I know that Danny Ainge has said that the Celtics aren’t going to buy a pick, but I’m convinced that he won’t be able to resist come draft day. Or maybe I’m just bored and have enough free time to blog a little. Below is my list of ten players that I wouldn’t mind seeing in Boston next year.
James Johnson Presently expected to go in the back half of the first round (projections from 15-20). Negatives. His body fat% is a little high at the moment (12%), and his end to end speed and lateral quickness are only above average at best (but would likely improve with better conditioning). Not particularly great at anything. Positives. A legit 6′8″ in shoes with a 7′1″ wingspan, an 8′10″ standing reach and excellent explosion for the size (35″ vertical, 31″ no step vertical). He was a swing forward at Wake, has a decent all-round game. A lot like Jeff Green, or the young Antoine Walker (that’s not meant as an insult, when he was young old baldy was pretty good). Not much of a three point shooter, but a very good mid range game, which you see when he’s at the 4. Excellent face-up game, very effective at taking his man off the dribble and getting to the rim. JJ’s my favoured target in a pick buy. Unless Boston can talk Minnesota out of their second pick, however, he’s probably out of reach.
B.J. Mullens Presently projected to go in the final third of the first round. Negatives. Mostly motivational. Underperformed at Ohio State. How much of that was due to coaching is unclear. Still very raw, and needs someone to light a fire under his buttocks. Positives. A legit 7′1″ in shoes, with a 7′2″ wingspan, a 9′3″ standing reach and good athleticism for the size. Better lane agility than projected lottery pick 4/5s like Jordan Hill, decent end to end speed for a seven footer and pretty good explosion. My #2 choice, another guy that fills a real need here long term if the team can get his head on straight.
Taj Gibson Presently projected to go in the second round. Negatives. Can’t handle the ball at all. Not much of a face up game, so he’ll never be a quality starter. A little on the thin side for the PF slot, and not athletic enough to shift to the SF slot (so he’s not the next Tayshaun Prince). Positives. A legit 6′9″-6′10″ in shoes, with a 7′4″ wingspan and a 9′1″ standing reach. He’s got a plus post game, though his mediocre passing makes him a little bit of a black hole, and excels at garbage buckets (due to his length and athleticism). He’s got decent athleticism for the PF spot (especially for a depth player) and is scrappy on both sides of the ball. Having Garnett to mentor him should help Gibson make the transition to NBA help defender. Unlike Mullens Gibson could contribute next year, as Davis did his rookie season.
Sam Young Presently projected as a late first round pick. Negatives. Has severely limited ability to create his own shot. Mediocre shoot off the dribble player. Limited ability in transition because he can’t handle and his pull up jumper is suspect. Also not much of a pick & roll player. He’s also 24 years old, so he doesn’t have a ton of upside. Positives. Strong as an ox for the size, decent size/athleticism combination (6′7″ 225), fairly long with a 6′11″ wingspan. Excellent finisher at the rim and a very solid catch & shoot player behind the arc. He’ll make the open corner threes you leave him. Reminds me a lot of James Posey.
Jermaine Taylor Presently projected as a second round pick. Negatives. A lot like former Celtic Delonte West, in that he can’t even finish himself with his off hand (in Taylor’s case, his left), and not a great ballhandler with the right. Doesn’t fight through screens well, poor defensive awareness overall. He runs into more screens than my hyperactive yellow lab. A little bit of a black hole due to his lack of passing ability. Positives. The man could score on a lesbian biker gang. He’s got the size and length, being 6′4″ with a 6′9″ wingspan. He’s strong and solid, weighing in at 210. Uses his strength/size well to finish in traffic. A money shooter with feet set or off the dribble and has three point range. Shoots free throws well. He’s going to carve out a nice career as a bench scorer.
Jodie Meeks Presently projected as a second round pick. Negatives. He’s a lot like current Celtic Tony Allen, but with a better jumper. Or maybe he’s Allen’s evil twin, as he only plays cluelessly on the defensive end. Also, has AAS (Alligator Arms Syndrome) as he’s 6′4″ with a 6′5″ wingspan. His athletic numbers look OK on paper, but watching him he doesn’t play up to them. He’s not an ideal finisher at the rim, despite his strength, speed, and max vertical (which all showed pretty well at the combine). His handle isn’t as bad as Tony’s or Giddens’, but it’s not a whole lot better either. Positives. A pretty efficient scorer and a solid shooter. Shoots well off the dribble and with feet set. His pull-up jumper is money and he shoots free throws well. He’s going to be the kind of offensive roleplayer that plays ten years in the NBA.
Danny Green Presently projected as a second round pick. Negatives. Not much of an offensive player. Can’t even dribble if you give him a broken bottle of beer when he’s three sheets to the wind. No ability to get to the rim, and on the rare occasions he does struggles to finish after contact. Not terribly athletic to boot. Positives. Good size, 6′6″ 210 with a 6′10″ wingspan. Strong, if not athletic. A decent catch & shoot player with three point range. Uses his strength and length effectively on the defensive end. Great defensive awareness. He uses his length well to bother shots, good at playing the shooting hand. He’s another guy that reminds me a little of James Posey. I expect he’ll carve out a long career as a defensive roleplayer.
Eric Maynor Presently projected as a late first round pick. Negatives. Suffers from AAS, 6′3″ with a 6′2″ wingspan. Not terribly strong, fairly slight at 165, and not particularly athletic. His lateral quickness is slightly below average, which combined with his AAS, will give him defensive issues in the NBA. Positives. Great court awareness. Despite his lateral quickness, he changes direction well with the ball in his hands, allowing him to get by much quicker players. Fantastic pick & roll player and shoots well, both with his feet set and off the dribble, and has three point range. Great pull up in transition, which combined with his passing ability, makes him a great open court player. His ceiling is probably average NBA point guard, but he’d be a great fit lining up next to someone like OJ Mayo, Bryant, (I can see LA drafting him to replace Fisher and Farmar long term) or Wade.
Chase Budinger. Projected late first round pick. Negatives. Not overly athletic. Less than ideal size for the SF spot, quickness concerns for the SG spot. Average length, 6′7″ with a 6′7″ wingspan. Not Tony-Allen-bad as a dribbler, but not exactly Rajon Rondo, either. Not a terribly good shooter off the dribble, and his pull-up needs a lot of work, too. Positives. Good catch & shoot player with three point range. Willing defender, despite physical limitations, with decent awareness. Finishes well in transition. He may not be the star people were hoping for when he came out of high school, but he’s going to be a good NBA roleplayer for years to come.
Tyrese Rice Should be available when Boston picks at 58. Negatives. Less than ideal size, probably 5′11″, and not overly explosive, which will hurt him getting to the rim. Needs a floater or another short range shot to fill out his repertoire. Positives. Faster than goat curry through a nun. Good catch & shoot player with three point range. Good handles. Very creative scorer on the college level, with some funky looking left handed shots/tosses at the basket that have a knack for going in. Going to be a very good backup point guard eventually.
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