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.