-3 after 22 games. But how did the players selected after he was chosen fare in their NBA careers?

2. Darko Milicic

NBAE Photo by D.Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Darko Milicic was chosen by the Detroit Pistons with a pick they acquired via the Vancouver Grizzlies in a trade for Otis Thorpe. Of the top five draft picks from 2003, he was the lone one to fail to become a mega-star in his NBA career. The 7-footer played for six teams and averaged six points and four per game rebounds in 468 games. Milicic now lives the farmer’s life in his native Serbia.

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Ranking the Boston Celtics’ first-round draft picks in this decade

The Boston Celtics have drafted some of the most notable players in the league in the last few years.

The Boston Celtics were able to add some key players through first-round selections. However, all of their picks in the first round did not pan out the way they hoped.

2013: Lucas Noguiera

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Well, at least the Celtics were smart enough to draft this project and then send him to the Raptors. Unfortunately, part of that deal saw Lou Williams also go to Toronto for John Salmons and a 2015 second-round pick. The seven-foot Noguiera somehow has played in more playoff games (13) than regular-season contests (10). He’s back in Spain now, a bad pick and a good player to rid yourself of, quickly

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Oklahoma City Thunder top draft picks through the years

From Russell Westbrook and James Harden to Steven Adams and Terrance Ferguson, OKC Thunder Wire recalls the team’s top selections since 2008.

The Oklahoma City Thunder has missed the NBA playoffs just once in the past decade.

Unfortunately for the team’s fans, that run of success might be coming to an end, as the franchise retools its roster for the future. But there are plenty of reasons for optimism down the road. By trading stars Paul George and Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets, respectively, the Thunder acquired seven first-round draft choices.

The team also landed a conditional first-round pick when it traded forward Jerami Grant to the Denver Nuggets. In addition to Oklahoma City’s own picks, that means the Thunder could have 15 first-round draft picks between 2020 and 2026.

So while the immediate future of the team on the court is uncertain, the long-term prospects of the franchise are promising.

With all that in mind, let’s look back at how general manager Sam Presti has utilized the team’s top draft picks through the years.

 

2008: Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA

Russell Westbrook UCLA 2008
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Round 1, No. 4 overall

Technically, Westbrook was drafted when the franchise still was known as the Seattle SuperSonics, although the team would relocate to Oklahoma City by the start of the ensuing season. All Westbrook did in the following 11 seasons was play more minutes, score more points, record more assists, grab more rebounds and make more steals than anyone to ever wear a Thunder uniform. He helped lead the team to the 2012 NBA Finals, won the 2016-17 NBA MVP award and represented the Thunder in eight NBA All-Star Games before being traded to the Houston Rockets in July.

Notable: Oklahoma City selected big man Serge Ibaka with the No. 24 pick in 2008. He would set a franchise record with 1,300 blocked shots over his seven seasons with the Thunder.

2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019

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A composite overview of the Celtics’ 2020 NBA Draft projections

The Boston Celtics could have three first-round picks in the 2020 NBA Draft.

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While it’s never too early to think about the future, it might be a little bit early to start projecting the 2020 NBA Draft.

That hasn’t stopped at least ten intrepid attempts to divine just what NCAA and international prospects will end up come summer, even considering the fact many have hardly played more than a handful of games at their current level and a few none at all.

With as many as three possible first-round selections at their disposal in a deep if not especially eye-popping draft class, where are these analysts projecting the Boston Celtics to have interest?

CelticsWire assembled ten different early projections of the coming NBA Draft to try and answer that question despite the many months between this moment and the actual night of the event.

Drawing on the mock drafts of The Athletic, Bleacher Report, ESPN, Forbes, NBA Draft.net, Rookie Wire, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, Stadium and Tankathon, we’ve assembled a composite overview to help you get an idea of some of the prospects to keep an eye on as their respective seasons unfold.

Controlling the Memphis Grizzlies’ first-round selection should it fall outside of the top-six protection it has this season (it will become entirely unprotected next season should it not convey this year), the Milwaukee Bucks’ unprotected first-rounder, as well as their own selection, Boston could add even more young talent to help fill out an increasingly expensive roster.

The Celtics could also package the picks to move into the low lottery to snatch up a high-value player.

It’s important to note that each of these individual projections were recently produced at different times with different methodologies, so their interpretations should be taken with a grain of salt given just how much things can change between now and when players actually hear their names called.

The bad news for fans of Boston is nearly all analysts noted in this article assume the Memphis pick will not convey, meaning moving up for a low lottery pick is likely off the table for the Celtics.

The good news is that the combination of recently-flattened NBA Draft Lottery odds, and lack of actual performance to base both draft prospects and team order on means the range of possible outcomes is still about as wide as things like draft protection and realistic outcomes can allow.

That being said, the range of players projected to be taken with picks under Boston’s control varies considerably as one might expect this early in the basketball year, but there are a few interesting overlaps worth a closer look.

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