2023 NBA Draft – Thurs, 8PM, June 22

[165bows]

I knew Portland had a good record so far but I’d forgotten how that impacted the Celtics’ draft. I’d sort of penciled them in as having a top-half of the second round pick.

C’s currently sitting at #50, #58 and #60 in 2023.

Now 43 (Dallas), 52 (Port), and 60 (hee hee).

https://www.tankathon.com/celtics

Don’t look now but these are currently listed as 33 (Houston) (!), 49 and 60.

Apparently the Houston portion is too 32 protected but you need an additional grad degree to sort out the details on that one between Houston, Miami and Dallas.

[playa-hater]

I haven't spent a single minute looking at this draft yet.. Is this considered to be a good draft? Take away Victor, it looks quite pedestrian.

[Hal14]

I haven't spent a single minute looking at this draft yet.. Is this considered to be a good draft? Take away Victor, it looks quite pedestrian.

I think the top 25-30 guys is very strong. Seems like a a bit of a dropoff after that.

Could be some gems who slip into the 2nd round but I think overall the 2nd round will be pretty weak. But we'll see, still a long way to go.

Also, the 3-15 range looks like there are some good players but not sure any of them will really be stars from this draft outside of Victor and Scoot..

[Hal14]

With how deep our team is, not to mention Davison and Begarin who will look for a role next season and being a contender where you want to play vets over young guys, I feel like this is a draft we get at least 1 draft and stash guy.

The 2022 draft there was EIGHT players taken in the 2nd round who are being stashed. Not sure but I'm assuming that's a record.

A few stash possibilities..

-Rayan Rupert (I think he goes 1st round but if he slips to us in the 2nd round, he's a definite possibility)
-Sidy Cissoko (might be too much overlap with him and Begarin and he also might go late 1st or early 2nd round before our pick..)
-Nikola Durisic (not shooting very efficiently so far and is an average at best defender but there's also a chance he ends up being a top 15 player from this draft class which would be very good value in the 2nd round. Good chance he goes before our pick..)
-Berke Büyüktuncel (i posted about him earlier in the thread..)
-Fedor Zugic (sharpshooter, 6'5")
-Paulius Murauskas (if he really hits, he could end up being a Kukoc/Peja/Turkoglo type of guy. Maybe take him late 2nd round, low risk, high reward..)

[playa-hater]

With how deep our team is, not to mention Davison and Begarin who will look for a role next season and being a contender where you want to play vets over young guys, I feel like this is a draft we get at least 1 draft and stash guy.

The 2022 draft there was EIGHT players taken in the 2nd round who are being stashed. Not sure but I'm assuming that's a record.

A few stash possibilities..

-Rayan Rupert (I think he goes 1st round but if he slips to us in the 2nd round, he's a definite possibility)
-Sidy Cissoko (might be too much overlap with him and Begarin and he also might go late 1st or early 2nd round before our pick..)
-Nikola Durisic (not shooting very efficiently so far and is an average at best defender but there's also a chance he ends up being a top 15 player from this draft class which would be very good value in the 2nd round. Good chance he goes before our pick..)
-Berke Büyüktuncel (i posted about him earlier in the thread..)
-Fedor Zugic (sharpshooter, 6'5")
-Paulius Murauskas (if he really hits, he could end up being a Kukoc/Peja/Turkoglo type of guy. Maybe take him late 2nd round, low risk, high reward..)

If we do end up with the 33rd pick, I hope it's another 1st RD talent that slips every year. the other 2 are definitely good stash possibilities.

[BK_2020]

Hopefully Victor slips to 33 because teams are wary of his injury risk.

[djFan71]

Hopefully Victor slips to 33 because teams are wary of his injury risk.

Meh, we'd have the same concerns and pass on him there. Maybe if he's at our 60th pick we could take the risk. But I'd prefer UDFA.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

With how deep our team is, not to mention Davison and Begarin who will look for a role next season and being a contender where you want to play vets over young guys, I feel like this is a draft we get at least 1 draft and stash guy.

