Fab Melo to Celtics: High-Upside Syracuse Standout Is Big Project for Boston

With the selection of Fab Melo at No. 22 overall, the Boston Celtics took a pair of big men with back-to-back choices in the 2012 NBA Draft.

That's about where the similarities between the two picks end.

Whereas Jared Sullinger can come in and produce right away to help keep the aging Celtics in contention for another championship, Melo will be a major long-term project for Doc Rivers.

There is no doubt that the sophomore out of Syracuse has great upside, but tapping into his enormous potential has always been a challenge for Melo.

The seven-footer has an extremely checkered history, having problems in the past with his weight, motivation and dedication to the game of basketball.

Near the end of last season, Melo was ruled academically ineligible and had to sit out the NCAA tournament.

Being on a team like the Celtics, however, may bring out the best in the Brazilian.

Boston will be able to put a great support staff around Melo, with a superb head coach and possibly several future Hall of Famers to mold the young man into a legit NBA player.

Should he pan out, Melo can play a significant role on any team. 

His size and athleticism make him a prototypical rebounding/shot-blocking center who would complement any high-scoring power forward nicely.

There is room for improvement on the offensive end as well. Melo has a better shooting touch than he gets credit for, and if he develops into even a halfway decent scoring threat and learns to read the game like a pro, he can be a solid starting center in the NBA.

When you're one of the premier organizations in the league, you can take a chance on developing a talented guy with question marks. That's exactly what the Celtics did by drafting Fab Melo.