2015 NBA Draft Prospects Boston Celtics Should Keep Their Eye on This Season
With recent moves to get rid of Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green and Jameer Nelson, it’s become clear that the Boston Celtics want no part of the 2015 playoffs.
While that has led to some difficult basketball to watch and just a little more Evan Turner than anyone is comfortable with, there is a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel: the 2015 NBA draft.
The 2015 class hasn’t been as highly touted as 2014’s, but it has a number of players at Boston’s biggest positions of need: small forward and center.
The Celtics have their point guard of the future in Marcus Smart, locked up Avery Bradley to a long deal and possess solid 4s in Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk, but the rest of the roster surrounding them is a question mark.
While Brad Stevens is a good enough coach to keep Boston competitive in most games, eventually the losses will pile up and the C’s will find themselves toward the top of the lottery.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at six potential first-round selections who C’s fans can turn their eyes to as they wait for June to roll around.
Jahlil Okafor, Duke
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The Celtics’ decent start to the season might have put them out of contention for Jahlil Okafor, but if Boston may still have a shot if truly tanking.
The vaunted freshman big man has been electric for Duke this season, averaging 18.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 67.5 percent shooting from the floor.
He posted a 25-20 line against Elon and has looked strong in ACC play despite losses to NC State and Miami.
Okafor isn’t an elite defender, but he would provide the Celtics with something they desperately need: a proficient scorer on the block.
As Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman writes, “He ultimately treats the post like his personal office, where he's got tremendous control of his body and the ball, as if it's crumpled-up paper and the hoop is his trash bin.”
For as good as Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk can be, neither are particularly deft on the block.
This is part of the reason the C’s often struggle to get quality looks late in games and are relying on shaky jump-shooters like Avery Bradley and Evan Turner.
The 6’11” Okafor could fit nicely with either Sully or Olynyk on the court and could be the true back-to-the-basket center Boston has lacked for years.
According to Sports-Reference, he’s averaging a comical 34.3 player efficiency rating, a number that obviously won’t translate to the league but does show how dominant he has been at school.
As big men in the NBA have become more comfortable drifting outside of the paint, teams have been hesitant to use a low-post threat, but Okafor has a Hakeem Olajuwon-like skill set that could make him an elite scorer in the league one day.
He could stand to improve his face-up game and finesse, but he’s a capable passer with a tremendous basketball IQ who should be able to easily take in Stevens’ system.
Okafor is presumed by many to be the No. 1 pick, which the C’s would have to out-tank the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers to have a great shot at.
Stanley Johnson, Arizona
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Jeff Green is gone, and Tayshaun Prince clearly isn’t the long-term answer at small forward.
Jae Crowder hasn’t been bad since joining Boston from the Dallas Mavericks, but his ceiling is more of a three-and-D bench player than a playoff starter.
Luckily, Arizona’s Stanley Johnson has shined at the 3 and should be available when the C’s are selecting.
He’s averaging 14.6 points, 6.8 boards and 1.7 assists for the Wildcats while hitting 48.2 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three-point range.
The 6’7” Johnson doesn’t have the size to swing between forward spots, but he’s the ideal small forward for today’s up-and-down game.
He’s a dynamic athlete capable of finishing at the rim and a good-enough shooter to come off screens and make shots from all over the floor.
The skill Johnson has (that Green struggled with) is the ability to handle the ball, as NBADraft.net notes, and he could easily develop into a true point-forward with time.
Defensively, Johnson is a standout who should fit perfectly with the Marcus Smart and Bradley backcourt the Celtics are developing.
He needs to add some muscle to his frame before he can cover bigger NBA 3s, but he’s long and scrappy with great hands and quickness.
Johnson also keeps his head on a swivel when playing off the ball and does not make the kinds of lazy, avoidable mistakes we often see from young players gambling or falling asleep and allowing easy cuts.
The Celts do have an intriguing piece on the roster in James Young, but Johnson’s upside is simply too great to pass up for a team targeting small forwards.
Sam Dekker, Wisconsin
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Sam Dekker would be a player for Boston to target with the Los Angeles Clippers’ first-rounder, and the Wisconsin scorer could be a nice fit in green.
He is averaging 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists while hitting a career-best 51.9 percent from the floor and a decent 34.5 percent from distance.
Dekker, a junior, doesn’t have the potential a player like Johnson has, but he’s a skilled forward who at 6’9” could even play some 4 in smaller lineups.
