Jaylen Brown to Celtics: Twitter Reacts as SF Is Selected in 2016 NBA Draft

The Boston Celtics added an intriguing young piece to their core in Thursday's NBA draft by selecting California forward Jaylen Brown with the No. 3 overall pick. 

Twitter had plenty to say about Boston's choice, which was the first wild-card pick after Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram—as was expected—went to the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively.

Comcast SportsNet's John Middlekauff made an interesting NBA comparison for Brown:

Nate Duncan of The Cauldron went against the grain and actually projected Brown to be a better pro than Ingram:

LostLettermen.com founder Jim Weber felt Brown fit the mold of a typical selection from Celtics general manager Danny Ainge:

ESPN's Mark Jones highlighted Brown's versatility, which has to have Boston fans excited if the team does indeed hold onto him:

Here's the best of the rest:

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported the Celtics were engaged in serious talks with Philadelphia and the Chicago Bulls about potential trades as they prepared to go on the clock. Boston could still swing a deal even after pulling the trigger on Brown.

However, the team's co-owner Wyc Grousbeck strongly suggested otherwise, per CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely: "There has not been a trade. This guy (Jaylen Brown) is our guy for the future."

The Celtics needed another playmaker on the wing and a blue-chip talent in general on a roster bereft of such players. They filled that requirement in spades with Brown. In his only year at California, he averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and two assists per contest.

For a Boston team that hoisted the 11th-most three-pointers last season but shot the third-worst percentage, other lottery prospects could have helped in that area more than Brown. However, the fact he is such a versatile player with tons of upside still to explore helped his cause.

Coach Brad Stevens will have Brown as a superb sub for his second unit. It's possible the Golden Bears star could supplant Jae Crowder in the starting lineup at the 3, or he could function at the 4 if the Celtics go smaller.

Stevens' success in guiding Boston to two straight playoff appearances has been predicated on maximum effort, an uptempo style of play and defensive tenacity.

Brown is a high-IQ player who must improve as a shooter, but he generally fits the bill of someone Stevens would love to coach and mold. The 19-year-old is a superb defender who can guard almost any position and landed in a great place with a team on the rise.

The Celtics have two more first-round picks at Nos. 16 and 23 and five second-rounders, so they have the assets to add another gifted young player or several before Thursday's draft action concludes.