While they are currently getting spanked by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics can at least hang their hat on the fact that they landed the #1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The Los Angeles Lakers will pick 2nd and the Philadelphia 76ers will pick 3rd. What's on everyone's minds right now in regards to the draft is whether or not Washington freshman point guard Markelle Fultz will be the player selected by the Celtics with the top pick. I will attempt to help answer this question by providing a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of Fultz and also what other alternatives the Celtics have.
At 6'4", 190 pounds, Fultz is a little undersized for the shooting guard position, but is an ideal size for the point guard position. He's an explosive athlete who can get to the hole and score at all three levels of the floor: Around the rim, mid-range, and beyond the arc. He also has the pieces to be a good defender at the next level and be able to guard both point guards and shooting guards.
Fultz was rated as a 5-star prospect coming out of high school and racked up tons of scholarship offers from many top programs. While he played for a losing program, his draft stock was not at all affected a year later. NBA scouts still see him as the top player in this draft for the reasons mentioned above.
While he passes the eye test and appears to be the best one-on-one player in this draft, there are concerns about the fact that Washington didn't even sniff the NCAA Tournament. As a matter of fact, they didn't even sniff the NIT, finishing 9-22 overall and 2-16 in the Pac-12. A common criticism of Fultz is how poorly Washington did with him as their floor general. One would certainly expect a school with the top pick in the NBA Draft to make the NCAA Tournament.
While it is true that many top NBA prospects lead their teams deep into the NCAA Tournament, the NBA Draft is about individual success and not team success. From an individual statistical standpoint, Fultz did very well, averaging 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game in his freshman season. He lived up to the hype and established himself as one of the top players in college basketball.
If the Celtics choose to not draft Markelle Fultz, their best alternatives would be UCLA freshman point guard Lonzo Ball, Kansas freshman small forward Josh Jackson, and Kentucky freshman point guard De'Aaron Fox. Given that three of the four are point guards, the real question comes down to whether or not the Celtics are strongly opposed to drafting another point guard in light of Isaiah Thomas' sensational season.
At the moment, the Celtics' backcourt consists of Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley, both of whom work very well together. I don't see the Celtics' backcourt becoming too crowded if they add another point guard and if anything, it could be a luxury for them to have in case they decide to trade Thomas or Bradley for other pieces.
Josh Jackson is the best prospect in the draft that isn't a point guard and some feel he is the best prospect overall. It is certainly possible the Celtics take Josh Jackson with the #1 overall pick, but the only issue with doing so is the presence of Jaylen Brown, who the Celtics selected #3 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. Given that Brown is also a small forward, the Celtics may crowd themselves too much at that position if they draft Jackson. Especially since they are only a year apart.
At this point, my money is on the Celtics taking Markelle Fultz with the #1 overall pick. He's the consensus top player in the draft and having another point guard wouldn't be a bad thing for this Celtics team to have. It will certainly be interesting to see how things progress on the NBA Draft front in the coming month as prospects start the process of going through individual workouts.
To connect with NBA Lord on Twitter, click here.
To connect with NBA Lord on Facebook, click here.
To connect with NBA Lord on Google Plus, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment