Celtics
The Celtics currently have the No. 30 and No. 54 picks.
The championship parade is over, and the season is history, but the NBA Draft is almost here to help fill the brief void.
Here are five things to know heading into this year’s draft.
The basics
The first round of the NBA Draft is set for Wednesday, June 26, at 8 p.m. EST, and will air on ABC and ESPN.
The second round is set for Thursday, June 27, at 4 p.m. EST, and will air on ESPN.
The Celtics have currently have the No. 30 overall pick Wednesday and No. 54 overall pick Thursday.
The Celtics history
The Celtics may end up trading their first-round pick. But if they don’t, it will be their first opening-round selection since they picked Aaron Nesmith (No. 14) and Payton Pritchard (No. 26) in 2020.
Boston took Juhann Begarin in the second round and stashed him in 2021, selected JD Davison in 2022, and picked Julian Phillips and traded him in 2023.
The Celtics have had success late in the first round in recent years with Pritchard, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams in the last six seasons.
They selected Desmond Bane with the No. 30 pick and traded him to the Grizzlies in 2020.
Other No. 30 picks in franchise history include J.R. Giddens in 2008, Jeff Judkins in 1978, and Dan Swartz in 1956.
Potential Celtics fits
USA Today has the Celtics taking Baylor Scheierman, a 6-foot-6, sweet-shooting lefty out of Creighton, with the No. 30 pick. Scheierman averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists for the Bluejays this past season, and his versatility is what really sets him apart.
Per Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN: “He ‘isn’t expected to drop past Boston’ at No. 30 overall and he has already had a workout with the Celtics.”
CBS Sports also has the Celtics selecting Scheierman.
The Athletic has Scheierman going one pick earlier to the Jazz, and the Celtics choosing 6-foot-9 big man Tyler Smith at No. 30. Smith, 19, averaged 13.7 points and 5.1 rebounds with G League Ignite.
“It will take him time to keep developing on that end, and I wouldn’t be confident putting him on an NBA floor from day one,” Sam Vecenie wrote. But Boston could bring him along slowly, and his shot would be valuable to their style of play as a frontcourt player.”
NBADraft.net has the Celtics selecting Pacome Dadiet, a 6-foot-8-inch, 210-pound forward from France, at No. 30. Dadiet would likely be a draft-and-stash pick, considering the Celtics have no glaring holes on the roster.
The site has Boston taking Aden Bona, a 6-foot-9-inch, 245-pound center from UCLA, No. 54 overall.
The possible top picks
The Hawks, Wizards, Rockets, Spurs, and Pistons have the top five picks.
This year’s draft class is, on paper, worse than others in recent memory. For starters, there’s no transcendent player like Victor Wembanyama, but the depth also isn’t quite there.
Zaccharie Risacher (6-9, 200, F, France), Alexandre Sarr (7-1, 225, C, France), Reed Sheppard (6-3, 180, G, Kentucky), Stephon Castle (6-7, 210, G, UConn), Matas Buzelis (6-10, 195, F, G League), and Donovan Clingan (7-3, 280, C, UConn), among others, are all in the mix to be top-five picks.
Castle and Clingan, who helped steer UConn to a title, are two names for local fans to monitor.
Other local ties
Outside of the UConn guys, there are a few more names local fans may recognize.
Devin Carter (6-3, 195, G) recently wrapped up a stellar career at Providence College and is expected to go in the first round.
Marquette product Tyler Kolek, a shifty, 6-foot-2-inch, 195-pound point guard from Cumberland, Rhode Island, could be taken late in the first round.
Kyle Filipowski, a 7-footer out of Wilbraham & Monson Academy, is also projected to go late in the first round.
Sign up for Celtics updates🏀
Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during basketball season.