As with many Wisconsin products, Dekker isn’t an elite athlete. Rather, he makes up for his lack of explosiveness with a terrific understanding of where to be on both ends of the court.
He moves well without the basketball and is always a threat off the catch; he works hard to stay in front of his man defensively and make proper rotations.
Dekker is actually a little quicker and more agile than your typical Bo Ryan player, which helps him cover smaller perimeter guys.
He likely wouldn’t slide into a starting role anytime soon, but he could be a nice bench piece who fits into Stevens’ offense as a spot-up shooter and cutter off of pick-and-rolls.
Per Hoop-Math.com, Dekker is connecting on 71.4 percent of his shots at the rim, and he does a great job of recognizing when he can get to the hoop.
Dekker might never be a star in the NBA, but he’s a low-risk piece who could thrive off the Boston bench.
Justin Anderson, Virginia
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Another potential small forward of the future, Virginia’s Justin Anderson has had a breakout junior campaign for the Cavaliers.
He has nearly doubled his scoring to 14.5 points per game and is also chipping in 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists while connecting on 50.6 percent of his shots and a scalding 52.7 percent of his threes.
It remains to be seen if he can keep that blistering clip for the remainder of the season, but there’s no denying Anderson has improved his shooting enough for it to be an asset in the league.
He needs to work on finishing at the rim (just 59.6 percent per Hoop-Math), but the 6’6” wing is a strong athlete with excellent length who can get into the paint
In fact, there’s a chance Anderson’s numbers are underselling his contributions given Virginia’s slower pace. He should be able to get easy looks aplenty running the floor for the Celts.
Anderson likely won’t ever become a first option, but he could be a Trevor Ariza-type wing who shoots well enough to get by and makes his bones defending an opponent's best perimeter scorer.
He’s another player that would mesh well with the Smart-Bradley backcourt and give Boston’s perimeter defense a boost.
There is also value in having a player from a winning program like Anderson on such a young squad. He has been part of two dominant Virginia teams and brings a winning pedigree to the Celtics’ culture.
Anderson won’t be a star, but he’s a player who could help Boston’s ghastly defense (27th in points allowed at 104.2) and not be an offensive liability to boot.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky
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A big man who might fit Boston’s frontcourt needs a little better than Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t a gifted scorer, but he can certainly block shots.
In just 19.8 minutes per game, he is averaging 8.5 points, 6.7 boards and 2.3 blocks while hitting 50.5 percent of his field goals.
CSNPhilly’s Sean Kane recently listed Towns as his third-best prospect, and there’s no denying the defensive impact the big man could have on the C’s right away.
Like Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel before him, Towns is a gifted athlete with unbelievable length who thrives protecting the basket.
Towns sometimes drifts offensively and will struggle to put up points in the league, but his defensive prowess and rebounding ability make him an easy fit alongside Sullinger or Olynyk.
The C’s big men are all spotty rim protectors, and Towns would give them a player with room to grow offensively who can keep opposing scorers out of the lane.
As with any young athletic big man, there are worries about bust potential, but Towns is a decent enough mid-range shooter that he should find an offensive role.
He’s also a terrific offensive rebounder with great touch around the rim and the ability to use his body to carve out space.
Towns will never be the offensive fulcrum that Okafor projects as, but his defense could prove even more valuable to Boston over the long haul.
Kevon Looney, UCLA
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Kevon Looney hasn’t excelled in any one area for UCLA, but the freshman has established himself as a true five-tool player who can impact the game in a variety of ways.
He’s averaging 13 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 46 percent shooting but also chipping in 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
Looney would immediately bring wing rebounding. The C’s are an improved team on the glass, but the 6’9” Looney is a far better rebounder in college than Green ever was.
Looney does have combo-forward qualities and a shaky handle that suggest he might not be able to do much offensively right away, but he’s a terrific athlete and defender.
He should have no problem covering both 3s and 4s in the league and will give the C’s versatility on offense if he continues improving his shooting stroke.
Right now Looney is converting just 30.4 percent of his threes, a number that needs to improve if he wants to become a dominant offensive player in the league.
Once his jumper improves, Looney will have an even easier time getting to the basket, something he already does well.
Looney takes 60.9 percent of his shots at the rim, per Hoop-Math, although he convers just 55.7 percent of those.
Still, the C’s could use another player capable of getting inside, and Looney can fill that role.
Looney isn’t a no-brainer pick for Boston, but he has come on strong in recent Pac-12 play and has the potential to be an extremely versatile piece on this young squad.
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