Usually, most articles about an upcoming NBA draft try and figure out the best possible prospects the Boston Celtics or other teams in the league should be looking to select with their precious draft assets, and for good reason.
Perhaps the most valuable team-building tools in a cap-restricted league, draft picks are only as helpful as they players they are used to land, so maximizing your knowledge in making that decision is a normal first step in the process of making the right decision.
But knowing who not to take can be almost as important as the data guiding the player a franchise ultimately settles on, and it is that end that this article will focus on.
Who are the top 10 Celtics draft picks of all time? https://t.co/kchbcY0Gq9 via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) July 15, 2020
The Celtics Wire surveyed a cross-section of respected draft experts, beat writers and analysts around the NBA media sphere, with a solid balance of non-Boston writers and fans to offset green-tinted lenses.
Our panel includes Double Clutch U.K.’s Josh Coyne, Off the Glass’s Alex Goldberg, HoopsHype’s Bryan Kalbrosky, unsigned free agent Simon Rath, Rookie Wire’s Ben Pfeifer, Celtics Hub’s Cameron Tabatabaie, Celtics Blog’s Adam Taylor and The Athletic’s Jared Weiss — a big thanks to all for your time and thoughts.
Bleijenbergh, Belgian player of interest to Celts, to stay in '21 draft https://t.co/VbYEeAk1rl via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 26, 2020
The results we received highlighted some strong feelings about some players we expected, as well as a few we didn’t — and we think the analysis of all the prospects brought up as must-avoids an intriguing window into our collective idea about what it is the Celtics want, and should want.
We’ll start with the prospects mentioned by only one respondent, and move our way towards those with the most concern around them, saving the biggest red-flag prospects for last.
So without further ado, let’s look at the results.