The 2022 draft there was EIGHT players taken in the 2nd round who are being stashed. Not sure but I'm assuming that's a record.

A few stash possibilities..

-Rayan Rupert (I think he goes 1st round but if he slips to us in the 2nd round, he's a definite possibility)
-Sidy Cissoko (might be too much overlap with him and Begarin and he also might go late 1st or early 2nd round before our pick..)
-Nikola Durisic (not shooting very efficiently so far and is an average at best defender but there's also a chance he ends up being a top 15 player from this draft class which would be very good value in the 2nd round. Good chance he goes before our pick..)
-Berke Büyüktuncel (i posted about him earlier in the thread..)
-Fedor Zugic (sharpshooter, 6'5")
-Paulius Murauskas (if he really hits, he could end up being a Kukoc/Peja/Turkoglo type of guy. Maybe take him late 2nd round, low risk, high reward..)

Somebody will probably roll the dice on Rupert's tools anyway but I could see him slipping depending on how the rehab for his broken wrist goes.

[165bows]

Really starting to like Berke Buyuktuncel as a draft and stash pick.

International player and just turned 18 so will turn 19 next September, making him one of the youngest players in the draft class. Those 2 things combined make him a good draft and stash pick.

Not to mention he's a guy who is unlikely to go round 1 - but looks like a solid 2nd rounder.

Also, good size at 6'9". He's rugged, built strong.

He's tough, fearless. Good defender who can defend inside as well as the perimeter.

Can knock down the 3. Good passer.

Kind of like an 18 yr old version of Grant Williams - but if Grant was 6'9" instead of 6'6".

You didn’t tell us you wrote about him on your blog:

https://kuzeykl-41267.medium.com/berke-büyüktuncel-scouting-report-444adf69778

[sam_I_am]

Hopefully Victor slips to 33 because teams are wary of his injury risk.

Meh, we'd have the same concerns and pass on him there. Maybe if he's at our 60th pick we could take the risk. But I'd prefer UDFA.

I think I’d rather take Scoot at 33.

[Hal14]

So yeah, according to Tankathon our highest pick as of now is 33.

For sh*ts and giggles, here's the top 33 on my big board as of now..

Rank Player
1 Victor Wembanyama
2 Scoot Henderson
3 Amen Thompson
4 Ausar Thompson
5 Jarace Walker
6 Cam Whitmore
7 Nick Smith
8 GG Jackson
9 Anthony Black
10 Kel'el Ware
11 Keyonte George
12 Dariq Whitehead
13 Jett Howard
14 Cason Wallace
15 Brandon Miller
16 Gradey Dick
17 Ricky Council IV
18 Kris Murray
19 Maxwell Lewis
20 Terquavion Smith
21 Kyle Filipowski
22 Trevon Brazile
23 JJ Starling
24 Jalen Hood-Schifino
25 Dereck Lively
26 Rayan Rupert
27 Arthur Kaluma
28 Judah Mintz
29 Taylor Hendricks
30 Mark Mitchell
31 Jordan Walsh
32 Nikola Durisic
33 Julian Phillips

Jordan Walsh is an interesting target if he is still there. Very athletic. Very good defender. He's tenacious, high motor. 6'7" with a 7'3" wingspan and a 41" vertical. Natural position is the 3, but can play some at the 4 as well. Good passer/ball mover. Really the only weakness (and why he may slip to 2nd round) is that he's not a great scorer, in terms of creating his own shot off the dribble or nailing the outside shot. He's honestly not terrible at either. Some people have him ranked in the 20-25 range. I have him a little bit lower but really there's little separation between the guys I have in the 22-33 range.

Walsh could be a really good fit here, if he falls that far. I say that because of his defensive mentality, the way he hustles, plays with an edge and moves the ball - plus he's a good cutter.

