The Boston Celtics have a lot of rookies this season — seven, in fact — and have as many as four draft picks in the 2020 NBA Draft.
You don’t need to be a general manager or math expert to realize a 15-man roster with 11 players with a season or less experience isn’t exactly an optimally constructed team, which is a roundabout way of saying the Celtics are going to have to make some moves to avoid wasting draft assets.
Some players aren’t likely to come back. Others may choose to leave. Trades may be made — to consolidate players, draft assets, or both. But there’s one other possibility in team president Danny Ainge’s toolkit that he may dust off despite it not working out so well last time around.
Celtics' Austin Ainge helps Boston find prospects other teams miss https://t.co/R24jAmG9j4 via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 31, 2020
That time of course would be when he drafted French big man Guerschon Yabusele, who, while an interesting prospect, failed to develop into the prospect hoped for once he arrived stateside.
But this time, the bulk of the Celtics draft assets are in the late first round, with a second rounder likely still in range for a quality prospect, with some luck.
Who might be a good option to spend a season or two overseas while the team takes some more time sorting out who’ll stick from it’s current, colossal class of rookies?
Drawing from HoopsHype’s “Ranking the Top 20 international prospects eligible for 2020 NBA draft“, we’ll take a look at several prospects already “stashed” abroad.