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

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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

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

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.