He's young, only a freshman and a little bit raw offensively. But that's ok. We'd develop him slowly. He'd be on a 2-way for the first 1-2 years. But his upside is being a Shawn Marion type - you get that in the 2nd round, you got a steal.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

ESPN released a mock draft today. They have Boston selecting Ricky Council IV (34), Jordan Walsh (41) and Zach Edey (58).

Don't now much about Ricky Council but the Celtics have had success recently picking players with numerals in their name (Terry Rozier, Robert Williams) so by that highly scientific method he would turn out well. See Hal's post above for info about Walsh's game. Can't see Stevens having any interest in Edey however.

[Hal14]

This guy is a freak. Insane the things he can do at age 18 and 7'5" against pros.

Read on Twitter

[Hal14]

So far, Brad's draft picks (Begarin and Davison) have been young guys, 18 or 19 yrs old in their first year of draft eligibility who are more long term but high upside swings.

However, if we wants to, he could try and scoop up a wing prospect who is a little bit older but more plug and play, more ready to come in and contribute, pretty much from day 1.

A few to watch out for this college basketball season...

Ricky Council IV - Arkansas
Andre Jackson Jr - UConn
Julian Strawther - Gonzaga
Terrence Shannon Jr - Illinois
Jalen Wilson - Kansas
Kevin McCullar Jr - Kansas

From this group, I especially like how Strawther and Jackson could fit with the C's. And there's a decent chance 1 (or both) of them is there with that 34th pick. Especially Jackson...Strawther, looks like a good chance he'll be off the board by then.

If we grab the right guy from this group, they could be a 9th/10th man for us as a rookie.

I love Hauser but he kind of got exposed in these 2 games vs Miami - a team that plays really tight defense so was hard for him to get shots off and wasn't able to do enough other things to make an impact, plus struggled a little bit to guard people against a tough team. Hauser obviously still has a shot to stick as a quality rotation player for us, but at times in these Miami games it seemed like the playoff level intensity, playoff level competition was too much for him and he just didn't have the build or athleticism to hang.

So grabbing a solid wing wouldn't be a bad idea.

Guys like Council and Shannon definitely have NBA-level athleticism.

[165bows]

So it's looking like a 40% chance of the Celtics landing pick #33-35 or so, which is amazing considering it's not far off from where they are (were) slated to pick in the first round.

As far as I can tell, the pick they are owed is top 31-32 protected from Houston. Likely will be a coin toss in terms of who is worst between Houston, SA, Orlando, Detroit and Charlotte. I doubt there will be much separation between those teams at all over the year, so call it slightly better than 50% chance the C's land a really solid second round pick this year.

[jmr07019]

What are best draft and stash picks? Has any all star ever been a draft and stash?

[Hal14]

What are best draft and stash picks? Has any all star ever been a draft and stash?

Some of the best draft and stashes are:

Bojan Bogdanović
Arvydas Sabonis
Toni Kukoc
Manu Ginobili
Nikoli Jokic
Bogdan Bogdanović
Dario Šarić
Davis Bertans
Cedi Osman
Furkan Korkmaz
Willy Hernangomez
Raul Neto
Nemanja Bjelica
Tomas Satoransky
Jonas Valanciunas
Ricky Rubio
Patrick Beverley
Serge Ibaka
Tiago Splitter
Luis Scola
Andrei Kirilenko
Peja Stojakovic
Voshon Lenard
Popeye Jones
Danny Ferry
Antonio Davis
Dino Radja
Drazen Petrovic
Marc Jackson
Nenad Krstic
PJ Brown

[165bows]

So far, Brad's draft picks (Begarin and Davison) have been young guys, 18 or 19 yrs old in their first year of draft eligibility who are more long term but high upside swings.

However, if we wants to, he could try and scoop up a wing prospect who is a little bit older but more plug and play, more ready to come in and contribute, pretty much from day 1.

A few to watch out for this college basketball season...

