NBA Draft 2012: Top 6 Rookies to Pair with Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo

At the 2012 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics must finally look to the future and build a new squad around Rajon Rondo.

With Kevin Garnett mulling retirement and Ray Allen sure to entertain offers from other teams, the Big Three is breaking up. All that is left is all that there was before: Paul Pierce and plenty of questions about the future.

The difference is the one certainty: Pierce does not have to be the center of this rebuilding effort; the best ball distributor in the game is on hand.

But Rondo cannot carry this team alone. Moving forward, the Celtics need to do two things: get younger and get Rondo some new toys. Boston's future begins at the draft.

With the 21st and 22nd picks in the first round, the Celtics are in an interesting position. Of course, they must look to get guys who will fit alongside Rondo, but there are no guarantees in the lower half of the draft, and Boston must look for potential as much as ability.

Here are six guys the Celtics should be looking to assemble around Rondo.

Andrew Nicholson

The Celtics' first target has to be Andrew Nicholson, a defensive stalwart only now drawing raves for his offensive game.

Nicholson fits the bill of a sturdy defensive forward. At 6'10" and 234 pounds, he has prototypical size to play on the interior. Tack on a 7'4" wingspan and a good sense of timing for blocking shots, and it is no surprise that the St. Bonaventure senior was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year.

What surprised scouts is just how polished his offensive game is. Nicholson displayed soft touch around the basket while with the Bonnies. Yet according to ESPN Insider, he shot as well as the guards from beyond the arc at the NBA pre-draft camp.

The problem for Boston is that Nicholson's stock is now rising; once a late-first rounder, it sounds like he might not even be available for the Celtics at No. 21.

If they manage to snag him, Nicholson would be a nice fit in the pick-and-pop game Rondo ran with Garnett. He would also give the Celtics options with the 22nd pick to either bulk up in the post or grab some depth at the wing.

Royce White

Royce White is a versatile prospect in the Celtics' draft plans, fitting either as the inside-out big man Nicholson is or as a swingman to complement him.

At 6'8" and with his range and athleticism, White is a sound defensive small forward. His strong frame, with a listed weight of 261 pounds, also allows the Iowa State product to body up against just about any power forward out there.

White shot an impressive .534 from the field last season, though he cannot extend out past 15 feet like Nicholson can. What he has that Nicholson doesn't is an excellent handle, often playing a point-forward role for the Cyclones to facilitate on the offensive end.

Off the court, though, the story is not so pretty. White left the University of Minnesota amidst legal issues in 2010, and Business Insider is reporting that his fear of flying could be driving down his draft stock.

If the Celtics can look past these issues, they could get a commodity Rondo really needs: a guy who can move the ball offensively while providing a strong presence on the inside.

Moe Harkless

With Nicholson or White already in the fold, a guy like Moe Harkless would give Rondo a slashing option he currently lacks.

Harkless did not display much of a shooting touch in his one season at St. Johns, but he put up 15.5 points per game with his ability to drive and to finish in transition. Adding some speed on the fast break to a team that has been bogged down by old legs will certainly please Rondo.

The issues for Harkless are mostly to do with immaturity. He is still slight physically at 6'9" and 207 pounds, but he will likely be able to add bulk to that frame. More worrisome is an inconsistent motor to go along with his spotty jumper.

Boston is a no-nonsense organization, though. Rondo, Pierce and Doc Rivers will see to it that Harkless gets his act together, or else.

Harkless would already make a talented addition to Rondo's arsenal. With some tutelage from Pierce on how to play the game, he has the potential to be a special player for the Celtics.

Quincy Miller

Quincy Miller is similar to Harkless in his athletic ability at small forward; where they diverge is is the flaws in their games.

The hole in Miller's offensive game is his ability to finish at the rim. He helps his cause with a solid range game that extends beyond the arc, but RealGM pointed out in February that his weak inside game was dragging down his field-goal percentage; he ultimately shot just .447 on the year.

For a player with a high IQ and a wiry frame at 6'10" and 219 pounds, this inability to produce in the post could be solved by bulking up. Another explanation, however, is that Miller had not fully regained his explosiveness after injuring his ACL during his high school senior year.

Given his production and his unknowns, Miller is a risk for Boston. But if he is fully healthy, the reward would be an athletic freak who could score to pair with Rondo. Given his ability to defend either forward position, he would fit in very well with either Nicholson or White, as well.

Jeff Taylor

Even as the Celtics begin a youth movement, Danny Ainge might like to add some more experienced college players to the mix rather than projects. If so, he has to look at Jeff Taylor.

The Vanderbilt senior made his college career off his speed and leaping ability on the defensive end. His prowess as an on-ball defender would give the Celtics incredible depth on a defensive unit that already sports Rondo and Avery Bradley.

Only in his final season as a Commodore did Taylor really break out on the offensive end. He shot .493 from the field and .423 from beyond the arc en route to averaging 16.1 points per game—continuing a rising trend over his last three seasons.

Taylor might not have the high ceilings that Harkless and Miller have, but he has a much higher floor. The Celtics can afford to gamble on their second pick, but if they want a surer thing, Taylor has the ability to be just as good a fit.

Fab Melo

On the other hand, Boston could swing for the fences with their second pick and try to revamp their front line for the long-run. He's got his red flags, but Fab Melo would be the guy for that.

Melo's offensive game is virtually nonexistent at this point, and he did not display much of a basketball IQ in his two years at Syracuse. But on sheer physicality and toughness, Melo served as the foundation of the Orange defense and was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

Melo's stock took a major hit when he was ruled academically ineligible for the 2012 NCAA Tournament. After he was unable to prove critics wrong on the biggest stage, ESPN asked, "Why should a team spend a high draft pick on a player who couldn't finish last season because of academic problems?"

He has since owned up to his issues in the classroom and how they hurt his team, but that will not be good enough to appease the naysayers.

What will help is that talented seven-footers with a mean streak defensively do not come around very often. If Rondo already has a scoring threat like Nicholson on board, Melo could be the force on the inside to kick start Boston's transition game.