Houston Cougars guard Nate Hinton has interviewed with the Boston Celtics remotely as part of the pre-draft process, and there’s loads of reasons why Boston might be interested in the 6-foot-5 guard who rebounds like a big and defends like Marcus Smart.
While Hinton has the odds against him being taken by the Celtics, his late second-round projections in most mock drafts would put him in line with Boston’s selection in that round, slotted in at No. 47.
Hinton is a smart, high-motor prospect who prides himself on his defense and disrupts plays in the way Smart does for Boston, and he is very aware of the justifiable comparisons.
Speaking with Heavy.com’s Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Hinton addressed those comps in a recent interview.
“Honestly, I play like a dog out there, man; I don’t think you can put a label on who I play like,” he began.
“I play like Marcus Smart because of how he plays with his aggression, he’s all over the place and the mindset of Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Herrell; guys like that. It’s not the fact that I play like them but, it’s the mentality that I take on with guys like that. So it’s a little bit of Avery Bradley and it’s just guys that take pride in guarding and I think that outside of their size, they have the knack and pride, that I’m going to stop you and I’m going to get my team stops and energize my team.”
“I think that’s where the comparisons can come from,” added Hinton.
Report: Hawks pursuing possible sign-and-trade deal for Gordon Hayward https://t.co/jcBlMDhrFy
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 18, 2020
Hinton pulled down an absurd 8.7 rebounds per game with Houston in 2019-20 to go with his 10.6 point, 2 assists and steal per game, while hitting 38.7% from beyond the arc on 3.8 attempts per game.
An archetypical 3-and-D prospect with the motor and conscientiousness on defense that have become a hallmark of the Celtics under Smart’s tenure would make sense as a late selection by Boston.
And with draft day here, we won’t have long to find out where he ends up.
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