Ricky Council IV - Arkansas
Andre Jackson Jr - UConn
Julian Strawther - Gonzaga
Terrence Shannon Jr - Illinois
Jalen Wilson - Kansas
Kevin McCullar Jr - Kansas

From this group, I especially like how Strawther and Jackson could fit with the C's. And there's a decent chance 1 (or both) of them is there with that 34th pick. Especially Jackson...Strawther, looks like a good chance he'll be off the board by then.

If we grab the right guy from this group, they could be a 9th/10th man for us as a rookie.

I love Hauser but he kind of got exposed in these 2 games vs Miami - a team that plays really tight defense so was hard for him to get shots off and wasn't able to do enough other things to make an impact, plus struggled a little bit to guard people against a tough team. Hauser obviously still has a shot to stick as a quality rotation player for us, but at times in these Miami games it seemed like the playoff level intensity, playoff level competition was too much for him and he just didn't have the build or athleticism to hang.

So grabbing a solid wing wouldn't be a bad idea.

Guys like Council and Shannon definitely have NBA-level athleticism.

What do you think about Coleman Hawkins?
Edit: Spent ten minutes looking at the tankathon draft board - guys that seem interesting off the top of my head; Tshiebwe (following up from my guy last year), Colby Jones, maybe DaRon Holmes or Jamie Jaquez Jr.

[Hal14]

So far, Brad's draft picks (Begarin and Davison) have been young guys, 18 or 19 yrs old in their first year of draft eligibility who are more long term but high upside swings.

However, if we wants to, he could try and scoop up a wing prospect who is a little bit older but more plug and play, more ready to come in and contribute, pretty much from day 1.

A few to watch out for this college basketball season...

Ricky Council IV - Arkansas
Andre Jackson Jr - UConn
Julian Strawther - Gonzaga
Terrence Shannon Jr - Illinois
Jalen Wilson - Kansas
Kevin McCullar Jr - Kansas

From this group, I especially like how Strawther and Jackson could fit with the C's. And there's a decent chance 1 (or both) of them is there with that 34th pick. Especially Jackson...Strawther, looks like a good chance he'll be off the board by then.

If we grab the right guy from this group, they could be a 9th/10th man for us as a rookie.

I love Hauser but he kind of got exposed in these 2 games vs Miami - a team that plays really tight defense so was hard for him to get shots off and wasn't able to do enough other things to make an impact, plus struggled a little bit to guard people against a tough team. Hauser obviously still has a shot to stick as a quality rotation player for us, but at times in these Miami games it seemed like the playoff level intensity, playoff level competition was too much for him and he just didn't have the build or athleticism to hang.

So grabbing a solid wing wouldn't be a bad idea.

Guys like Council and Shannon definitely have NBA-level athleticism.

What do you think about Coleman Hawkins?

Intriguing guy. Definitely someone worth monitoring this college basketball season. He could be a nice pick for us in the 2nd round. 6'10" and can shoot it well from deep. Plays hard, really smart, high IQ player who really competes, good fundamentals. Not the biggest, strongest or most athletic. But does pretty much everything fairly well, along with good size and good shooting.

Projects in the NBA as a guy who can play the 4 or the 5. Good passer. Doesn't create much off the dribble, but I can see him developing that more. He's still only 20 years old, fairly young. I like him. He's #40 on my big board now but he may move up more..

[165bows]

What do you think about Coleman Hawkins?

Intriguing guy. Definitely someone worth monitoring this college basketball season. He could be a nice pick for us in the 2nd round. 6'10" and can shoot it well from deep. Plays hard, really smart, high IQ player who really competes, good fundamentals. Not the biggest, strongest or most athletic. But does pretty much everything fairly well, along with good size and good shooting.

Projects in the NBA as a guy who can play the 4 or the 5. Good passer. Doesn't create much off the dribble, but I can see him developing that more. He's still only 20 years old, fairly young. I like him. He's #40 on my big board now but he may move up more..

I edited above, if they don't go with a younger upside guy, Colby Jones seems like a mold they like a lot. Sort of a Brogdan type.